Cold War by Pawel Pawlikowski
In “Cold War,” a hot romance is doomed from the start. Writer-director Pawel Pawlikowski, whose 2013 film “Ida” won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, stages a love story that crosses political boundaries, but is universal in its volatility.
Tomasz Kot is Wiktor Warski, a musician scouting talent in post-WWII Poland. Joanna Kulig electrifies as Zuzanna “Zula” Lichoń, a much younger singer who catches his eye from a crowded field. The two pair up and their affair shoots sparks, though both parties know the flame is burning quickly and isn’t meant to last.
They fall out and reconvene years later in France, and follow this pattern for years. Political forces keep them apart. But so do their personal issues, and their inability to shelve the other matters in their lives and make each other a priority. They take up other lovers, knowing they’ll eventually come back to one another. But the passion between them runs so deep that they’re always ready to explode, walk away and repeat the cycle all over again. A scene where Zula tears up a dance floor to “Rock Around the Clock” while he looks on speaks volumes.
The political metaphors are thick, but not so much that they overshadow the humanity of the love story at the film’s center. Kot and Kulig scorch the screen when they’re together, and Pawlikowski (working with cinematographer Łukasz Żal) shoots in luxe black and white that adds to the stark economy of the film. (It comes in at a lithe 88 minutes.)
The ending comes as a stunner, but is the only logical conclusion for Wiktor and Zula. “Cold War” captivates and transcends barriers of language and culture. It’s a gorgeous tale as rocky as it is romantic.
Adam Graham Detroit News Film Critic
agraham@detroitnews.com
Published 9:25 AM EST Feb 1, 2019
@grahamorama
What makes us human?
Evolutionary biology and scientific evidence tell us that all humans originated from and evolved from ape-like ancestors over 6 million years ago in Africa. From knowledge gained from the discovery of early human fossils and archaeological remains, it appears that there were probably 15-20 different species of early humans that existed, some beginning as early as several million years ago. These species of humans, called “hominins,” migrated into Asia about 2 million years ago, then into Europe, and the rest of the world much later. While different branches of humans died out, the branch leading to the modern human, Homo sapiens, continued to evolve.
Have you ever?
1. felt dismayed when somebody, in response to, ‘Hi, how are
you?’, doesn’t answer, ‘Fine, thanks’, but starts to tell you
about their health?
2. had a tricky conversation with someone whose name you’ve
forgotten when they clearly know who you are? Should you
ask their name?
3. discovered to your embarrassment that you’ve been walking
along, talking to yourself because your friend stopped a
while ago to look in a shop window?
4. said you’re pleased with your hair in a hairdresser’s, despite
hating it, and can’t wait to leave the shop and comb it out?
5. spent a meal debating with yourself whether to tell the person
you’re eating with that there is some food on their face?
6. asked someone in a supermarket where something is, only
to learn that the person is another customer like yourself?
Or worse, have you had the reverse happen to you?
7. wished that you’d bought some of the things in the trolley
of the person ahead of you in the supermarket queue?
8. found it difficult to keep your smile and patience, after a third
failed attempt when someone is taking a group photograph?
9. felt awkward because after saying a long and affectionate
goodbye to someone you both set off in the same direction?
10. said, ‘We really must meet up again sometime’, when
you really meant ‘Not a chance!’?
What is the difference between human being and being human?
There is a very distinct difference between Being Human and Human Being. The dictionary describes Being human as simply understanding that others are human too. … describes Human Beings as a person, especially as distinguished from other animals or as representing the human species.
Our Mind: Imagination, Creativity, and Forethought: A Blessing and a Curse
The human brain and the activity of its countless neurons and synaptic possibilities contribute to the human mind. The human mind is different from the brain: the brain is the tangible, visible part of the physical body; the mind consists of the intangible realm of thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and consciousness.
Thomas Suddendorf says in his book, “The Gap”:
“Mind is a tricky concept. I think I know what a mind is because I have one — or because I am one. You might feel the same. But the minds of others are not directly observable. We assume that others have minds somewhat like ours — filled with beliefs and desires — but we can only infer those mental states. We cannot see, feel, or touch them. We largely rely on language to inform each other about what is on our minds.” (p. 39)
Storytelling
Thanks to our unique memory, acquisition of language skills, and ability to write, humans around the world, from the very young to the very old, have been communicating and transmitting their ideas through stories for thousands of years, and storytelling remains integral to being human and to human culture.
