LEARNER´S CHARACTERISTICS

28-july-07
I begin this part of my journal with some important and personal considerations. They´re consequently the origin of some questions too. I spend a lot of time planning a very good lesson, selecting the correct materials, considering the appropriate time for each activity, analyzing very well the goals I think to reach with the topic and with the strategies I plan.
In other way, I always feel I´m doing the best; but what is happening with two or three of all the groups I have in my institution? (All of them are in the same level). I´m not glad with the work I´m doing there, all my efforts are useless, the students don’t appreciate them, on the contrary their behavior is worse, they don´t like anything although I tried to use some strategies in order to motivate them, as I spoke before in another part of this journal.
Other questions are: Why the levels of interaction are so different in each group if the conditions are apparently similar? Why do I let this situation be presented if I know plenty that each fellow, person or student is different or particular?
I really know many concepts or theories about learner´s characteristics, learner´s styles assignments and learner´s needs but the biggest problem I just understand is the articulation between these concepts and the practice, perhaps, hasn´t been very clear or evident as I though, moreover it´s prioritary the fact of doing some specific diagnosis or identify these special conditions in each group in order to improve the levels of learning, the discipline, the attitude, the interaction through a best methodology or didactic in my English’s classes, besides my own satisfaction.

THE ROLE OF ERROR

THE ERROR ANOTHER WAY OF LEARNING was just the last sentence I wrote for another page before of my journal, I´ve considered it, first of all, I think there isn´t no problem if in some cases any situation can present the possibility of a little error, mistake or frustration, it is a normal condition of human being. Moreover, in second place to understand that in the spaces of living together or creativity, the self- esteem is not built over awards but overcoming the difficulties. We must decrease the level of intransigence with the mistakes of other people and accept them as part of quotidian facts.
The philosopher Popper, in a lecture about tolerance and the errors, told: “any science is exact and any scientist leaves to commit mistakes”.
Let´s see as I understood mistake: it is a slip,” a little hole” in the process of thinking because it´s something temporarily forgotten and the error is the ignorance of some specific form that must be used in a step of learning. Allwright and Bailey mentioned that the typical definition of error does reference to the production of a linguistic form which change from the correct form; understanding as a correct form to the native speaker´s norm, identified as the native produce it. Other authors do a clear distinction between error (reflects the intellectual level of a student, it is a remarkable deviation of grammar, by other side, a native wouldn´t have this kind of problems) and mistake”desliz” (it is an actuation error, a suddenly break).
Looking the error and mistake since the pedagogical point of view, they´re both important, they are in fact signs or evidences of the progress in the process of learning. Error plays a crucial role as in the teaching process as in learning process because it shows to the teacher the competences levels the students have reached and let to the students to evaluate some aspects about the object language.
Error is seen as a natural and necessary part of acquisition of the target language that´s because beginner’s errors are more frequent than an advanced learner. Teacher must understand his role is to encourage not to criticize, examine the way the error can be corrected, if it´s done in a negative or depreciatory one, motivation can end or decline.
Encouraging students to become more active participants no matter the times the things don´t go well is the big task; tolerance, patience and comprehension in high doses, besides including the error as a human condition and an opportunity to motivate students to achieve higher levels of proficiency in the future.

HOW TO MOTIVATE STUDENTS?

