MODULE 18

MODULE EIGHTEEN

ASSESSMENT TYPES AND TASKS

In this unit we saw the different kinds of assessment. Assessment is the way we control if the students are learning or not. There are the (1) formal and the (2)informal assessment. As it was described in the text, there are plenty types of assessment, such as: the (3)diagnostic test: which is a kind of test that let us know the knowledge background of students. There is another type of text which is called (4)placement test, this is to know the level of the students and help teachers to locate them in the right place. During the scholar year it is necessary to evaluate our students (5) Formative assessment, and to know the progress the students have with the subject we can bring a (6) progress test. At the end of the course there is always a (7)summative test, I consider that testing set up the starting point to do something, if we don´t use this tool we will be lost because this is the way we can know if our class need some changes or not, it is also important to know our learner` (8)skills. I would apply all this knowledge in my class depending the situation, if it is the beginning of the year I definitively I would test my students with a diagnostic exam in order to know the things I have to teach them.

References:

-Google Books

Assessment of Learning

Google Books,. (2014). Assessment of Learning. Retrieved 6 December 2014, from http://books.google.com.ec/books?id=I4PA3O3u244C&pg=PA70&dq=ASSESSMEN

- Google Books

Principles and Practices of Performance Assessment

Google Books,. (2014). Principles and Practices of Performance Assessment. Retrieved 6 December 2014, from http://books.google.com.ec/books?id=DnVoDWc4gG8C&pg=PA35&dq=ASSESS

MODULE 17

MODULE SEVENTEEN

LANGUAGE AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

In this unit we saw activities to use in the classroom. The (1)task mentioned are to practice the language. Tasks can differ, there are some that are (2)controlled practice where students don´t have to make mistakes, it gives specially attention to the practice of (3)accuracy. These are (4)guided tasks where the class is focus on (5)form. On the other hand there are activities that are (6) freer practice where students can interact based on a real world outcome. The teacher in these activities cannot predict a specific language, and examples of this are :(7) role-plays and (8)surveys. As teacher I would use the freer activities because I consider that the class is an institution where teachers are guides and students should choose the content they want to learn. This activities also don´t put students under pressure, they can commit mistakes but with time and practice they are going to avoid them.

References:

- Google Books

Functions of American English

Google Books,. (2014). Functions of American English. Retrieved 6 December 2014, from http://books.google.com.ec/books?id=hgDWJ8dBGUsC&printsec=frontcover&dq

- Google Books

Fractals for the Classroom: Strategic Activities Volume Three

Google Books,. (2014). Fractals for the Classroom: Strategic Activities Volume Three. Retrieved 6 December 2014, from http://books.google.com.ec/books?id=x0WqKXmvFT8C&printsec=frontcover&dq

MODULE 16

MODULE SIXTEEN

PRESENTATION TECHNIQUES AND INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITIES

 

In this unit we saw the techniques to introduce a topic with the different approaches known. I learnt to recognize what is a (1)lead-in , which is an introductory activity based on what is on the grammar of the lesson plan. The (2)warmer is similar but they are not based in the class to be taught, it does not have a relation. The (3)ice- breakers are used at the beginning, they are designed to make students feel comfortable with the class and have good relation with their classmates and teachers. An example of ice-breaker is the (4)mingling survey where students have to find out information of other students. I would use this knowledge to start my classes with enthusiasm and energy. I would choose for beginners the (PPP), put a (5)situational presentation, in which (6)the target language would help them understand daily situations. It is going to be a (7)restricted practiced where the teacher managed every student performance. I consider that (8)controlled practices are good for teacher who likes everything go step by step. As a conclusion, I think that the activities we want to put into practice depends on the purpose of the class, we should choose the better for our students.

References:

- Google Books

Staff Development Guide for the Parallel Curriculum

Google Books,. (2014). Staff Development Guide for the Parallel Curriculum. Retrieved 6 December 2014, from http://books.google.com.ec/books?id=plL3jKwzzMwC&pg=PA28&dq=introductory+

- Google Books

Inquire, Investigate, Integrate!

Google Books,. (2014). Inquire, Investigate, Integrate!. Retrieved 6 December 2014, from http://books.google.com.ec/books?id=ifikAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT7&dq=introductory+acti

MODULE 15

MODULE FIFTEEN

APPROACHES TO LANGUAGE TEACHING

The unit 15 was about the different types of approaches which teacher can use in the class. There are the ones which are focus on the communicative part, such as the (1)communicative approaches, some of the characteristics of this approach is that it is important more fluency than (2)accuracy, which means the speed while talking. The classroom view in the structural approach is based on the (3)structures to convey meaning, with this approach it is possible teach with (4)control practices where students don´t have control over the items they are going to study, this approach is mostly focus on form. With the task-based learning the language is a tool of communication, it is important the use of (5)functions , vocabulary and other structures while teaching the language. In this approach the language is learnt by using the language. I would apply this knowledge in my class to vary from the traditional approaches, and make my classes more significant for students. I like the communicative approach because students learn to communicate and as language is communication it would help them a lot. Moreover, in this approach is commonly used (6)authentic materials

In the class which help students to be (7)exposed to the cultural part. As a conclusion, I consider that this module helped me a lot to understand how (8)specific could be an approach depending in what teacher can be focused.