The Future
No matter how you look at it, humans are unique, and paradoxical. While we are the most advanced species intellectually, technologically, and emotionally, extending our lifespans, creating artificial intelligence, traveling to outer space, showing great acts of heroism, altruism and compassion, we also continue to engage in primitive, violent, cruel, and self-destructive behavior.
As beings with awesome intelligence and the ability to control and alter our environment, though, we also have a commensurate responsibility to care for our planet, its resources, and all the other sentient beings who inhabit it and depend on us for their survival. We are still evolving as a species and we need to continue to learn from our past, imagine better futures, and create new and better ways of being together for the sake of ourselves, other animals, and our planet.
Resources and Further Reading
https://www.thoughtco.com/what-makes-us-human-4150529
- Chimps vs Humans: How are We Different?, LiveScience, https://www.livescience.com/15297-chimps-humans.html
- Our Distant Ancestors, Book Review of The Gap:The Science of What Separates Us from Other Animals, The Human Journey, http://www.humanjourney.us/gap.html
- From Grunting to Gabbing: Why Humans Can Talk, NPR, WGBH Radio, The Human Edge, http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129083762
- How Are Humans Unique? Closer to Truth, https://www.closertotruth.com/series/how-are-humans-unique
- The Moral of the Story, New York Times Book Review, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/05/books/review/the-storytelling-animal-by-jonathan-gottschall.html?mcubz=0
About Halina’s teaching
M.A. Senior Lecturer Wrocław University of Science and Technology – Wybrzeże Wyspiańskiego 27 50-370 Wrocław, Poland
As a retired busy language teacher, I feel very appreciated by my students. I teach f2f and online Polish and English as a Foreign Language.
Nowadays, I am a highly motivated, energetic as well as a creative language teacher.
I am an enthusiastic online non-native English teacher. I have been teaching English online since 2010. I have taught children as well as adults. I have a master’s degree in education from the University of Wroclaw, Poland, Philology, Linguistics Jul 1974. After 40 years of teaching in traditional classroom settings, I grow into an experienced online professional tutor. I specialize in Conversational English. I also prepare, for various tests, including the Cambridge and Oxford standardized exams. I take advantage of new technologies. My approach is Teaching English with Technology. I use blended learning, flipping the classroom change from passive to fully active learners are significant implements in my teaching/, learning by teaching or encouraging
education. I teach English as a foreign language. I also conduct lectures in English on Polish History and Culture for students from all over the world. I spent almost ten years in the USA and became an American Citizen in 2000. I have been participating in the online teacher’s training courses since 2010. I am striving to involve students in all kinds of activities like connecting and exchanging information. I find Virtual Classes tremendously exciting and challenging. As a Non- Native English online teacher I am available for private lessons on Skype or in my virtual classroom.
I have 25 years of experience teaching private English lessons to adults and adolescents from beginning level to advanced. My students have included business executives, professors, medical doctors, engineers, university students, primary and secondary school students, and adults learning English for daily life. I know I can help make significant, fast as well as adequate progress in English.
Why The “Grammar First, Speak Later” Approach Doesn’t Work. by Shanthi Streat | Nov 29, 2018
Here’s what we did.
➤ I encouraged her to speak freely without correcting her mistakes.
➤ I wanted to hear her story. I wasn’t interested in how she told her story, but what her story was.
➤ I wasn’t interested in her grammar mistakes. I was interested in HER.
➤ I recorded our conversations and shared the recordings with her. I wanted her to hear herself speak and realise how fluid she sounded.
We’re free only when we feel unjudged.
By the end of the week, Chantal’s fear of speaking and making mistakes eased significantly.She felt reassured that what she had to say was more important than how she said it.
Step #2 – It’s Not About You, It’s About Your Co-Workers.