Learning English always raises the question of motivation or interest. (Motivation is defined as the learner's orientation with regard to the goal of learning a second language). The question of motivation in general may lose some of its significance, but in a classroom it is a very crucial and important factor, moreover I think every teacher must have this compromise and constantly do the following questions: Why is so frequently seen the lack or motivations in our students?, Why learners aren´t interested in learning English?, even if we can establish the importance of the communicative goals, to converse with outsiders, to read books, to understand television programs. Also, the fact that people who know English may be able to get better jobs and to improve the economic situation, (because they look money as the best and attractive thing they can have.)is still so remote from immediate interest of young students, this fact can not be used as a goal because they don´t have a defined life´s project.
In my case the opportunity to compare the motivation between younger´s motivation and adult´s motivation is clear. I work with these two types of students (daily and Saturday shifts) and I took note of the following situations:
Both young and adult students face a different situation if the learning process takes place within an English speaking environment, both need the new language in order to communicate with other people but the adult needs are specific: to know new people, enrolling in higher education, to find a job, go shopping, chat with friends, travel other places or by the simple reason they want to improve their knowledges and they go to school by their own free choice; while the young students wants to make friends in a quick manner, understand the jokes that other laughs, play a game, learn a song, watch a movie and they are affected by the pressures from the outside or the things proper to the age and the most common circumstance, their parents force them in a away the learning process is not a voluntary experience. These pressures can either stimulate or impede their success in the classroom.
In both cases setting short and long terms goals, getting each learner be involved in the activities , pacing the action to make the time spend in class seem to pass quickly includes a series of techniques that make possible to arise the interest or motivation in the learners. The consideration of motivation and interest should be closely linked with the consideration of students ´span attention, it´s important to vary constantly the activities in the classroom (warms ups, visual aids, inductive or deductive approaches ,etc.) and it is indispensable the constant reinforcement of self-worth in the personal involvement where the students feel they are treated as a person. The teacher in this case must provide the self confidence and find the best way to help each pupil to overcome the barrier that has grown because of a past failure. In order to maintain and reinforce the learner´s feeling of self-esteem it´s necessary to plan language practice that contains small steps at a time and the student can come up a successful and creative response, then a feeling of personal achievement is promoted. Praise and encouragement, “providing feedback” by the teacher are invaluable at this point.
A degree of motivation can be established when certain personal or specific topics or goals for students are included, according with their own ages, likes or individual inclinations,”finding their passion”. The presentation of basic structures in English must be made lively or interesting themes, vocabulary and materials must be adapted for vocational or occupational needs in local realities and contexts, if the rapid progress is expected. Within the model presented by Gardner (1982), I found a very interesting definition for motivation, it is perceived to be composed of three elements. These include effort, desire and affect. Effort refers to the time spent studying the language and the drive of the learner. Desire indicates how much the learner wants to become proficient in the language, and affect illustrates the learner's emotional reactions with regard to language study.

The motivation behind the linguist´s interest in language is the goal of explaining how human language operates, that´s why teachers must be interested in pedagogical aspects or find the best way to facilitate the learning English process or as Ausubel, told: “Motivation is as much an effect as a cause of learning”. Furthermore , there is a relevant consideration, the enthusiasm and the motivation in the teacher is the “angular stone” where is built the whole process because he must feel joy, pleasure and love by his job, in this way it can be reflected to his students, Here are some important methodological strategies teachers can use:
JOURNAL (EMPHATY). It´s a personal notebook each student can do for communicative purposes, they can write all they want about their lives. It´s an option for the teacher to be closer and to improve the relationships with them, it serves to arise some diagnostics and solve some problems they can have. Teacher doesn´t focus on the mistakes but in the meaning.
MUSIC (ACCEPTANCE).Music can really change the atmosphere of the class, the effectiveness of utilizing songs in the classrooms can be seen, I believe that in my classes where I´ve used this meaningful strategy, students are more relaxed and feel pleasure in using the new language although singing is regarded as more suitable for children than for older students or adults. The great advantage now is the lyrics and the songs are easily found by internet and it´s shared by almost all people. In my institution all English teachers are working by levels and by topics (environmental, romantic and social themes) the project “THE SONG IN ENGLISH CLASS” and the response has been interesting.
USING PHOTOS (AUTHENTICITY).It can effectively help to spark genuine interest and generate a lot of language. It improves relationships too because the teacher increase the attention to real life, real things, personal and current situations (personalize) which encourage free and spontaneous talk. Communicative activities in the English class are a vehicle through which is easy to reach fluency.

2007 STUDY SKILLS

At the beginning of the session two,(in TEACHER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM) the reflection about what study skills mean was done and the conclusion was: they´re all those activities or strategies we can do in order to reach a best learning. It must include listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. A person in facts knows her native language before knowing how to read and write too, instead the speech skills, but in the case or English as a foreign language it´s considerable important the combination or integration of language skills, although It is therefore possible to view the reading and the writing skills as operating independently. A good reader is not necessarily a good writer, thus it depends or priority objectives the learners have.

