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becoming a Featured Writer for the StarTeaching website?
Our Newsletter
is now posting a opening for a creative educator interested in
designing a set of weekly problem solving activities for
students and teachers to use.
Email your resume and letter of
interest to: editor@starteaching.com |
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Using
Role Playing to Practice Speaking the
English Language
By
Professor V.Sankaranarayanan
Ciombatore, India
Tamilnadu school: PSG POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE
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Professor V.Sankaranarayanan is a teacher of the
English Language at PSG Polytechnic College in India.
Previously he was the program coordinator for the conduct of seven
spoken English programs for outsiders. His fields of interest
include technical communication, English for science and
technology, business English, and curriculum development.
He can
be reached for questions and comments at: v_sankar_ind@yahoo.com
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Teaching spoken English to those students who had
already undergone a ten year schooling program in which one of the
subjects is English which is taught by almost all teachers irrespective
of the their qualification, is indeed a Herculean task. And if this
happens in a southern state in India, the task becomes more
difficult. I realized this difficulty recently when I happened to
teach spoken English to some ten highly motivated participants who had
their schooling in Tamil, the regional language.
Even though the participants are motivated they
find it difficult owing to their shyness and lack of confidence.
In order to help them get confidence I devised the following method:
Role play.
I gave them a table on the different planets in the
solar system, e.g. distance of each planet from the sun, time taken by
each planet to rotate on its own, and the time taken for one revolution,
etc. The rubric given is as follows:
Assume that you are a space traveler and you have
visited a few planets using your space ship. You have come to the
college in order to clarify some doubts of the following people 1) A
school student 2) A monk 3) A clergy man 4)A real estate dealer 5)A
police inspector 6)A housewife 7)A politician 8)A scientist 9)A skeptic
10) A farmer
This role was a tremendous success and some of the
questions that were asked were as follows:
The monk: On your way did you see heaven and hell
and is Veerappan in hell or heaven?
(Veerappan was a notorious brigand who shot dead
by the police)
I feel this technique can be used which is
entertaining as well as instructive
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TECH
CORNER
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Musings of
a Technology Integration Project
By Mark Benn
Middle School Teacher
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Mark's latest
articles are about changing our classrooms and teaching styles
to reflect the latest changes in technology.
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In my past articles I’ve talked
about the amount of time a project can take due to the fact the students
are always trying to improve on it. This is a great skill to learn, but
another skill would be deadlines. The length of time students can take
on a project, if allowed, can be very frustrating.
After working with these types of projects for several years I’ve come
to the realization that I, as the teacher, need to help the students
micromanage their time better. As an example, when doing a PowerPoint
project I would have them get the written work put on the slides first,
before they could go on to the fun stuff. This worked well except they
then spent too long getting the rest of it finished. Even when they had
a deadline, they couldn’t get the project completed due to their poor
time management skills. As I look back I believe I needed to set better
deadlines and hold them accountable.
What do I mean by this?
Again, using the PowerPoint project as my example, I needed to break the
project up into smaller sections and set a deadline and consequence for
each section when not reached. Ideas for breaking it up would be text,
background (pictures or colors), pictures within the slide to go with
the text, transitions (slide to slide or within the slide), and finally
the speech to go with the presentation. Each of these sections would
have a deadline as to when it must be completed and I would grade them
as to where they were on each section. This would be a completed/ not
completed grade that is part of the overall rubric.
This could be done with any technology integration project. Just think
about the different sections within the project and divide them up. If
you are off in your timing, add a day. In other words, when you check
everyone on the due date and find they’ve all been focused, yet it’s
not completed, tell them that you miscalculated and they have only one
more day on that section. This way it forces them to make some final
decisions and still get that section completed.
If students have done this type of project before, ask them how they
think the project should be divided up and scheduled. You may overrule
some of their suggestions, but it gives them some input into time
management.
Project oriented teaching can be very rewarding and many skills can be
learned simultaneously. But by helping with the time management and
student accountability, you will take most of the frustration out of any
project you do.
So think about this, plan for next year, and enjoy the summer.
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Mark Benn earned his B.S. from Western
Michigan University and his Elementary Certification from
Northern Michigan University. He is a 20 year teaching
veteran of 5th and 6th grade students at Inland Lakes Middle
School in Indian River, MI. He is currently working on
Masters of Integration of Technology from Walden University.
Prior to teaching, Mark spent 11 years as Department Manager for
Sears, Roebuck and Co. dealing with emerging technologies.
