First thing I want to say about this week 3 learning is my gratitude to Mr. Sean McClelland. He has arranged everything for the class to learn. I learned that all has been well planned by my AEI instructors to enable the learning. Here I realize the point of independent learning for the CALL or TELL activities. This also confirms my worry to proceed this TELL policy into my own classes for the time being in THIS teaching context of mine.
My learning of the week is based on the reading from the previous final project report, the discussion on aural/oral skill building, and the creating Delicious account. I found this last assignment was the easiest one but handy for my information management system. It can help me to speed up my computer system, I guess, because by having all weblinks available on the Delicious can save the capacity of bookmark on the browsers I used to work on. Secondly, this discussion forum about the topic also help me to learn. As I have stated earlier that I am not a kind of passive learner who can learn everything by reading only but I need to communicate and listen to other's opinion. This discussion enrich my reading. Yet, I am interested to rise a question about why Mr. McClelland bring the issue of oral skill building only. Is it because this skill building is the one which is the more challenging skill to develop through CALL or this is the more possible one? Next, the assignment on Prior Project Review has contributed to not only understanding of what I should do for my final project report but also of how people apply this CALL into their teaching context.
I chose "Project Report for Lorin Salagean Technical High School." written by Nadina Nicolici from the Lorin Salagean Technical High School in Drobeta Turnu Severin, Romania. I expected to learn from her experience in the context of Technical Education which is almost similar to my teaching context in vocational higher education institution. It is interesting for me to know how she managed her classes and I wanted to learn from her success and failure.
I notice that her students were the ninth graders whose age was 15 – 16. They were 24 students of Lorin Salagean Technical College in Romania which were dominated by female students whom did not speak English in their daily communication. Nadina concerned about improving her students' reading and communication abilities. She assumed that both were important life-skill for the students' future. She implemented the reading, writing, listening and speaking into in-class activities, in their IT laboratories, and through blogs. She expected that her user-friendly blog would be helpful for her students to develop these 4 language skills. Besides, she also used blog, wiki, and interactive power-point presentation, based on grammar.
What I like from this project is that the shared context that we have. Nadina's class was an EFL class which students' English level varied. However, Nadina had mostly girls in her class meanwhile the dominant gender in my class was boys. Her class was a well cooperated one which was different from my class. Even though her students were teens but I did not see it as a great difference. My students were older but they were not that mature enough in learning style and digital technology. In addition, I like her optimism about her students' learning motivation.
However, I expected to read something related to technical material that she might cover in her blogging activities with students. I thought she would bring her topic into ESP related materials rather than the most common language teaching topics, such as free time, routines, British and American ways of life. I am looking forward to reading people challenging teaching experience and their failure in handling problem. I know this sounds so negative but I wish to learn from it and realize that not many people wanted to share about their failure.
Again, I want to thanks to Mr. McClelland for choosing Nadina 's report as one of our readings. It is a good reading and great sample for my project.Besides, I also thanks to other groupmates' assignment which enable me to understand other reports from different perspectives.
I am glad to be part of this group and thankful for the E-Teacher Scholarship program.
My learning of the week is based on the reading from the previous final project report, the discussion on aural/oral skill building, and the creating Delicious account. I found this last assignment was the easiest one but handy for my information management system. It can help me to speed up my computer system, I guess, because by having all weblinks available on the Delicious can save the capacity of bookmark on the browsers I used to work on. Secondly, this discussion forum about the topic also help me to learn. As I have stated earlier that I am not a kind of passive learner who can learn everything by reading only but I need to communicate and listen to other's opinion. This discussion enrich my reading. Yet, I am interested to rise a question about why Mr. McClelland bring the issue of oral skill building only. Is it because this skill building is the one which is the more challenging skill to develop through CALL or this is the more possible one? Next, the assignment on Prior Project Review has contributed to not only understanding of what I should do for my final project report but also of how people apply this CALL into their teaching context.
I chose "Project Report for Lorin Salagean Technical High School." written by Nadina Nicolici from the Lorin Salagean Technical High School in Drobeta Turnu Severin, Romania. I expected to learn from her experience in the context of Technical Education which is almost similar to my teaching context in vocational higher education institution. It is interesting for me to know how she managed her classes and I wanted to learn from her success and failure.
I notice that her students were the ninth graders whose age was 15 – 16. They were 24 students of Lorin Salagean Technical College in Romania which were dominated by female students whom did not speak English in their daily communication. Nadina concerned about improving her students' reading and communication abilities. She assumed that both were important life-skill for the students' future. She implemented the reading, writing, listening and speaking into in-class activities, in their IT laboratories, and through blogs. She expected that her user-friendly blog would be helpful for her students to develop these 4 language skills. Besides, she also used blog, wiki, and interactive power-point presentation, based on grammar.
What I like from this project is that the shared context that we have. Nadina's class was an EFL class which students' English level varied. However, Nadina had mostly girls in her class meanwhile the dominant gender in my class was boys. Her class was a well cooperated one which was different from my class. Even though her students were teens but I did not see it as a great difference. My students were older but they were not that mature enough in learning style and digital technology. In addition, I like her optimism about her students' learning motivation.