While the teaching of language structures will continue to promote the integrative use of all four languages skills, special attention must be given to aural comprehension as a skill and to the aim of reading comprehension as a mean to improve the listening and speaking skills. And what about the writing skill?. The writing skill is real limited to the function of a tool in the process of learning, but it´s meaningful because the writing practice can greatly facilitate the recognition or letters, fits a wide stock or vocabulary and shapes of basic spelling patterns. Thus, reading and writing are closely related and mutually reinforce each other.
Teacher in classroom can do a lot of activities that improve reading skills and I will rewrite them in order to a major fitness of the concepts, they are: skimming: or getting main ideas or gist by looking a text quickly, this involves some interference an interpretation, scanning: this is more superficial because it doesn´t involve interpretation and is looking around a text quickly to find words according you are looking for.
Extensive reading: reading for informational content of a text, the interest is not on the language used in it, but in the information. I find many fortresses in this kind o reading skill: learners develop the ability to gain satisfaction from the reading on their own likes in the new language and they are exposed on it in a more natural way, so it represents “reading for pleasure” which ultimately will help to students maintain and continue the use of language long beyond the end of a task of study or a requirement of a teacher.
It has two basic qualities too. It must be interesting and easy. Only the material that is easy to understand can be enjoyed and only the material that is interesting can be called pleasurable reading, when it provokes emotion is closer to the reader´s reality, like the colloquial expression “nobody eats that he doesn´t like”.
The proficiency can be attached when the students don´t feel it is only a homework activity or an activity for a class, they read in their leisure and there is no time limit, they´re emphasize with their own motivation and enthusiasm the habit of reading.
I refer now to intensive reading, other reading skill; the interest is on the language paying attention to the exact words which are used. It may be advantageous because gradually increase the lexical stock of students by introducing a limited number of lexical items in each reading passage, develop good reading habits through the material and It´s easy to develop the following activities in it: pointing out the main idea of reading selections, grasping details which support the main idea, improving the learners’ speed of reading and improve phonetic. Promoting techniques for “guessing from context”, the learners can know the language structures and the teacher can design a lot of comprehension exercises using vocabulary exercises too. Remembering in all cases don´t spend the time in isolated words, it’s not a meaningful activity.
After all, there is a great number of activities and variables that I know I had used before in order to get study skills as discuss certain elements of the texts, stories o readings, help the students to develop a taste for reading in general, assign tasks to read and dramatize scenes of them, prepare a poster or other types or art work which involve drawing and not necessary language.
I consider of important utility to see other strategies to good success learning as note taking with the purposes of pointing out the relevant aspects of a topic, helping memory to appropriate concepts and making clear some doubts. Linear notes, mind mapping and diagrammatic notes are useful in the process too, each one has its own function but organize the knowledges in systematic order, giving priorities to the ideas, using the time in an optimum way (time management).
Finally, I have the best intention to apply good methodology and the best strategies but every day I´m asking: ¿What about the students of this institution where I just arrived? I see they have many and difficult problems to solve as: lack of attention, lack of motivation and they don´t have plans for life, drugs addiction, disrespectful and gross boys and girls, some of them are truly a pain in the neck! What´s my challenge if they don´t like anything?. I would like in future sessions my tutor speaks a little about working with these behavior student´s problems.