The next step was to dig deep and reflect on who was her team and what they would need from her.Would they need a leader who spoke perfect English or a leader who inspired them and helped them work better?
by Shanthi Streat | Nov 29, 2018
Halina’s VC
The Six Stages of Second-Language Acquisition
http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/language-acquisition-overview
| Pre-production | This is also called “the silent period,” when the student takes in the new language but does not speak it. This period often lasts six weeks or longer, depending on the individual. |
|---|---|
| Early production | The individual begins to speak using short words and sentences, but the emphasis is still on listening and absorbing the new language. There will be many errors in the early production stage. |
| Speech Emergent | Speech becomes more frequent, words and sentences are longer, but the individual still relies heavily on context clues and familiar topics. Vocabulary continues to increase and errors begin to decrease, especially in common or repeated interactions. |
| Beginning Fluency | Speech is fairly fluent in social situations with minimal errors. New contexts and academic language are challenging and the individual will struggle to express themselves due to gaps in vocabulary and appropriate phrases. |
| Intermediate Fluency | Communicating in the second language is fluent, especially in social language situations. The individual is able to speak almost fluently in new situations or in academic areas, but there will be gaps in vocabulary knowledge and some unknown expressions. There are very few errors, and the individual is able to demonstrate higher order thinking skills in the second language such as offering an opinion or analyzing a problem. |
| Advanced Fluency | The individual communicates fluently in all contexts and can maneuver successfully in new contexts and when exposed to new academic information. At this stage, the individual may still have an accent and use idiomatic expressions incorrectly at times, but the individual is essentially fluent and comfortable communicating in the second language. |
How long does it take for a language learner to go through these stages? Just as in any other learning situation, it depends on the individual. One of the major contributors to accelerated second language learning is the strength of first language skills. Language researchers such as Jim Cummins, Catherine Snow, Lily Wong Filmore and Stephen Krashen have studied this topic in a variety of ways for many years. The general consensus is that it takes between five to seven years for an individual to achieve advanced fluency. This generally applies to individuals who have strong first language and literacy skills. If an individual has not fully developed first language and literacy skills, it may take between seven to ten years to reach advanced fluency. It is very important to note that every ELL student comes with his or her own unique language and education background, and this will have an impact on their English learning process.
It is also important to keep in mind that the understood goal for American ELL students is Advanced Fluency, which includes fluency in academic contexts as well as social contexts. Teachers often get frustrated when ELL students appear to be fluent because they have strong social English skills, but then they do not participate well in academic projects and discussions. Teachers who are aware of ELL students’ need to develop academic language fluency in English will be much better prepared to assist those students in becoming academically successful. (Learn more about academic language in Colorín Colorado’s academic language resource section.)
True Learning
I give English one to one tutoring classes as well as ONLINE English Courses.
I realize what YOU need to succeed in English. I know the essential skills you need to grow to suit an active communicator in English.
My classes are for students who want to use a most proficient approach to get fluent in English fast by practicing English Skills. Training is a subconscious process and is faster than conscious learning.
Being capable of putting across effectively is the most important of all life skills.
Communication is merely the act of transferring information from one place to another, whether this is vocal, written, visually or non-verbally (using body language, gestures and the tone and pitch of the voice).
How well this information can be transmitted and received is a measure of how good our communication skills are.
Training your English communication skills can facilitate all aspects of your life, from your professional spirit to social gatherings and everything in between.
Conventional methods of learning English exemplify passive learning with a limited success rate. I firmly trust in Active Learning of English Skills which is much more efficient than passive learning.
These are the primary disadvantages of passive English learning
- The major weakness of passive education is that it splits the language into different components – reading, writing, listening, grammar, and pronunciation – which you try to learn separately.
- When learners are not actively involved in the class, they continue to think in their native language. Whatever the instructor explains to them, they try to interpret it in their mother tongue. It becomes nearly impossible to process the information intuitively or spontaneously.
- Because learners aren’t taught to think in English, they are unable to communicate in English.
Active learning helps students start speaking English confidently in less than a year.
Active learning is more than just listening: it involves the active participation of students. They must use the language all the time and be emotionally involved in the process.
We call for the conversion from Passive Learning to Active Training English Skills
As a language teacher, I use all kinds of tricks just because making students speak and building their self-confidence in keeping the conversation going is the most essential for me.
When I teach Polish, my foreigners and I have to speak only Polish, and also my English classes are run entirely in English. I train without a bridge language.
This signifies they are required to forget about native language and start speaking as well as intending in a foreign linguistic communication. Thinking in a foreign language, this is just what I want my learners to achieve.
