Hi all,
I know I haven’t been writing about my classes yet, but things have been busy this week, and to be honest, I don’t see things slowing down any time soon, so what I may actually do is make one post, possibly on Fridays summarizing the weeks up’s and down’s. It will be my own personal digest, if you well. However, today I will not be writing about my classes, but I have a question, which I am just going to go right ahead and ask because it has been bugging me for some time.
Why can I not make comments?
That is my question for today. I just read a great article from Mike Guest about research papers, and I wanted to make a comment, but no matter how hard I tried, after about an hour (Yes, an hour!) I gave up. And this is not the first time this has happened to me. It’s really bizarre. I start writing; I edit; I erase; I go do something else; I come back and try again; ultimately, I turn off my computer. I don’t mean to be a lurker, as I think that is what I would be called, but what is it exactly that stops me from finishing my comment and clicking that send button? Have any of you had this experience? How did you overcome this problem?
Cheers,
eisensei
Friday, April 23, 2010
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Changes
Hi everyone!
My second day of the new academic year is over. I just finished my 4-skill class. So far I have about 18 students, but I think that may increase next week.
CLASS STRUCTURE
The textbook we will be using has a DVD with exercises and videos and that will be what we will be focusing on the most. The exercises can also be saved, so I will have them do the activities in class and email me their results. Another activity I hope to include is a dictation – students will watch the included video and try to transcribe it. Of course, there will be some names that may be difficult for them, but I will provide that information in advance. Therefore the structure of the class will run mainly like this:
1. Students will work through selected activities on the DVD and in the textbook; the results of the activities completed on the DVD will be submitted to me via email, while the textbook activities will be written out in their notebooks.
2. Students will watch the DVD and transcribe what they hear. This will also be done in their notebooks, which will be submitted to me each week.
However, like I wrote earlier today, as this is the first time to use this book and to follow this kind of plan, there may be necessary modifications that I will have to make.
TODAY’S CLASS
I followed the same plan as this morning, so I won’t go into any detail. I started thinking however after today’s class that maybe I should have done introductions, but I think I have a good reason why I am leaving that until next class – there will be more or fewer students next week as students can still change classes, and there are always some students who take the wrong class etc. I think therefore that just explaining the course this week and then waiting until next week to really get into introductions may be a good strategy. What do you think?
Cheers,
eisensei
SYLLABUS
このプリントは重要です！紛失しないでください
***************************
Classroom: **************************
Time: 4:20 – 5:50 Thursday
Instructor: *******************************
E-mail: ******************************
OFFICE: ************************
REQUIRED MATERIALS:
World English (Cengage)
Earphones or headphones
Dictionary
Notebook
NOTE: Students who do not bring these items will lose points.
GOALS:
By the end of the course, you should:
-have a larger vocabulary
-have a better ability in all 4 skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing)
SCHEDULE:
April
15 ORIENTATION
22
May
6
13
20
27
June
3
10 TEST 1
17
24
July
1
8
15
22
29 TEST 2
GRADES:
Grades will be based upon the following criteria:
*Attendance
Participation
Weekly Quizzes
Midterm Test
Final Test
*If you come at 4:35 or later, you will be marked absent.
*If you are absent 3 times, you will receive an F.
*If you are absent for a valid reason, you must give me that reason in writing by 1:00 PM Friday. If you fail to give me this notice of absence, you will be marked absent.
My second day of the new academic year is over. I just finished my 4-skill class. So far I have about 18 students, but I think that may increase next week.
CLASS STRUCTURE
The textbook we will be using has a DVD with exercises and videos and that will be what we will be focusing on the most. The exercises can also be saved, so I will have them do the activities in class and email me their results. Another activity I hope to include is a dictation – students will watch the included video and try to transcribe it. Of course, there will be some names that may be difficult for them, but I will provide that information in advance. Therefore the structure of the class will run mainly like this:
1. Students will work through selected activities on the DVD and in the textbook; the results of the activities completed on the DVD will be submitted to me via email, while the textbook activities will be written out in their notebooks.