MOTIVATION IN LEARNING ENGLISH AND LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY
20-JULY-2007
I consider this session was very interesting, because the topics pointed up in it, left the main aspects every English teacher has to analyze or reflect for improving his practice. They were about the reasons to motivate students to learn English, how to motivate them and finally the role of error.
The reasons for language learning are many - better career opportunities, personal development, and the chance to travel or to achieve world class qualifications. Learning in an English speaking environment is crucial but so are other aspects. The mix of nationalities, choice of location and type of school, cultural factors, the technology that is constantly changing, opportunities to study further qualifications or subjects alongside English and, of course, the quality of the learning experience are all significant factors.
Another important reason is to increase global understanding, English provides and open mind because every one is a part of a global world, so each student can know or learn different contexts through virtual tools.
"... [E]ffective communication and successful negotiations with a foreign partner--whether with a partner in peacekeeping, a strategic economic partner, a political adversary, or a non-English speaking contact in a critical law enforcement action--requires strong comprehension of the underlying cultural values and belief structures that are part of the life experience of the foreign partner." - Dr. Dan Davidson, President of the American Councils on International Education "A different language is a different vision of life." - Federico Fellini, Italian film director
"No culture can live, if it attempts to be exclusive." - Mohandas K. Gandhi, Indian nationalist and spiritual leader
Learning another language gives the learner the ability to step inside the mind and context of that other culture. Without the ability to communicate and understand a culture on its own terms, true access to that culture is barred. Why is this important? In a world where nations and people are ever more dependent upon on another to supply needs and services, solve or understand political disputes, social realities and ensure international security, understanding other cultures is paramount.
Intercultural understanding begins with individuals who have language abilities and who can thereby provide one's own nation or community with an insider's view into foreign cultures, maybe they´re interested in the literature, poetry, films, TV programs, music or if they like singing, learning songs in other languages can be interesting, challenging and enjoyable. Some other aspects of the culture of people who speak a particular language and want to learn the English language must be regarded in order to gain a better understanding of their culture. Only who can understand foreign news sources, and give insights into other perspectives on international situations and current events can compare or access to different aspects that allow to do life´s projects according with their preferences or their own conditions.
A competent person in other languages can bridge the gap between cultures, contribute to international diplomacy, promote national security and world peace, and successfully engage in international trade. As globalization, mobility and communications are bringing the world ever closer together; ever more urgent is the need for global citizens to be competent in other languages.
“You live a new life for every new language you speak.” I heard this some time, so knowledge of foreign languages may also increase the chances of finding a new job, getting a promotion or a transfer overseas, or of going on foreign business trips. Learning that language, English in this case will give easily the access to the material and enable somebody to communicate with fellow students and researchers in other fields as science, business, economy, education and communication, etc. A basic ability in a foreign language will help to the learner to have real conversations with the people he meets, which can be very interesting and will add a new dimension to his social life. These reasons for teachers are very clear, but what about most of students think or the motivation they have? It´s a very common problem, so the priority is to do a deep analysis of that.

A GOOD ENGLISH TEACHER

I begin considering the importance and the need for adding English language as a communicative tool and it´s recognized as a necessity of modern life. With this wide audience for English in the world increase the numbers of trained people to teach it, but are all of them well prepared with good English teaching positions,good methodology or pedagogical reaponsabilities? It´s very commun to see many traineers and places that pretend to reach a considerable level of English but they don´t do a detailed analysis of needs and goals of learners in this new and non native language, they´re so diverse. They perhaps form for general approaches; that does the difference. A GOOD ENGLISH TEACHER must be ready to solve every problem in every situation, he works based on particular necessities or learners´contexts, he believes moreover in his own ability to make decisions, he is becoming familiar with as many possible sources or materials and fits the approach to a particular set of student, and the most important thing, the teacher must be able to motivate to students to communicate or interact in English through a meanful methodology or pedagogical practices, besides he has to observe his own performances and to reflect on the classes too, the processes or learning must be evaluated all time, looks for perfectly combine the theory with the practice. In conclusion, a great english teacher must be a recognized professional any time, having a profile of responsability and compromise. That´s our big challenge, TO BE ONE OF THEM,but I´m sure of that, with the excellent guidance we will receive in the TEACHING DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME, that will be right!

EL ESCÁNDALO DE LOS ROLLOS DEL MAR MUERTO

MICHAEL BAIGENT Y RICHARD LEIGH. (Los autores)


La presentación del libro suena desde ya bastante interesante.
El más importante hallazgo del siglo xx. Los manuscritos esenios de las cuevas de Qumran, fechados entre el siglo III. A. C y el año 70 d. C., son hoy el centro de un escándalo mundial.

Los autores de El Enigma Sagrado, con esta nueva obra pretenden denunciar el supuesto ocultamiento de importantes partes de los Rollos del Mar Muerto, por parte de la École Bibilique et Arqueologique de Jerusalem, que al cabo de más de 40 años (según ellos) de ser depositaria de los manuscritos, sólo ha publicado el 25% de los contenidos. Además, los estudiosos más sobresalientes del mundo no pueden ver ni consultar los originales. Sus preguntas se encaminan, entonces, a averiguar el porque de dicha situación.