However, I expected to read something related to technical material that she might cover in her blogging activities with students. I thought she would bring her topic into ESP related materials rather than the most common language teaching topics, such as free time, routines, British and American ways of life. I am looking forward to reading people challenging teaching experience and their failure in handling problem. I know this sounds so negative but I wish to learn from it and realize that not many people wanted to share about their failure.
Again, I want to thanks to Mr. McClelland for choosing Nadina 's report as one of our readings. It is a good reading and great sample for my project.Besides, I also thanks to other groupmates' assignment which enable me to understand other reports from different perspectives.
I am glad to be part of this group and thankful for the E-Teacher Scholarship program.
Hi Baetty,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your analysis of a previous e- learner's project that allowing those who have not read it to know what Nadina from Romania did.
I am interested your comments in paragraph 5 of this third week's blog comparing Nadina' s class with yours. You describe Nadina's class as a predominantly younger female one whereas yours seems to be with older male students. That gender- based comparison that highlights how performing either class is interests me because I am in gender studies at the University of Antananarivo, now. My interpretation of your comparative analysis lies on two sorts of hypothesis:
- First, age may be an important factor in learning for the younger students are, the more dynamic and absorbing their brains are;
- Second, it may be true that girls are more mature and have more focus on learning at the described age in your blog. So, gender is also an important factor to consider.
I learned a little about those things after reading Single-sex Schooling and Academic Attainment at School and through the Lifecourse by Dr.Alice Sullivan, Heather Joshi, and Diana Leonard (2008).
My opinion on your question relating to Sean's choice to bring oral/ aural skill building only for this week is that our knowing of the *percentage attributed to these skills in communication, according to Developing Listening Skills with Authentic Materials by Lindsay Miller, might have led him to that alternative. In addition, there are more things to explore about these skills, compared to writing and reading ones, when you go online for CALL materials.
That is how I find the things you highlight in this blog of week 3.
Best,
Manda (Madagascar)
Hi Manda,
DeleteThanks for commenting on my post. I would like to say that in terms of technology, the earlier students get into contact with the technology, the better learning they can accomplish . Yet, if we introduced technology to the older students who were not technological minded, we would have bigger challenge. It will take more time to familiarize them to the technology than the language learning. However, it will be less challenging to teach older students whom are technological minded. It will excel the CALL/TELL.
To my observation, girls were more into learning than the boys and boys were more into choosy_type. They would only do the part they are interested to.
Let's share more on the next posting.
Best,
Baetty
Dear Baetty and Manda,
ReplyDeleteI'm grateful to read your reflection about this report even I didn't read it.
I just made a click because I was sure that you will be among the first to reflect! so we all learn from your blogs.
Ouarda
Dear Ourda,
DeleteThanks for reading my post. I wanted to catch up from my late week 2 response. When we can post earlier, we can learn more. If we come on the last minutes, people are not into the discussion anymore. This is what I learned from previous weeks.
Let's learn from each other and share more.
Best,
Baetty
Salam Baetty,
ReplyDeleteI read your comments on the report. It was very useful. This week was quite difficult for me but I really learned a lot from it. when I read your blog, it makes me feel optimistic and it pushes me to learn more and more....
Thank you for your blog and wish you all the best
Salam,
DeleteThanks for reading. I hope it is indeed useful. Let's share and learn from each other.
Best,
Baetty
Dear Baetty,
ReplyDeleteThe first words that come to my mind are "Baetty, why have you changed the template of your blog"? I am joking... :) I like this template too, but your previous colours were just great! :)
Baetty, I would also like to thank you for introducing another acronym to me, i.e. TELL. As I have already mentioned on Nicenet, I have met it for the first time therefore I am really grateful to you. :)
It is also really nice to know you as a person. I started thinking again that we are all so differnet learners like our students. You have mentioned that you cannot be a passive learner and you need discussions, which is so excellent and sweet. I have noticed that you always have your opinion and questions and as you know, there is a saying that all good students have many questions. You know Baetty, your questions make us learn, look for the answers, hesitate, etc. Hence, I am sure you are on the right track when saying that you need discussions for learning. :)
What concerns your question over why Sean has started the week wit Aural/Oral skills and whether these skills are the most challenging, I suppose the course is simply built like this. We have started with these particular skills and will proceed to other two next week. I am not sure, but I guess this is simply the idea of planning. :)
It is really nice to meet you Baetty and to learn from you via your posts, questions, arguments and doubts!
Best wishes,
Jurga.
Dear Jurga,
DeleteThanks for your so human response. I like it. I feel like having real classmate and feeling well welcome. You sure indeed response to my comment. I appreciate it.
I am still trying to get the really me template so you might probably see some changes to go. It is true that I always need classmates to discuss in person and I have found the way to get myself accustom with this learning. Be the first to do the assignment, next... I can learn from the next posting and commenting. I am also not used to have no comment and explanation from the teachers. It sounds so spoiled, doesn't it? Here, I do feel that I really have to be an independent learner.
About the aural/oral ... I understand that this is the way the team designed this course but I believe there must be reason why they designed it this way.
Thanks again, let's learn and be friends ;)
Best,
Baetty