He has been married to his wife Bonnietta for 32 years with one
daughter and two sons. In the summers, Mark works for
Mackinac State Historic Parks in the as a historical
interpreter.
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StarTeaching Featured Writer
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Mark Benn is a leading expert in using technology
in the classroom.
You can feel free to contact him on email
at mbenn@inlandlakes.org
or at his blogsite: http://www.furtrader.blogspot.com/
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New
Teachers' Niche:
A Place for New Teachers, Student Teachers, and Interns |
|
Preparing For
Your Student Teaching Experience
(part 1)
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This is the first in a series of articles
designed for college interns getting ready for their
student-teaching experience. Student teaching is the final step
for most teaching programs, and having a positive experience is
vital for new teachers. This series of articles will provide many
ideas, tips, and suggestions for young educators to make the most
of the experience. |
There are many questions you'll want to pose to
yourself far in advance of your student teaching experience. It is
important to think carefully about them, as they will help to guide the
actions and decisions you make. What kind of teacher do you want to
become? Are there other teachers who have been a positive influence on
you? Who have been your role models? Are there teachers you've had whose
style you want to emulate? Are there teachers you know you don't want to
be like? What has worked for some teachers that you want to implement in
your own practice?
Who do you see yourself as? What style will you create for your own
teaching? How will you balance the subject matter with the care for
kids? How do you want the students to see you? How do you want your
students to remember you five, ten, or twenty years later on? Will they
remember you as a positive influence on them? Could you potentially
change their lives?
Create a plan to become your dream. Do it now. Talk with teachers you
admire and respect: those you want to model yourself after. Discuss the
techniques and ideas that work for them, and use or adapt what you feel
is useful. You can also check out the FREE teacher "Who I Want To
Be" inventory available on our website. It gives ideas, provides
guidance, and helps to create a plan for starting out on your teaching
career.
Click here for the "Who I Want To Be" plan:
http://www.starteaching.com/studentteachers.htm
Meeting your mentor teacher as early as possible is very important.
The two of you must form a bond, a cohesive unit in the classroom.
Your co-op teacher will become the most important contact for this point
in your career. They provide you not only with support, guidance, and
structure, but also critique. Your co-op teacher's evaluation and
recommendation is vital to your resume and to interviewing.
Planning will become very important to every aspect of your life, from
school to your personal life. One huge difference is planning for class.
Not anymore are you just setting up an activity or a day's lesson plan.
Now you must think in terms of the long haul. It becomes a campaign
where you must have an overall picture of what you'll cover with your
students.
Also within this overall framework, you must have weekly and then daily
plans. You'll also have to reflect daily and adjust and (re- adjust)
your plans depending upon how each lesson or activity goes (or doesn't
go!) The daily grind is often interrupted by school-wide activities,
fire drills, and those 'teachable moments' that happen on the spur of
the moment. You'll need to be flexible and able to adapt on a daily (or
even hourly) basis. But that's a part of teaching!
Another concern many new teachers and student teachers have is becoming
involved in extra-curricular activities. There are several ways to look
at this. First, it is a good idea to become involved in extra-curriculars
at your school. These are good resume' builders, and your involvement
shows potential employers you are a team player and willing to go the
extra mile for your school and job. Extra curriculars also set you up in
a new and different relationship with those students. They are able to
see you in a different role too, and many times you're able to create
in-roads with students whom you might not otherwise make a connection.
Of course, taking part in extra-curriculars means more time and efforts
put in, especially when you're already pulled in all directions.
However, it is in your best interest to find an activity you can join,
even if just as an assistant.
You will also need to carefully plan your personal time while student
teaching. In addition to the increased teaching and planning load, your
time will be further divided by your college, which undoubtedly has
course work or projects for you to accomplish. There are always hoops to
jump through. If you have a family, you'll be pulled in even more
directions as you find the new balance between home and work.
Our next articles will focus on the duties of student teachers,
including observing, team teaching, and flying solo. We'll get you
started in becoming accustomed to your class and school, and what
specific steps you can take right now and this summer to prepare.