2. Students will watch the DVD and transcribe what they hear. This will also be done in their notebooks, which will be submitted to me each week.
However, like I wrote earlier today, as this is the first time to use this book and to follow this kind of plan, there may be necessary modifications that I will have to make.
TODAY’S CLASS
I followed the same plan as this morning, so I won’t go into any detail. I started thinking however after today’s class that maybe I should have done introductions, but I think I have a good reason why I am leaving that until next class – there will be more or fewer students next week as students can still change classes, and there are always some students who take the wrong class etc. I think therefore that just explaining the course this week and then waiting until next week to really get into introductions may be a good strategy. What do you think?
Cheers,
eisensei
SYLLABUS
このプリントは重要です！紛失しないでください
***************************
Classroom: **************************
Time: 4:20 – 5:50 Thursday
Instructor: *******************************
E-mail: ******************************
OFFICE: ************************
REQUIRED MATERIALS:
World English (Cengage)
Earphones or headphones
Dictionary
Notebook
NOTE: Students who do not bring these items will lose points.
GOALS:
By the end of the course, you should:
-have a larger vocabulary
-have a better ability in all 4 skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing)
SCHEDULE:
April
15 ORIENTATION
22
May
6
13
20
27
June
3
10 TEST 1
17
24
July
1
8
15
22
29 TEST 2
GRADES:
Grades will be based upon the following criteria:
*Attendance
Participation
Weekly Quizzes
Midterm Test
Final Test
*If you come at 4:35 or later, you will be marked absent.
*If you are absent 3 times, you will receive an F.
*If you are absent for a valid reason, you must give me that reason in writing by 1:00 PM Friday. If you fail to give me this notice of absence, you will be marked absent.
Reading, Writing, Listening! Oh my!
Hello everyone!
Well, I just had my second class of the semester. This class focuses primarily on reading and writing, but this year I’ve decided to include some listening as well. Unlike yesterday’s class which has only eight students, this one has thirty-eight, but for this class in particular, it’s common. Something I think I forgot to mention yesterday is that both of these classes are open to first and second-year students, although first-year students are predominant. Also, like yesterday’s class, I am conducting this one in a computer room. Actually, with the exception of textbook and primary focus, TOEIC vs Reading/Writiing, this class will be fairly similar in structure.
CLASS STRUCTURE:
Independent Listening with MLH
Students will go online and register to be able to listen to the class audio files independently. Macmillan Language House has a great service called My School; all you have to do is request it and you have access to your own personal page that students can access, too. I wanted to have students do the listening activities independently because it allows them to focus more on the task than if I had them do it as a group where some students would be at a distance from the stereo. Furthermore, this allows me to check their ability, give feedback and evaluate their performance more easily as they will be expected to hand in the work they do.
Once they have registered for the page, they will have to listen independently to a short paragraph, which will also act as a model paragraph for the writing task later. They will listen and repeat after the audio; they will have headphones or earphones, so the amount of embarrassment experienced will be reduced somewhat (I say reduced because I think some will still be shy even if no one can hear them.).
SIDENOTE on EMBARRASSMENT
What I refer to is the feeling some students have when they have to read or speak in front of others. I have had some students speak more quietly than usual, and I’ve even had one who turned red. Of course, I tried as much as possible to encourage a relaxed atmosphere, but for some students it is still difficult to perform such tasks, hence I decided to try such a task this year.
CLASS STRUCTURE CNTD:
Textbook focus
After practicing the paragraph alone, they will then practice with a partner, changing the highlighted words in the paragraph with ones provided in the book. Next, they have about two writing activities that will be written out in their notebooks. These activities mainly consist of comprehension and grammar or vocabulary questions. Once they finish that, there may be one or two listening questions, depending on the chapter, that will have to do on their own. Again they will write the answers in the notebook. Finally, they will have to write a short paragraph based on the theme of the chapter, and that too will be written in their notebooks. Finally, these notebooks will be submitted to me for review at the end of class.
Internet Focus
Honestly, I am not sure if they will be able to complete all of what I am planning to have them do since I have not done this before, but once they finish the textbook tasks, they will have to go on-line again to the academic word list practice site where they will have to work through the list and some of the questions for that list. I will also expect them to email me this work as this will be included in their grade.