My students learn the words in different contexts, mostly singing phrases, expressions, collocations, idiomatic expressions, phrasal verbs also telling tales. Moreover, I inspire them to talk to everybody, even to themselves in a foreign language. Consequently, they can communicate as well as discuss a variety of beautiful narrations.
Many teachers spend most of their time altering each other’s errors.
Nevertheless, I correct only fundamental errors, as I don’t want students to stop talking. I also encourage my learners to listen to songs, watch movies with subtitles in a language they learn, read a lot and so forth.
- The most important is to deliver comprehensible input. We improve the language when we understand it.
I am very much against the support in the native language.
- Learners spend more time dynamically speaking English when we convince them, for working students.
I also develop an environment for gaining all language skills – reading, listening, speaking, writing, and pronunciation at the same time. Learners experience everyday situations again entirely in English. - The mobile is an obvious choice for delivering information. It affords pupils access to reading material both in the course of educational activity and after the class of a written report. It covers support for sharing sessions with friends or teachers, which is essential for digital learners.
The lessons added by a teacher allow building an active connection between everyone.
As a result, I as an English teacher achieve a perpetual change from passive learning to the active, improving English skills.
Thank you for reading and watching.
Wishing you all the best,
Halina Ostankowicz- Bazan
References
http://edglossary.org/authentic-learning/
https://uteach.utexas.edu/sites/default/files/files/SixKeyStrategiesELL.pdf
https://www.ernweb.com/educational-research-articles/the-four-characteristics-of-authentic-learning/
https://clt.curtin.edu.au/teaching_learning_practice/student_centred/authentic.cfm
- Brookfield, S. (2000). Adult cognition as a dimension of lifelong learning. In J. Field &
- Cisero, C. A. (2006). Does reflective journal writing improve course performance? College Teaching, 54, 231-236.
- Developing Language Objectives for English Language Learners in Physical Education Lessons. Clancy, M. & Hruska, B. (2005).
- Dewey, J. (1933). How we think (Revised). Boston: D.C. Heath.
- Duckett, H. (2002). Smoke and mirrors? Evaluating the use of reflective practice as a management learning technique.” Education-line database, December 23.
- Effective Instruction for English-Language Learners. Protheroe, N. (2011).
- English Language Learners: A Policy Research Brief produced by the National Council of Teachers of English. NCTE. (2008).
- Instructional Models and Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners. Center on Instruction. Moughamian et al. (2009).
- Shulruf, B. (2011). Do extra-curricular activities in school improve educational outcomes? A critical review and meta-analysis of the literature. International Review of Education, (56),591-612.
Non -Native and Native English Teachers
Native English Teacher or non- Native English Teachers
Enter a caption
Is English a Global Language?
The contentious issue of (non)nativeness remains unanswered.
Nowadays, being an NNEST or NNEST should not count but rather teachers’ professional capabilities.
The presentation provides a forum for reflection and discussion about NNESTs.
We should value professional and personal qualities over ‘nativeness.’
The skills and qualities that make an effective language teacher are the most significant.
Both ‘NESTs’ and ‘NNESTs’ are expected to be competent teachers, each with excellent professional skills.
What can non-native English-speaking teachers (NNESTs) perform better?
What can native English-speaking teachers (NESTs) manage better?
Business Small Talk: How to Have Good Conversations (Even When You Don’t Feel Confident Speaking English) | English with a Twist
For my students.
Continuing with the theme of guest posts, I am delighted to introduce you to yet another guest writer here on EWAT. This time I have the pleasure of welcoming Jacob Gershkovich, a fellow English teacher. In his interesting and super useful post, Jacob brilliantly illustrates how you can make a good impression and enjoy a good conversation with business colleagues even if you feel your English could be better. This is ideal for anyone who wants to feel more confident in the business small talk. Enjoy the post. *************************** Listen to the post Read the post Let’s imagine that you’re at a networking event. You see someone standing across the room who you’d really like to connect with, someone who could be really helpful to know. You want to introduce yourself to this person and begin a conversation, but you don’t feel confident as an English speaker. You’re worried that you won’t be able to express yourself properly in English, or even worse, that you’ll say something silly
Intonation in English language teaching
Opening Plenary by Jane Setter
Introduction
Intonation is one of the earliest acquired aspects of speech; the crymelodies of infants are influenced by the intonation of their mothers, and very small toddlers are able to use intonation to indicate turn taking patterns in play conversations before they can form words. It plays a vital role in successful communication in English, as it does in other languages. If this is true, why is intonation neglected in English language pronunciation teaching, and how can it be taught effectively?