Be sure to check out our website for the FREE teacher Who-I-Want-To- Be
plan and other great Freebies for new teachers. Simply click the
following link: http://www.starteaching.com/free.htm
|
Be sure to check out our website for more great
information, tips, and techniques for new teachers,
student-teachers, and interns in teacher prep programs. Also be
sure to check out our Who-I-Want-To-Be teacher plan for
preparing yourself to enter the educational profession. Simply
click the following link: http://www.starteaching.com/free.htm
Want to check
out the articles in our Student-Teaching series? Check out our
special Student-Teaching page through the following link: http://www.starteaching.com/studentteachers.htm
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Our June WEBSITE OF THE MONTH award is
presented to, FanFiction, a site for
students to write exciting stories based on pre-existing
works.
|
FanFiction is a site where students can create and
publish their adaptations of great stories from movies, books, TV shows,
comics, cartoons, and even video games. Thousands of stories are already
uploaded to the site from writers all around the country and around the
world. A simple registration will get your students up and writing
immediately!
Student writers can read other submissions and then
create their own versions of the stories. Your students can
rewrite the ending to stories or rewrite any part of the story.
They can even create their own stories based on the same
characters. The writing possibilities are endless! And your
students are writing for REAL audiences who may be reading over their
work.
This is a user-friendly website with quick links to the
various parts of the site. It is a great resource for writing
teachers in all grade levels.
Check this site out, you'll be glad you did. Simply click the
link below:
http://www.fanfiction.net
|
Be sure to check out our website for more great
information, tips, and techniques for new teachers,
student-teachers, and interns in teacher prep programs. Also be
sure to check out our Who-I-Want-To-Be teacher plan for
preparing yourself to enter the educational profession. Simply
click the following link: http://www.starteaching.com/free.htm
Want to check
out the articles in our Student-Teaching series? Check out our
special Student-Teaching page through the following link: http://www.starteaching.com/studentteachers.htm
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Are There Other Teachers in Your
School or District Who Would Love to Receive Our Newsletter?
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pass along our website and newsletter!
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"Finding
Copper Pennies"
Author Unknown Themes
on Life
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What do we really search for
in life?
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There was a small boy who when walking down the street one day found
a bright copper penny. He was so excited that he found money and it
didn't cost him anything. This experience led him to spend the rest of
his days walking with his head down, eyes wide open, looking for
treasure.
During his lifetime he found 296 pennies, 48 nickels, 19 dimes, 16
quarters, 2 half dollars and one crinkled dollar bill. For a total of
$13.96.
He got money for nothing. Except that he missed the breathless beauty
of 31,369 sunsets, the colorful splendor of 157 rainbows, the fiery
beauty of hundreds of maples nipped by autumn's frost. He never saw
white clouds drifting across blue skies, shifting into various wondrous
formations. Birds flying, sun shining, and the smiles of a thousand
passing people are not a part of his memory.
Who do you know that is living like this?: Head is bent down burdened
with trivial things afraid of pain and criticism and fear of things that
never happen hoping to find that copper penny...for nothing.
See more of our Freebies as well as Special
Reports on our website by clicking the quick link below:
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Make sure to BOOKMARK our website so you can
keep up with more changes and additions through the year. And feel
free to share our site by EMAILING it to a friend.
http://www.starteaching.com
Email us at editor@starteaching.com
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In This Week's Issue
(Click the Quick Links below):
Using
Role Playing to Practice Speaking the English Language
Tech
Corner:
Musings of a Technology Integration Project
New
Teacher's Niche:
Preparing For Your Student Teaching Experience (part 1)
Website
of the Month
Themes
on Life:
"Finding Copper Pennies"
10 Days of
Writing Prompts
Spring
Book Sale for Teachers
Book
of the Month
Club
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the world, until the world will be sorry that you retire."
~ Samuel Johnson
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10 Days Of
Writing
Prompts |
|
Day
1 |
What is the best
thing about the last week of school? |
|
Day
2 |
Describe FIVE
important things you've learned in class over the past year. |
|
Day
3 |
What are THREE
reasons why you should you should work hard during the last week of
school? |
|
Day
4 |
Why is it
important to do well on your exams? |
|
Day
5 |
Write down THREE
questions you still have about something we learned in class this
week. |
|
Day
6 |
What is meant by
'success'? |
|
Day
7 |
What are FIVE
measures of success? |
|
Day
8 |
Describe what success for you will
be like in your future. |
|
Day
9 |
What will a
successful job be like for you?. |
|
Day
10 |
Create TWO
writing prompts for this week's class information. |
10 days of writing prompts
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BOOK of the MONTH
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Heart of a Leader:
Insights on the Art of Influence
By Ken Blanchard
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Coming Soon:
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Teaching Technology & Teaching:
Seamless Integration into Curriculum Getting
Ready for Next Year
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