TODAY’S CLASS:
I won’t go into very much detail about what I did because today’s class followed the same pattern as yesterday’s class with the exception of having them write down their information in Excel. However, I was able to get this information (name and student number) via a questionnaire I distributed to find out which units they would like to do this semester. I did this because there will only be 12 classes this semester (two classes will be tests, and today’s class was orientation) and one of those 12 will focus on introductions. Therefore, that only leaves 11 classes, but there are fourteen units, so I had them choose them, which I think is better than me choosing them. It also allows me to get an idea of their interests, which is important, too. Next week will be the real start and I’ll be able to get a better idea of who my students are and what they can do. I will also be able to see how my plan will work, but of course, like all tentative plans, I’m sure that some things will probably have to be altered, but that’s one of the ways we learn how to teach, isn’t it? Trial and Error?
Cheers,
eisensei
SYLLABUS:
このプリントは重要です！紛失しないでください
**********************************
Classroom: ********************************
Time: 10:40 – 12:10 Thursday
Instructor: ******************************
E-mail: ********************************
OFFICE: ***************************
REQUIRED MATERIALS:
New Easy Writing (MLH)
Earphones or headphones
Dictionary
Notebook
NOTE: Students who do not bring these items will lose points.
WEBSITE:
Academic Word List (http://www.academicvocabularyexercises.com)
New Easy Writing (http://www.mlh.co.jp/sp/school?type=28)
GOALS:
By the end of the course, you should:
-be able to write a short paragraph on various topics
-have a larger vocabulary
-have a better listening ability
SCHEDULE:
April
15 ORIENTATION
22 Unit 1 Introductions
May
6
13
20
27
June
3
10 TEST 1
17
24
July
1
8
15
22
29 TEST 2
GRADES:
Grades will be based upon the following criteria:
*Attendance
Participation
Weekly Quizzes
Vocabulary Exercises
Midterm Test
Final Test
*If you come at 10:55 or later, you will be marked absent.
*If you are absent 3 times, you will receive an F.
*If you are absent for a valid reason, you must give me that reason in writing by 1:00 PM Friday. If you fail to give me this notice of absence, you will be marked absent.
Well, I just had my second class of the semester. This class focuses primarily on reading and writing, but this year I’ve decided to include some listening as well. Unlike yesterday’s class which has only eight students, this one has thirty-eight, but for this class in particular, it’s common. Something I think I forgot to mention yesterday is that both of these classes are open to first and second-year students, although first-year students are predominant. Also, like yesterday’s class, I am conducting this one in a computer room. Actually, with the exception of textbook and primary focus, TOEIC vs Reading/Writiing, this class will be fairly similar in structure.
CLASS STRUCTURE:
Independent Listening with MLH
Students will go online and register to be able to listen to the class audio files independently. Macmillan Language House has a great service called My School; all you have to do is request it and you have access to your own personal page that students can access, too. I wanted to have students do the listening activities independently because it allows them to focus more on the task than if I had them do it as a group where some students would be at a distance from the stereo. Furthermore, this allows me to check their ability, give feedback and evaluate their performance more easily as they will be expected to hand in the work they do.
Once they have registered for the page, they will have to listen independently to a short paragraph, which will also act as a model paragraph for the writing task later. They will listen and repeat after the audio; they will have headphones or earphones, so the amount of embarrassment experienced will be reduced somewhat (I say reduced because I think some will still be shy even if no one can hear them.).
SIDENOTE on EMBARRASSMENT
What I refer to is the feeling some students have when they have to read or speak in front of others. I have had some students speak more quietly than usual, and I’ve even had one who turned red. Of course, I tried as much as possible to encourage a relaxed atmosphere, but for some students it is still difficult to perform such tasks, hence I decided to try such a task this year.