This presentation takes the audience into the seldom-navigated region of intonation in English language teaching, focusing on the role of three main elements: tonality, tonicity and tone. Drawing on material from a number of different sources, we explore the role of intonation in English, and look at which elements are teachable, which are learnable, what resources are available to the teacher and the learner, and how intonation might be approached in the English language classroom and as a self-access learning activity. Expect a multimedia, audience participation experience.
Pronunciation
from English Grammar Today
Pronunciation means how we say words. Most people speak the dialect of standard English with an accent that belongs to the part of the country they come from or live in. Learners of British English commonly hear RP (received pronunciation), which is an accent often used on the BBC and other news media and in some course materials for language learners, but it is also common to hear a variety of regional accents of English from across the world.
How we use spoken stress and rhythm is also an important part of pronunciation. For example, it is important to know which syllables in a word are stressed and how different patterns of stressed and unstressed syllables are pronounced. There are also common patterns of intonation in English which enable us to give special emphasis to particular words, phrases and sentences.
See also: Dialect, British and American English, SpellingIntonation
Here are some snapshots from the presentstion.
IATEFL Online Conference in Glasgow, 2017
SEC, Glasgow, UK
4th-7th April 2017
Pre-Conference Events and Associates’ Day, 3rd April 2017
Welcome to Halina’s Conversational English online course
Video Welcome to Halina’s Conversational English online course By Halina Ostańkowicz- Bazan I have been teaching languages for over 40 years.I taught Polish as foreign languages in traditional sett…
Source: Welcome to Halina’s Conversational English online course
Private lessons with Halina
I understand what YOU need to succeed in English. I know the essential skills you need to develop to become an effective communicator in English.
What does real English mean to you?
- You don’t study grammar rules. Instead, you listen to our grammar stories and learn to USE grammar correctly.
- You don’t study word lists. …
- You don’t use textbooks. …
- You don’t learn formal English.
Instead of studying textbooks, you must review real conversations between speakers. Real conversations will teach you to understand English speakers instantly and to speak without a struggle. All of the materials use 100% real conversations.
I would love to teach you, one-to-one!
I am available for private lessons on Skype or in my virtual classroom. My online class is equipped with a microphone, camera, whiteboard, media player, file sharing, and a variety of other tools.
I have 25 years of experience teaching private English lessons to adults and adolescents from the beginning level to advanced.
My students have included business executives, professors, medical doctors, engineers, university students, primary and secondary school students, and adults learning English for daily life.
I know I can help you make significant, fast as well as adequateprogress in English.
For your program, you can choose any of the topics listed below or suggest additional items. I will design the lessons to suit your specific needs.
General Conversation Skills
Everyday expressions, idioms, slang, conversation topics and situations, cultural issues, and skill-building in pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary.
Business English
Interview and CV preparation, oral and written reports and presentations, formal and informal business meetings, entrepreneurial culture, office English, and skill-building in pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary.
Academic English
Interview preparation, university applications, oral presentations, academic vocabulary, academic writing and research, intellectual culture, campus English, and skill-building in pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary.
Exam Preparation
TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS, CAE, FCE, CPE, PET, SAT, ACT, GRE, and GMAT
Pricing
Single private lessons: $25 per hour or $40 for 90 minutes.
Discounts:
Package of 5 one-hour lessons: $125
Package of 5 90-minute lessons: $200
Package of 10 one-hour lessons: $250
Package of 10 90-minute lessons: $400
Discounts are also available for small group lessons.
Prices include all materials (PDF documents, audio files, and video files) and communication via email or chat.
We can discuss meeting times and payment options during a free consultation.
Please contact me about private lessons.
I hope to meet and begin teaching you soon!
ESL/EFL /ELT REsources from TESOL
Thank you for sharing.
Regards,
Halina
CALL-IS has a website to offer advice on all things tech and distance learning: https://techgurubar.pbworks.com. I continue to add resources and am available for Zoom conferences and support along with many others from CALL-IS.
The TESOL Call (Computer-Assisted-Language-Learning) Section worked hard on it!