Con un cúmulo de revelaciones lapidarias, estos dos escritores intentan dar respuesta a este hecho, que compromete a las ortodoxias judía y cristiana, abriendo nuevos interrogantes en la investigación: ¿fue Pablo un espía o un delator romano que se infiltró en la Iglesia primitiva para dividirla y manipularla? ¿El mensaje de los Rollos coincide con el de Cristo y ambos chocan con los dogmas de la Iglesia Oficial? ¿Fue Cristo un agitador judío ultranacionalista?

Ellos dan su propia versión sobre el tema para que el lector, especializado o neófito sepa esclarecer la verdad detrás del Escándalo de los Rollos del Mar Muerto.

LEARNER'S STYLES AND NEEDS

30-july-07Let´s speak about the main learner´s characteristics and learner´s styles and learner´s needs. Students have different levels of motivation, different attitudes about teaching and learning, and different responses to specific classroom environments and instructional practices. All teachers must understand these differences, this is the best chance to understand or meet the diverse learning needs of all of their students.The diversity has shown to have serious and pedagogical implications for teaching and learning, so it´s important to look for differences in student´s learning styles defined as the characteristic ways of taking in a processing information or the ways of a person internalizes, perceives, conceptualizes, organizes and recalls information. Approaches to learning( surface or not effort to work the material is given by the teacher, deep or probing, questioning and exploring the material and strategic or doing whatever is necessary to get higher grades),and intellectual development levels(attitudes about the nature of knowledge and how it should be acquired and evaluated).I agree with Kierkegaard when he says that:” instruction begins when you, the teacher, learn from the learner. Put yourself in his place so that you may understand what he learns and the way he understand it.These styles come from previous experiences, the culture, the society and they´re related with learner´s characteristics such as: age, language levels, likes and dislikes, interests, social contexts, knowledge backgrounds cognitive needs, personality, motivation, affective filter, physical traits. If they are analyzed it finally does learning better, improves all the process including esteem, changes a no interests student by a reinterested one, and the relationship student- teacher is getting better too.It´s necessary to understand that all people are not the same. So the way to perceive their own environment is not similar, for this reason the access code of communication is different too. When the teacher knows it, he can find in the same form the strategies that close the bridge or gap in learning process. It gives the possibility to know the particular limits or weakness and strengths in each student, his personal history and unrepeated experiences as the digital prints.I ask the following then: Does an assessed learning style preference indicate a more comfortable and effective type of instruction for students? Yes, it can serve as a orientation to study, to suggest a career or indicate how they might improve their academic performance.yes, according to the styles must be the strategies used by the trainers, for example: If they are visual learners they consider the world in images, they feel strong when they´re communicating with the visual part of their brain, so they put the images in words, they can learn all of the multiplication facts as a related set in a chart much easier than using memory.They are well ordered, they can tell when something is out of alignment, and they love to work with rotating images in their mind, constructing, arranging, coloring or lighting and fixing things. They look at the teacher´s face intently. The personal presentation is important for them in the same way visual material resources or strategies as: videos, overheads and power point, manipulative demonstrations, graphics, maps, display posters, realia, mural, flashcards and illustrates handouts. Activities where visualization and imagination are used are meaningful.For auditory learners the main aspect is they are selective referring to the vocabulary they use. They pay special attention to the voice, the rhythm and sounds as memory aids. They like very much the teacher gives verbal instructions, like dialogues, discussions and plays, solve problems talking about them. They can be quiet for a long time, he is more flexible than a visual person, they don´t like the bad noises (machines, motors, chairs).The following strategies can be used: creating concept songs and raps, illustrating with sounds, discerning rhythmic patterns, composing music, linking music and concepts, recognizing tonal structures, using videos audio tapes, songs, chants, and memorization drills.Another learner´s style is bodily-kinesthetic: they mainly react to tactile sensations, they like physical activities, competitions, role plays, games, they find difficult to sit still for long periods, learn best when they are involved or active or when the hands are used for demonstrations , they use movements as an aid memory. Lab experiments, dramatizations, original or classical dances, charades or mimes, routines, skill demonstrations, illustrations using body languages or gestures are very important for them. Written exercises and drawing are good as a memory aid.There are many classifications for types of learners. I´ve spoken a little about John Grinder and Richard Bandler´s types. They have worked with an interesting science PNL (Neuro linguistic programming) developed on 70s. They pretended to profit at maximum the resources and the human and personal conditions.McCarthy considered four learning styles in 1980. Innovative: they look for personal meaning while learning; enjoy the social interaction, they´re cooperative. Analytic: they are patient and reflective; they want to develop intellectually while learning. They want to know important things. Common sense: they want to find solutions, they are practical and kinesthetic and the last one; Dynamic or creative: They look for hidden possibilities, reactive, enthusiastic; they get risks and use very well resources and information.I had read about other interesting descriptions on learner´s styles in a Richard M. Felder´s article. Introverted (focus on the inner world of ideas), extroverted (focus on the outer world of people), intuitors (focus on meanings and possibilities), judgers (focus on set and follow agendas) and thinkers (focus on decisions or logic rulers, skeptical).I can go on looking for other styles or other authors but I arrive to the same conclusions:Greater learning may occur when teaching styles match learning styles than when they are mismatched.Teachers must not limit a learner by thinking, they can learn in a particular way. So the teacher has the responsibility of the student´s effort doing always a courage feedback on progress.It´s very clear; there isn´t bad students, it is important to combine and vary methods and strategies to get learning goals and expectations.