CLASS STRUCTURE CNTD:
Textbook focus
After practicing the paragraph alone, they will then practice with a partner, changing the highlighted words in the paragraph with ones provided in the book. Next, they have about two writing activities that will be written out in their notebooks. These activities mainly consist of comprehension and grammar or vocabulary questions. Once they finish that, there may be one or two listening questions, depending on the chapter, that will have to do on their own. Again they will write the answers in the notebook. Finally, they will have to write a short paragraph based on the theme of the chapter, and that too will be written in their notebooks. Finally, these notebooks will be submitted to me for review at the end of class.
Internet Focus
Honestly, I am not sure if they will be able to complete all of what I am planning to have them do since I have not done this before, but once they finish the textbook tasks, they will have to go on-line again to the academic word list practice site where they will have to work through the list and some of the questions for that list. I will also expect them to email me this work as this will be included in their grade.
TODAY’S CLASS:
I won’t go into very much detail about what I did because today’s class followed the same pattern as yesterday’s class with the exception of having them write down their information in Excel. However, I was able to get this information (name and student number) via a questionnaire I distributed to find out which units they would like to do this semester. I did this because there will only be 12 classes this semester (two classes will be tests, and today’s class was orientation) and one of those 12 will focus on introductions. Therefore, that only leaves 11 classes, but there are fourteen units, so I had them choose them, which I think is better than me choosing them. It also allows me to get an idea of their interests, which is important, too. Next week will be the real start and I’ll be able to get a better idea of who my students are and what they can do. I will also be able to see how my plan will work, but of course, like all tentative plans, I’m sure that some things will probably have to be altered, but that’s one of the ways we learn how to teach, isn’t it? Trial and Error?
Cheers,
eisensei
SYLLABUS:
このプリントは重要です！紛失しないでください
**********************************
Classroom: ********************************
Time: 10:40 – 12:10 Thursday
Instructor: ******************************
E-mail: ********************************
OFFICE: ***************************
REQUIRED MATERIALS:
New Easy Writing (MLH)
Earphones or headphones
Dictionary
Notebook
NOTE: Students who do not bring these items will lose points.
WEBSITE:
Academic Word List (http://www.academicvocabularyexercises.com)
New Easy Writing (http://www.mlh.co.jp/sp/school?type=28)
GOALS:
By the end of the course, you should:
-be able to write a short paragraph on various topics
-have a larger vocabulary
-have a better listening ability
SCHEDULE:
April
15 ORIENTATION
22 Unit 1 Introductions
May
6
13
20
27
June
3
10 TEST 1
17
24
July
1
8
15
22
29 TEST 2
GRADES:
Grades will be based upon the following criteria:
*Attendance
Participation
Weekly Quizzes
Vocabulary Exercises
Midterm Test
Final Test
*If you come at 10:55 or later, you will be marked absent.
*If you are absent 3 times, you will receive an F.
*If you are absent for a valid reason, you must give me that reason in writing by 1:00 PM Friday. If you fail to give me this notice of absence, you will be marked absent.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
It begins...
Hello everyone!
Well, I've officially started my second year today. My first class of the new academic year was an advanced TOEIC preparation class. This class only has 8 students so far, so it should be an interesting semester. Also, unlike last year, I am conducting this class in a computer room. There are three reasons that I decided to do this:
1. Academic Word List
There is a very good site, in my opinion, that has all the lists plus loads of questions to practice the vocabulary with immediate feedback.
2. Listening Practice
I think sites such as VOA or Breaking News English are good for practicing listening comprehension.
3. Email
Something that I am considering trying, although I am not sure if it will work well since it is my first time to try this, is have the students email me at the end of class vocabulary lists of words that they did not know. I would then take these lists and make vocabulary quizzes for the students based on the most frequent words in their lists.
CLASS STRUCTURE
Like the email idea above, I am not sure how this will work out either, but each class will follow a similar structure.
1. TEXTBOOK
Students will first work through the textbook (see below), but it is up to the student to choose the order; I have given them complete freedom in this matter. As they finish each question, they will submit their answers for marking, which I will do in class since there are so few students (one of the many advantages of a small class). Next, they will go back through the questions, highlighting the words they did not know. They will then make a list of those words with Japanese translation using Excel.
