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Monthly Archives: September 2016

English Tutor The Weekly English Workout

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jason-studio

 

About Fluency MC

 

Jason R Levine (Fluency MC) has eighteen years of experience as an English teacher,  Teacher trainer, and materials writer. He has led student workshops and teacher training  programs in sixteen countries in Europe, the Americas, Africa, and the Middle East.

 

After earning a master’s degree in TESOL from Hunter College in 1999, Jason taught at  several schools before becoming the director of curriculum development at Embassy English.  In 2002, he co-founded a business English and test preparation school in New York City.

 

Jason conducts workshops for English students and teachers worldwide through Oremis  Plaisir d’apprendre, Gallery Languages and the U.S. Department of State. He is the creator  of The English Workout, an approach to English language learning based on the songs he writes and performs as Fluency MC. He also writes for Oxford University Press and works  as a trainer and consultant at Linguaid. In 2013, he created and launched ELT Techniques,  the first live MOOC for English language teachers.

 

Jason maintains the Fluency MC YouTube channel, Facebook page, and Twitter and Instagram accounts. He is an active administrator of many Facebook groups for English language teachers and learners, including Innovative Teachers of English, Teachers Teaching Online, Fluency MC Workshops in France and Belgium, and Gallery Languages Rhyme On Time Workshops.

 

You can contact Jason through his website: www.fluencymc.com

 

The Lack of Correlation among University Teaching, Secondary School Teaching and Primary School Teaching

There is a lack of connection between secondary school textbooks and college teaching materials, which is a barrier to English learners. In the teaching material of university, middle-school and primary school in our country, there are many unnecessary repetitive content (Tian, Jiu, Xu, & Wang, 2011). And there are different emphases in different stages of teaching. In primary and secondary schools, English learning is mainly based on a few textbooks, which mainly focuses on the teaching of grammar. Therefore, the students’ vocabulary is relatively poor, and the ability of language application is poor. College English is focused on to grasp the usage of vocabulary and a variety of expression, not to teach grammar systematically. This is detrimental to the cultivation of students’ practical ability, and can lead to negative consequences.

Life-Related Teaching Method Life-related teaching method refers to integrate English teaching into life, learn English in life, master the basic skills of English in practice. Life-related teaching is an English teaching which is based on life. It is different from the traditional teaching methods in the selection of teaching materials, teaching process and teaching effect. life-related teaching is to let students learn English out of class, and to learn English in practice. Life-related teaching method breaks the traditional English teaching mode, and the students are liberated from the shackles of the traditional English teaching, which makes the students actively integrate into the teaching. Life-related teaching puts forward higher requirements to English teachers’ teaching level and teaching theory (Xu, 2010). In the teaching level, it requires teachers to have a deep understanding of the teaching content, select the appropriate teaching material from life, and introduce the life material into the practical English teaching. In the aspect of teaching theory, the traditional English teaching pays attention to the training of students’ vocabulary, grammar and sentence pattern, and the English teachers only need to master the theoretical knowledge of vocabulary, grammar, sentence patterns and so on. The life-related teaching attaches great importance to cultivate the students’ comprehensive ability in our daily life, which requires the English teachers to master rich English teaching theory. Therefore, in the process of implementing English teaching, the college can refer to the life-related teaching method. 3.3. Task-Based Teaching Method Task-based teaching method is to cultivate students’ confidence in learning English through the gradual accumulation of the task. Task-based English teaching method is based on the task of the basic module, in the process of English teaching, to complete a series of tasks. In this process, English teachers and students can get along very well, and English teachers and students will be able to speak English in a real environment, to improve students’ ability of English communication. Task-based teaching method compares with the traditional English teaching has the following advantages: first, task-based English teaching method has a very clear teaching goal; Second, the task-based teaching method is a kind of student-centered English teaching methods; Third, task-based teaching method is carried out around the students, each student has a certain task, prompting students to actively participate in the teaching of English. Task-based English teaching method not only put forward higher requirements to the English teachers in colleges and universities, but also put forward higher requirements to the students. In the aspect of English teachers, task-based teaching method requires English teachers to have a high comprehensive quality and strong professional knowledge, in the process of task allocation, to pay attention to the difficulty of the task. In the aspect of students, the task-based English teaching method requires that each student has a certain task, and everyone can’t be lazy. Therefore, in the process of implementing English teaching, the college can refer to the task-based teaching method. 3.4. Group-Divided and Cooperative Teaching Method Group-divided and cooperative teaching method is according to the interests and the English levels, divide students into groups. Each group as a small team, English teachers’ teaching according to the actual situation of each team, at the same time, the requirement between team members, learn from each other, communicate with each other. According to the English teachers’ teaching method, choose the appropriate method of learning English. On the one hand, group-divided and cooperative learning can enhance students’ sense of team cooperation. On the other hand, it can improve students’ ability to communicate in English quickly.

Group-divided and cooperative teaching method is based on students’ autonomous learning. In the process of English teaching, through the communication between the team members, stimulate students’ interest in learning English.

In the process of group-divided and cooperative teaching, not only can strengthen students’ team cooperation consciousness and responsibility, but also can achieve a comprehensive and sustainable development of students’ learning English. Therefore, in the process of implementing English teaching, the college can refer to the group-divided and cooperative teaching method.

  Conclusion

With the pace of the globalization and internationalization of the world economy accelerating, English, as a communication tool, is becoming more and more important. The goal of English Teaching in colleges and universities is to cultivate students’ English practical ability and intercultural communicative competence through the use of effective English teaching methods. In order to improve the present situation of the current college English teaching methods, promote the reform of English teaching methods, improve teaching quality, colleges and universities should attach importance to reform of college English teaching, and actively promote the implementation of university teaching methods, to provide a good external environment for the reform of College English teaching.