LO QUE QUERÍA APRENDER Y NO ME ENSEÑARON

Las instituciones educativas tienen clara conciencia del rol tan relevante que en cuanto a educación y formación se refiere. Todas apuntan a la formación de la persona como el centro de los procesos de enseñanza aprendizaje y se hace la proyección de ésta desde diversas dimensiones(corporal,mental ,espiritual entre otras); conciben algunos principios antropológicos, sociológicos, sicológicos, axiológicos y pedagógicos; presentan constante valoración de su currículo con el fin de desarrollar capacidades y conocimientos en contexto.



Se busca y adopta un modelo pedadógico que contribuya al desarrollo de competencias básicas en sus estudiantes, que presupone además una habilidad para vivir en comunidad, transformar su entorno y desenvolverse en su propia realidad acorde con sus sueños, intereses e ideales. ¿Pero siempre se alcanzarán las metas y resultados esperados? parece ser que siempre falta mucho por hacer pese a la buena voluntad y al deseo de ver una sociedad competente y autosuficiente. La clave parece estar en las cosas más sencillas, tal como lo demuestra algunos lectores del tiempo que dieron algunas sugerencias.



Manifestaron que en la vida diaria se requieren tantos conocimientos que la gente se ve obligada a aprenderlos por su propia cuenta; las llamaron LAS 30 MATERIAS:

1. Pensar .

2. Opinar .

3. Llenar cheques, pagarés, manejar cuentas bancarias y tarjetas de crédito .

4. Controlar emociones .

5. Dominar otro idioma .

6. Crear un proyecto de vida .

7. Ser leal .

8. Interpretar mapas de centros comerciales y gráficos de periódicos y libros .

9. Tener sentido común .

10. Ser felices.

11. Manejar finanzas personales. (ahorrar-invertir)

12. Saber primeros auxilios.

13. Ser críticos y analíticos.

14. Valorar el tiempo y aprovecharlo al máximo.

15. Comprender el lenguage de los sordos.

16. Conocer un oficio:jardinería,sastrería,cocina,etc.

17. Tomar decisiones.

18. Tocar un instrumento.

19. Hablar en público.

20. Votar correctamente.

21. Compartir.

22. Relacionarase con los demás.

23. Presentar entrevistas de trabajo.

24. Buscar trabajo.

25. Conocer las normas de tránsito.

26. Tener buen sexo.

27. Conocer lo mínimo del derecho penal y civil.

28. Defenderse.

29. Investigar.

30. Sobrevivir.

B

B

C

C

D

D

E

E

F

F