2. AWL
After a certain time, they will be expected to go online to work on the AWL, first starting with list 1 and so on. They will have to go through the vocabulary making sure they know the pronunciation, part of speech and meaning in Japanese of those words they don't know, and they will include these words in their list as well. After that, they will work through the questions on the website. Each list has 6 groups of 3 sets of 10 questions, so I am thinking of asking them to do only 1 set from each group. Also if there is time, I will ask them to add the words they don't know from the questions to the list they have already made that class.
3. INTERNET LISTENING (COOL DOWN TASK)
Finally, they will email me this list and with the remainder of the time they will listen to an article from VOA or BNE. This will not only give them some listening practice, but it will also work as a post-task activity, or more importantly, a way to relax a little after having worked so intensively.
TODAY'S CLASS
The purpose of today's class was to explain the course. I first introduced myself, stating explicitly what we would be doing in the course. I then had them write their names on cards with a marker - these cards will be placed on the computer they use to help me remember their names. I also had them hold these cards in front of them and I took a picture of them in pairs. Again, this was also for the purpose of remembering their names. Since there are so few students, however, I am quite confident that forgetting names in this class will not be a problem.
Once I finished taking their photos, I went through the syllabus (see below) explaining things in more detail, stopping at certain times to ask them if they had any questions. I also told them that if they ever had any questions they could email me or come to my office. Finally, I had them enter some personal information into the computer that I will use to make the student list for this class.
Well, I think that is it for today. Things are going to be busier for me this year, so I really can't spend so much time writing these, but I will do my best to continue them throughout the year. For those of you who are starting like me, good luck and all the best this year!
Cheers,
eisensei
-------------------------CLASS SYLLABUS-------------------------
このプリントは重要です！紛失しないでください
*******************************
Classroom: ***********************************
Time: 9:00 – 10:30 Wednesday
Instructor: ********************************
E-mail: **************************************
OFFICE: ********************************************
REQUIRED MATERIALS:
Reading Guide to the TOEIC Test (Thomson)
Earphones or headphones
Dictionary
NOTE: Students who do not bring these items will lose points.
Academic Word List (http://www.academicvocabularyexercises.com)
GOALS:
By the end of the course, you should:
-be able to improve your TOEIC score, especially in the reading section
-have a larger vocabulary
SCHEDULE:
April
14 ORIENTATION
21
28
May
12
19
26
June
2
9 TEST 1
16
23
30
July
7
14
28
August
4 TEST 2
GRADES:
Grades will be based upon the following criteria:
*Attendance
Participation
Weekly Quizzes
Vocabulary Exercises
Midterm Test
Final Test
TOEIC Test Score
*If you come at 9:15 or later, you will be marked absent.
*If you are absent 3 times, you will receive an F.
*If you are absent for a valid reason, you must give me that reason in writing by 1:00 PM Thursday. If you fail to give me this notice of absence, you will be marked absent.
Well, I've officially started my second year today. My first class of the new academic year was an advanced TOEIC preparation class. This class only has 8 students so far, so it should be an interesting semester. Also, unlike last year, I am conducting this class in a computer room. There are three reasons that I decided to do this:
1. Academic Word List
There is a very good site, in my opinion, that has all the lists plus loads of questions to practice the vocabulary with immediate feedback.
2. Listening Practice
I think sites such as VOA or Breaking News English are good for practicing listening comprehension.
3. Email
Something that I am considering trying, although I am not sure if it will work well since it is my first time to try this, is have the students email me at the end of class vocabulary lists of words that they did not know. I would then take these lists and make vocabulary quizzes for the students based on the most frequent words in their lists.
CLASS STRUCTURE
Like the email idea above, I am not sure how this will work out either, but each class will follow a similar structure.
1. TEXTBOOK
Students will first work through the textbook (see below), but it is up to the student to choose the order; I have given them complete freedom in this matter. As they finish each question, they will submit their answers for marking, which I will do in class since there are so few students (one of the many advantages of a small class). Next, they will go back through the questions, highlighting the words they did not know. They will then make a list of those words with Japanese translation using Excel.