Learning as conversation
Finally, productive media such as a webpage or blog post or digital object or model of some kind – these enable an output from the learning in which the learner articulates and shares what they have learned, considers the learning experience, adjusts their original conception in the light of the interaction, and reflects upon the significance of the experience. Productive media support the final, reflective phase of the learning encounter, and will often overlap with communicative media.
What emerges is that while each media form supports a different dimension or dimensions of the learning encounter, none of them can support every dimension. Narrative media support the apprehensive dimension and may be all you need for a purely instructional approach; interactive and adaptive media support immersive, exploratory learning and on their own result in a game-like experience; communicative media support the discursive and productive dimensions, and for pure peer-to-peer learning may be all you need. But to support the kind of deep or complex learning which engages all the phases of the learning encounter, you need a combination of media forms.
Diana Laurillard’s conversational framework feels like a very powerful model for understanding how formal learning works and how best to design effective learning objects. It is the best kind of theory: one that informs practice. It starts by identifying the main characteristics of a learning encounter, develops from these a typology of learning experiences, and finally maps this to a taxonomy of media forms appropriate to each type of experience.
Building on the Socratic tradition of dialectic, the social constructivist learning theories of Vygotsky and Piaget and the conversation theory of Pask, Laurillard maintains that all complex learning involves
a continuing iterative dialogue between teacher and student, which reveals the participants’ conceptions and the variations between them… There is no escape from the need for dialogue, no room for mere telling, nor for practice without description, nor for experimentation without reflection, nor for student action without feedback. (Laurillard…
View original post 834 more words
Welcome to Halina’s Conversational English online course
Let’s speak English.
Welcome to Halina’s Conversational English online course
By Halina Ostańkowicz- Bazan
I have been teaching languages for over 40 years.I taught Polish as foreign languages in traditional settings at the Wroclaw University of Technology for about 41 years.
In 2010, I started my online adventure mainly on WizIQ. Since that time I have been using technology in my classes.I have been teaching English to speakers of other languages for over 25 years. I have been coaching both face-to-face and in blended learning arrangements.
Overview
- Are you unsatisfied with your level of English?
- Do you want to become a forward-thinking speaker and reach to a great extent fluency?
- If so, my course is for you!
Throughout my online course, participants will be able to ask questions before (in the course-ware), during the Virtual Class (in the chat box), and after (in the course-ware).
For the duration of the ten…
View original post 753 more words
TEACHING with TECHNOLOGY
TEACHING AND TECHNOLOGY
By Halina Ostankowicz- Bazan
What does teaching with technology mean to me?
To me, teaching with technology involves the development of my approaches that includes four primary modules: the course content, the coach, the students, and the technology implements.
After over thirty years of teaching, I felt bored with my traditional technics and wanted to find some inspiration, as well as improvement.
My motivation, to search for the updated coaching methods, was an eagerness to make my classes more challenging and more exciting.
Learning how to teach with technology has helped me to make progress as a teacher and a learner. Teaching with technology can deepen student learning by supporting instructional objectives. However, it can be challenging to select the “best” tech tools while not losing sight of your goals for student learning.
In the classroom, technology can encompass all kinds of tools from low-tech pencil, paper, and chalkboard, to the use of presentation software, or high-tech tablets, online collaboration and conferencing tools, and more. The newest technologies allow us to try things in physical and virtual classrooms that were not possible before. What you use depends fundamentally on what you are trying to accomplish.
I like this model;
According to Gregory and Denby Associates significant implications for teaching with technology state that instruction should attempt to build upon each student’s experiential base.
What a teacher / student learns from education is, in no small extent, a function of prior knowledge.
One role of technology, therefore, is to bridge personal experiences and formal in traction. Technology should also be sufficiently flexible to adapt to teachers’ / students’ on-going instructional needs. One of the symbols of a master teacher is the ability to recognize and repair student’s misunderstandings and misconceptions.
What do I expect students to learn from the online course?
I would like to make my students interested in learning, improving the general understanding of the need to ask questions as well as to search for answers.
I expect my learners to change their studying habits so that can grow an appropriate background education and become more open to new ways of getting knowledge.
What skills and knowledge do I want them to acquire by the end of the course?
By the end of the course, students should improve their speaking and listening skills as well as become more confident in communication in English.
Students / participants will have a strong understanding of what the communicative approach to language teaching is and how it relates to them.
