This is what she is going to do if she doesn't 'sing' =)


posted by Wind

Wednesday Sharing Session has been TTD's program for high-end teachers (Teachers who are looking for more of ELT). The topics presented in this session deal with what go on beyond the classroom but are still applicable inside it
It started by many TTD-ers sharing what they have got from an online training on ELT. What came next were sessions presented by LIA people whose papers accepted in international conference.
Keeping the materials presented unique yet very beneficial is the principle TTD holds dear for the gathering.
Some of the interesting hours have been about World Englishes, Classroom Action Research, Student-Student Interaction Evaluation Checklist and Communicative Competence.
The next topic will be about Experiential Learning.
The show is held every alternate Wednesday. Don't miss it!


PS: It's RSVP to Teacher Training and Development of LBPP-LIA JAKARTA :).

Dear Trainers,...

TTD will hold the 2009 trainers gathering. A sneak peek of the program:
-The new TEFL Feedbacks
-FAQ on TEFL Training
-Inductive Teaching

The trademark of trainers gathering has been: Fun, Unique and Fruitful.
This edition's theme will be: GREEN LIVING.
Friday May 29, 2009 at LBPP-LIA Pramuka
Catch you later :).

Dear Trainers,...

Letting trainees discover learning points should be encouraged in a training room. One obvious practical benefit is stronger knowledge retention.
Here is a sample of an inductive way to present aspects related to oral communication.

Give the participants two sets of dialog showing different interlocutors, setting, language choice but similar topic. Ask them to memorize the lines and then perform them in front of the class. After that, ask questions leading to aspects involved in oral communication, e.g:

1. Who are in the dialog?
2. What are their relationship?
3. How do you know?
4. Would you use the same language with different interlocutors?
5. What else makes you would change the language? Is it the setting?
6. Tell me what you think will happen to the dialog if they were conducted via telephone?
7. What can you conclude from the above the questions?

Happy trying :)

Dear Fiestas,...


AJ
Native VS Target Language in an EFL class

I gave a teaching demo in one of LIA branches. It was a class of teenagers aged around 12-13. Many interesting things happened during the teaching demo. However, there was one thing that really boggled my mind even long until the end of the class.
I was speaking English quite fast according to myself. I did it in purpose since for the first minutes I found that the students’ proficiency was super! They could produce a complete sentence and even a clause in correct grammar. I even tried to make a bit sophisticated joke and they still got it. They laughed at them.
It is a normal thing if we make additional comments of a joke, right? I did that in Indonesian language. They laughed a little but suddenly stopped and looked at each other as well as at their teacher who was sitting at the back of the class. Then some of the students satrted to call her whlie counting their fingers.
Apparently, they were coounting how many words I spoke in Indonesian language. By then I realized that there is a rule about using native language in the class. Later, the teacher explained to me about the rule. I apologized and went on with the lesson. Ever since, I stopped using Indonesian language and went on in English.
Everything was fine until there was one student making an additional comment about a joke from his friend in the native language. Then the class started counting the punishment he was going to get for speaking other than English.
Unfortunately, the same thing above happened again and again and obviously the students ignored the lessons and me everytime it happened. They loved doing the counting. I was really confused because on one side, I agree with using only English in an English class; however, the counting was really a distractor for the students—keeping them focused not into the lesson. I felt that I had to do something about it. I asked the students to choose only one student to do the coounting silently. They did what I asked them but then again, I guess they found the counting really amusing that all of them still did it throughout the whole session. Although I kept reminding them that it was one student’ task, they kept ignoring me.
This is an interesting classroom fact for me. I guess I am intrigued by the ideas to keep students using the target language. There are so many, I believe. Surely there is one that is suitable for certain class, right? Let’s embark on a classroom action research on the problem, guys!

I try to prepare a framework of action reasearch on keeping students using the target language in class.
Problem identification:
The explanation above. Library research: several strategies of keeping students using the target language in class (Harmer, Brown) The most effective strategy of keeping students in class.
Questions:
What is the best strategy to keep students using English in my ET class?
Refined questions:
Is giving punishment to students using native language the best strategy?
Method of collecting data:
Peer observation adn teaching log: what problems arise dealing with the strategy?
The length of the research: one week for every strategy.
The research schedule



Days/ dates Activity Remarks
Week one, Applying the first strategy:

Week two, Applying the second strategy:

Week three, Applying the third strategy:

Week four, Applying the third strategy:

...
...

Dear Fiestas,...

Doing a classroom action research is considered a challenge for some. One of the challenges is to come up with a topic. For a start, we can always refer to any ELT books. They usually provide topics for classroom research at the end of every chapter. It's as simple as that, right?
Happy researching :)

AJ

April 27, 2009
by WIND


Once I read a book on creativity and found an interesting analogy described by the author. It's like this:

“Perhaps being creative is more like being involved in an automobile accident. There are some traits that make one more likely to be in an accident—being young and male, for instance—but usually we cannot explain car accident on the basis of the driver’s characteristics alone. There are too many other variables involved: the condition of the road, the other drivers, the type of traffic, the weather and so on. Accidents, like creativity, are properties of a system rather than of individuals”
(Csikszentmihalyi, 1996)

lesson I learned related to my teaching in my classroom:
the system I develop in my classroom will contribute much on my students' performance. No matter how smart a student is, s/he cannot maximize his/her potential in class if the teacher doesn't develop such system to facilitate it... and the other way around

what do you think?

AJ

Dear Trainers,...

In the spirit of writing journal, I tried out sharing a journal that I wrote to the training participants in Fatmawati after they shared theirs. It turned out that the result of the journals from both sides match. I guess the participants and I see eye to eye about the training. Have you ever tried that? Try it. :)

AJ
Dear Fiestas,...
Some of you came during the In service training in Pramuka, right? Just want to ask a question: Have you shared what you got with your colleagues?
Sharing is caring, right?
Not sharing is...why not?
:)

AJ

Dear Fiestas,...
LIA is preparing for its conference in Jogja. A special website dedicated for the even is being prepared. Besides giving information about all the Professional Development info, it also features some of you, teachers. Yes,...YOU!! Look forward to checking it out. The website address will be available soon here in this blog. I can't wait, can you? :)

AJ

Dear trainers,...

Inductive teachings is kinda cool, right? I mean when compared to deductive ones. Hereby I invite you to share some of your best practices in training room to boost other trainers to try and modify or even to come up with their own.

Here's one:
Instead of telling the participants the characteristics of spoken English, I ask them to quickly memorize and then act out two dialogs with different settings, characters, means of communication, purpose and the choice of language. After that, I ask them to find all the differences. All that comes after that is my part to confirm their answers. What do you think?

FIESTA

Let's not argue that drilling IS important for students. I have this one technique I would like to share to you guys.

I number the target expressions I wrote on the board. After that, I say one number and the students have to repeat the corresponding expressions.

After several times, I show them numbers that they can guess such as:
-the number of students/ boys/ girls in the class
-the telephone number of the building
-the number of room they are in
-McD's delivery order phone number and so on
and the students say the corresponding expressions.

The next step is that students ask each other their phone numbers. The same thing happen, students have to say the corresponding expressions.


Drilling using numbers with three variations above worth trying, I think. :)
Happy drilling!

This posting and several after next is a trial for TRAINERS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN.
I am trying it out to a very nice volunteering friend in Pramuka. If this works well, hopefully it can go on and on again. It needs your support, though. :)