2. AWL
After a certain time, they will be expected to go online to work on the AWL, first starting with list 1 and so on. They will have to go through the vocabulary making sure they know the pronunciation, part of speech and meaning in Japanese of those words they don't know, and they will include these words in their list as well. After that, they will work through the questions on the website. Each list has 6 groups of 3 sets of 10 questions, so I am thinking of asking them to do only 1 set from each group. Also if there is time, I will ask them to add the words they don't know from the questions to the list they have already made that class.
3. INTERNET LISTENING (COOL DOWN TASK)
Finally, they will email me this list and with the remainder of the time they will listen to an article from VOA or BNE. This will not only give them some listening practice, but it will also work as a post-task activity, or more importantly, a way to relax a little after having worked so intensively.
TODAY'S CLASS
The purpose of today's class was to explain the course. I first introduced myself, stating explicitly what we would be doing in the course. I then had them write their names on cards with a marker - these cards will be placed on the computer they use to help me remember their names. I also had them hold these cards in front of them and I took a picture of them in pairs. Again, this was also for the purpose of remembering their names. Since there are so few students, however, I am quite confident that forgetting names in this class will not be a problem.
Once I finished taking their photos, I went through the syllabus (see below) explaining things in more detail, stopping at certain times to ask them if they had any questions. I also told them that if they ever had any questions they could email me or come to my office. Finally, I had them enter some personal information into the computer that I will use to make the student list for this class.
Well, I think that is it for today. Things are going to be busier for me this year, so I really can't spend so much time writing these, but I will do my best to continue them throughout the year. For those of you who are starting like me, good luck and all the best this year!
Cheers,
eisensei
-------------------------CLASS SYLLABUS-------------------------
このプリントは重要です！紛失しないでください
*******************************
Classroom: ***********************************
Time: 9:00 – 10:30 Wednesday
Instructor: ********************************
E-mail: **************************************
OFFICE: ********************************************
REQUIRED MATERIALS:
Reading Guide to the TOEIC Test (Thomson)
Earphones or headphones
Dictionary
NOTE: Students who do not bring these items will lose points.
Academic Word List (http://www.academicvocabularyexercises.com)
GOALS:
By the end of the course, you should:
-be able to improve your TOEIC score, especially in the reading section
-have a larger vocabulary
SCHEDULE:
April
14 ORIENTATION
21
28
May
12
19
26
June
2
9 TEST 1
16
23
30
July
7
14
28
August
4 TEST 2
GRADES:
Grades will be based upon the following criteria:
*Attendance
Participation
Weekly Quizzes
Vocabulary Exercises
Midterm Test
Final Test
TOEIC Test Score
*If you come at 9:15 or later, you will be marked absent.
*If you are absent 3 times, you will receive an F.
*If you are absent for a valid reason, you must give me that reason in writing by 1:00 PM Thursday. If you fail to give me this notice of absence, you will be marked absent.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Belated thank you's and a groovy article
A belated thank you
First of all, sorry for not doing this sooner, but I would to thank everyone for their comments on my last post. I really appreciated all the advice and the fact that I am not the only one who can be completely open with students. I especially liked Barbara’s comment about sharing information, which I now try to keep in mind when talking with students.
A VERY good article
Every Friday, I receive ELTNEWS.COM’s weekly newsletter, and while I don’t always read it, I decided to take a look at this week’s articles and stumbled upon Mike Guest’s article, ESS- How Tomoyuki lost his groove. I won’t go into any details, but I highly recommend you read it if you already haven’t.
Cheers,
eisensei
First of all, sorry for not doing this sooner, but I would to thank everyone for their comments on my last post. I really appreciated all the advice and the fact that I am not the only one who can be completely open with students. I especially liked Barbara’s comment about sharing information, which I now try to keep in mind when talking with students.
A VERY good article
Every Friday, I receive ELTNEWS.COM’s weekly newsletter, and while I don’t always read it, I decided to take a look at this week’s articles and stumbled upon Mike Guest’s article, ESS- How Tomoyuki lost his groove. I won’t go into any details, but I highly recommend you read it if you already haven’t.
Cheers,
eisensei
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