Learners will practice updated, efficient studying methods and will make implausible progress through self-study.
Finally, course participants will achieve a high fluency level of conversational English.
Also, to enhancing their pronunciation, improving speaking skills and language fluency students will be prepared for a variety of English-speaking module exams.
After my https://www.wiziq.com/course/64625-halina-s-conversational-english
Halina’s Conversational English online course I would like my students to;
- Improve speaking competence and English fluency
- Increase communication efficiency
- Use strategies for making Small Talk effectively
- Get ready for a variety of English-speaking environments
- Prepare for different Spoken English, Exams, and Interviews
What teaching strategies (lecture, discussion, group work, case studies, etc.) will best help students achieve these goals?
The best teaching approaches for my learners are speaking as well as listening strategies. Apparently we run-through presentations, discussions, conversations, dialogues, teamwork and case studies. I would like to point out that I just use actual, real texts from the books, newspapers, the song’s lyrics, movies. We often take advantage of different kinds of listening comprehension such as listening to the news, interviews presentations, et cetera.
In my view, the most imperative teaching method is encouraging students and motivating them to be active learners.
Generally speaking, in my course I will take advantage of both synchronous lessons and asynchronous communication supported with PowerPoint presentations, reading as well as listening assignments, discussions, and variety of tasks such as running or giving interviews, making English speaking videos, creating classes.
Being creative is a must in the language classroom.
In one of the TED talks, Sir Ken Robinson said that creativity is as important as literacy and as such must be promoted in any classroom. Nowadays, however, most Foreign Language syllabuses follow the testing-oriented approach to allow for more objective assessment of the students.
For recognizable reasons, the testing-oriented approach does not generate a context for learners being creative. Therefore, creativity is not promoted or is even excluded in total.
In my course, I will argue that in the context of Foreign Language Learning and Teaching creativeness is essential. It leads to better and faster assimilation of language material, and it generates a more productive language environment. Moreover, inventiveness unpredictably enough may produce better test results, no matter the learners’ level is.
Halina Ostańkowicz- Bazan
Online publications, virtual communities, and more blogs
- Campus Technology.
- EDUCAUSE is an online research community
- EdTech: Focus on Higher Education.
- eLearn Magazine
- Learning through Digital Media
- HASTAC: Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Advanced Collaboratory
Videos
- Clickers in the Classroom and other short educational videos from the University of Colorado
- Creating a PDF with video: “One easy way to make readings come alive for your students.”
Resources from other teaching and learning centers
- Technology, Center for Teaching and Learning, University of Texas, Austin
- Technology in the Classroom, Center for Research on Learning and Teaching, University of Michigan
- Educational Technologies, Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology, University of British Columbia
- Flipping the classroom
- Active learning
- Student writing
- Discussion
- Discussing racial violence in the US: Resources for discussing current events
- Large lecture instruction
Teaching with technology
Learn to Blend and Flip with Technology
Teaching with Technology
Micro Teaching in Pairs
Kindness Counts in Leadership – Harvard Business Publishing
What does it mean to be a kind leader? It sounds like a negative, but good leadership means being generous and considerate with your experience.
Source: Kindness Counts in Leadership – Harvard Business Publishing
Are we happy in 2019?
https://moodle4teachers.org/course/view.php?id=240
I am taking the course Getting Online as a Teacherpreneur
We have to answer some questions…..
@What is the difference between wordpress.com and wordpress.org?
- What is database and why is it important.
- Overview of wordpress dashboard
- How to deal with cyber bullying among young adults
I am very excited because studying is a big adventure for me as a lifelong learner.
Latest Posts
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Private lessons with Halina
I understand what YOU need to succeed in English. I know the essential skills you need to develop to become an effective communicator in English.…
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ESL/EFL /ELT REsources from TESOL
Originally posted on BroadyELT: CALL-IS has a website to offer advice on all things tech and distance learning: https://techgurubar.pbworks.com. I continue to add resources and am…
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Learning as conversation
Originally posted on JohnsBlog: Diana Laurillard’s conversational framework feels like a very powerful model for understanding how formal learning works and how best to design…
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Cold War by Pawel Pawlikowski
In “Cold War,” a hot romance is doomed from the start. Writer-director Pawel Pawlikowski, whose 2013 film “Ida” won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film,…
Halina's Thoughts 