References:

Google Books

- Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching

Google Books,. (2014). Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching. Retrieved 6 December 2014, from http://books.google.com.ec/books?id=9mQ9l3K73BoC&printsec=frontcover&dq=

- Google Books

Approaches to Second Language Acquisition

Google Books,. (2014). Approaches to Second Language Acquisition. Retrieved 6 December 2014, from 

MODULE14

MODULE FOURTHEEN

LEARNER NEEDS

 

The unit fourteen was about the learners needs. Teacher should differentiate the learner’s wants from the learners’ needs. To get started it is good to know the current state of knowledge of the students, besides that, there is vital to know the kind of needs, there are: the personal needs, which are the (1)goals of the students, what they want to achieve with the course. Moreover, there are their (2)expectations toward the class, what they expect for the course. There are also the learning needs, which are specific ways of learning, how students learn the (3)target language, it is important for us to recognize their (7)learning strategies strategies, and how to help them to have (4)autonomy. This placed the learner as the center of our attention in language learning education. Finally, there are the professional needs, which are important for students who are specialized in a certain field. They need specific (5)funtions , for example if a doctor take an English course, he definitively will need a specific one with lexis about that field. The same happens with the (6)text types, it has to be specific. A good strategy to build rapport and to help with the personal needs is to create a good environment in the class using the (8)interaction patterns. To sum up, I consider that it is really necessary to base our class in the students need to make the subject meaningful for them.

References:

-Pcrest3.com

3.2.6 Identifying Learner Needs

Pcrest3.com,. (2014). 3.2.6 Identifying Learner Needs. Retrieved 6 December 2014, from http://www.pcrest3.com/fgb/efgb4/3/3_2_6.htm

-Google Books

Meeting the Needs of Students of ALL Abilities

Google Books,. (2014). Meeting the Needs of Students of ALL Abilities. Retrieved 6 December 2014, from http://books.google.com.ec/books?id=IGUunzckrfkC&pg=PR14&dq=students+needs&hl=es&sa=X&ei=wU-CVNCQOIK0ggSszYDIDQ&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAw#v=

 

REFLECTION:

-         There are forty students in my class, but I can still find ways of meeting some of their needs.

I agree with this opinion because it is important to assure that all students have every opportunity to reach their full potential.That could be a kind difficult because of the amount of students but we can apply the learning techniques varying day after day.

-         Sometimes my students just want to chat in English rather than study for their exam.

It is important to give students exposure to language throw interactive activities like chatting with classmates, and so on. But, it is as well important the evaluation to know the situation of the student referred to the knowledge. So it is better to reach a consensus with them to have time for both activities.

-         I don’t think my students have any particular needs- they just have to learn English.

No, I don´t agree because each person has its own way to learn and for that reason their own needs.  We have to find their needs in order to plan the class.

MODULE 13

MODULE THIRTEEN

LEARNER CHARACTERISTICS

 

The unit thirteen’ topic was about the preferentiality of the students to learn. (1)The learning  styles that I revised were: visual, auditory, reflective, impulsive, analytic and autonomous. Each person has a technique to self-discover the information and (2)interact with other people. When there is no relation with the learning style and the class, students will get discouraged about the course, some may also fell bored and get inactive in class. As teachers we should (3)identify the ways of learning of our students, their necessities to learn in order to prepare the best activities for them. Teacher can set the best techniques for them that can improve the speed and quality of their learning. Knowing your learning style helps you to develop learning strategies to be independent, the ones mentioned in the book are: to ask the teacher to give the students (4)feedback , it helps to use better the language. Another, it is to create a way to (5)memorize the new words that appears in the unit or lesson. For example: for one student could be better to make associations between items in a list and then placing an image with each connection to remember but for others it is better to associate familiar locations. The last one I am going to remark is (6)paraphrasing which is a technique we use to experiment with the language, students use their own words to convey a message. Furthermore, teacher not only have to based their lesson plan in the learning styles but also it is important to know the (7)maturity of the students, and it doesn’t have to do with the age, however, age is another factor which influences students ‘learning. For example: for adults it is easy for them to learn things in (8)abstract way, but for children it is better to experience the things. As a conclusion, I can say that as teachers we have the great responsibility to choose the best for our students and we could do that just with knowing them.

 

References:

Education.com

Different Learning Styles in Education | Education.com

Education.com,. (2014). Different Learning Styles in Education | Education.com. Retrieved 5 December 2014, from http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_T

MODULE 12

MODULE TWELVE

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN L1 AND L2 LEARNING

 

In the unit twelve we saw the differences between learning the mother tongue or (1)first language and a foreign language. I learnt to distinguish both learning types and the factors that influences on the process, such as: the age, for the l1 babies learn the language and at the same time they are developing the (2)cognitive skills, however in the l2 they have already formed them. Moreover in l1 the feel (3)motivated due to the necessity to communicate, and in l2 adults specially have (4)expectation about how the language is used and they might not be so motivated as in the example of l1. . I would apply the knowledge in a teaching situation respecting the (5)silent period , to not make my students feel forced to learn the language. I would also bring my students the necessary(6) exposure in order to (7)pick them up the language, and finally help my students with activities to teach them inductively the language, providing them(8) chunks to make sentences.

References:

- The usage of L1 at the L2 classroom

YouTube,. (2014). The usage of L1 at the L2 classroom. Retrieved 28 November 2014, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmQ8_H-U7OQ

- The Similarities and Differences between L1 and L2 acquisition and the Significance for Second Language Pedagogy in Jamaica.

Jamaica., T. (2014). The Similarities and Differences between L1 and L2 acquisition and the Significance for Second Language Pedagogy in Jamaica.. Academia.edu. Retrieved 28 November 2014, from http://www.academia.edu/5208843/The_Similariti