References

AAMC (2005). Report VII Contemporary Issues in Medicine: Musculoskeletal Medicine Education, Medical School Objectives Project No. VII. Washington DC: Association of American Medical Colleges. Abou-Raya, A., & Abou-Raya, S. (2010). The Inadequacies of Musculoskeletal Education. Clinical Rheumatology, 29, 1121-1126. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10067-010-1527-y Akesson, K., Dreinhofer, K. E., & Woolf, A. D. (2003). Improved Education in Musculoskeletal Conditions Is Necessary for All Doctors. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 81, 677-683. Almoallim, H., Bukhari, E., Amasaib, W., & Zaini, R. (2012). How to Avoid Delay in SLE Diagnosis and Management. In H. Almoallim (Ed.), Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (pp. 219-242). Croatia: InTech. http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/26498 Al-Nammari, S. S., James, B. K., & Ramachandran, M. (2009). The Inadequacy of Musculoskeletal Knowledge after Foundation Training in the United Kingdom. The Bone and Joint Journal, 19, 1413-1418. http://dx.doi.org/10.1302/0301-620x.91b11.22445 Tian, Y., Jiu, W. H., Xu, F. F., & Wang, X. D. (2011). Investigation and Analysis of Female Teachers’ Burnout at Hainan Colleges and Universities. Northwest Medical Education, 19, 378-380. Wang, X. J. (2010). Investigation and Analysis of the Burnout Status of College Female English Teachers. Journal of Jinan Vocational College, 1, 37-38, 41. Xu, H. Y. (2010). A Study of University English Teachers’ Prof

 http://www.scirp.org/journal/ce http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ce.2016.79129

Recording of my Innovate ELT 2016 plenary

https://youtu.be/9h2HrTgiOg8

Listen to Marek We’re all English teachers.

And together we’re stronger. Together we have the power to change ELT. To bring professionalism back into our industry.

And change is possible.

TEFL Equity Advocates

This is the video recording of my 10 minute plenary at Innovate ELT 2016 in Barcelona. Some parts of the original did not record properly, unfortunately, so I had to rerecord them at home. Still, I hope you enjoy it and I would love to hear your comments. Below the video, you can read the transcript of the plenary.

If you’re interested in getting involved in TEFL Equity Advocates campaign, take a look at this page for ideas on how you can help.

Plenary transcript

How many of you in the audience are NNS?

And how many are NS?

And how many of you are English teachers?

This is precisely the point I’d like to make today. We’re all English teachers. And if we want to empower ourselves, it can only be done together. As English teachers.

So I have a very simple dream. A dream that one day we’ll…

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How can I motivate unmotivated students?

IGS-00181940-001

“Learning without thinking is labor lost; thinking without learning is dangerous.”
– Chinese proverb.

Developing Effective Communication | Skills You Need http://html5shim.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/html5.js

Empathize

Empathy is trying to see things from the point-of-view of others. When communicating with others, try not to be judgemental or biased by preconceived ideas or beliefs – instead view situations and responses from the other person’s perspective.  Stay in tune with your own emotions to help enable you to understand the emotions of others.

If appropriate, offer your personal viewpoint clearly and honestly to avoid confusion.  Bear in mind that some subjects might be taboo or too emotionally stressful for others to discuss.

Encourage

Offer words and actions of encouragement, as well as praise, to others. Make other people feel welcome, wanted, valued and appreciated in your communications. If you let others know that they are valued, they are much more likely to give you their best.  Try to ensure that everyone involved in an interaction or communication is included through effective body language and the use of open questions.

Find more at: http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/improving-communication.html#ixzz4KOhLw7BG

OUPELTGlobal

IGS-00181940-001Ken Wilson is the author of Smart Choice and in all has written more than 30 ELT titles. We asked teachers from around the world who have been using Smart Choice what one question they would like to ask Ken. He will answer three of these questions in a series of video blogs this month.

For both teachers and students, a very large class can be difficult in terms of motivation and in terms of multi-level instruction. In this video blog Ken will answer two questions to overcome these challenges: “How can I motivate unmotivated students?” and “how can we adapt Smart Choice for different class sizes and classes with students of varying levels?”

Ken suggests techniques to increase student curiosity in class in order to engage learners with simple tasks, such as reading a text. He explains how teachers can devolve student responsibility to empower higher-level students to help…

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Sexism, racism, ageism and native speakerism – job ads in ELT

There are NNEST with tremendous language proficiency and phonological ability just as there are NEST with pronunciation and grammar that few would identify as native and vice-versa.

Would you like to learn English from me?

Don’t forget, I am a non- native English teacher.Picture 18

TEFL Equity Advocates

Earlier this year Marek Kiczkowiak and I gave a talk at TESOL Spain in Vitoria-Gasteiz about native speakerism in teacher training (you can download the ppt here).  In preparation for the talk, I set up a survey on general issues of discrimination in ELT to get an idea of different attitudes about discrimination in general, but predominantly to look at native speakerism; that is, the prejudice against individuals based on their mother tongue or perceived ‘nativeness’.  The survey features a series of ELT job adverts with examples of language which could be interpreted as discriminatory.  Participants were simply asked to judge if the language was discriminatory and if it was, was the discrimination justified in the context provided.  The scenarios were as follows.

  • A women’s college in Saudi Arabia seeking only female teachers.
  • A summer camp for teenagers seeking only teachers aged 18-30.
  • A private language school in Prague…

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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

Invitation to my English Classes

English for Everybodyimages

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