Dealing with project drafts in week 8 was a real challenge for me. Not only writing my own draft, but also
doing the checklist seriously and making suggetions.
I though, doing the checklist about the peer draft would be much easier and quicker, actually evaluating is hard work in order to try to see it through other class mates eyes.
At first, I read Nguyens draft. She teaches 6th graders in Hanoi/Vietnam.
Reading and evaluating my peer's draft made me feel a little bit ashamed:
1.) I realised that I should also have had a close look at the checklist (it's function seems similar to a rubric), which I did not do before writing the draft,
2.) I left out some very important details,
3.) I did not mention the issue, that adult learners do not learn in the same pace and playful way as young learners. Due to the fact that most participating teachers in this web skill training teach young learners and teenagers, my students are much older and I could face the problem that some of my older students "could/would" need a bit more time to work on the PC than teenies.
4.) Recently I found out that one of my eldest students in class, a 58 year man, has problems with reading small-sized letters/writing and also has troulbes with listening, due to ear problems. He cannot listen to audios without a tapescript, because he would miss a lot of important information. I think we have to keep in mind, that there can be participants who can fall behind in learning due to their physical health condition. I am sure we as teachers are able to search, explore and find tools and solutions to cope with this in order to help people with special needs to also improve and succeed in learning a foreign language, which is a daily challenge for teachers. Plan B or thinking of alternatives in situations of unexpected errors is essential in teaching especially as teacher in the role of a "facilitator and learning guide".
To summarize this week, it was a fruitful and web tool enriched week with big variety of easy to use quiz tools, puzzles, test tools, exam creators, survey tools like hotpotatoe and especiall Anvill, an online learning/blended learning platform but it was also a little bit disappointing because I faced the limit what one can expect from adults and partly senior learners to learn a language plus new web tools within a short periode.
This is the first time, that I really had to change all my plans. I asked my students to find out about Anvill after I had introduced them to quite a lot of very useful and interesting web tools. Due to the fact that I don't have internet in class, my learners have to do step by step at home after I had introduced them to a theoretical power point introduction.
As I wanted to ask about the result, they were rather disappointed because I found out, I had introduced them to too many tools within a short time. Most learners said, that it is difficult to remember all tools, its function, purpose and access keys. So I had to cancel the ANVILL activity, because I was too diligent and too fast for my students. They need time to practise and foster each tool for a while, until I can go on and introduce a new one.
Then I decided to design a simple homepage with blogs, links, tools, embedded, that looks nearly the same homepage as they are used to look at, when they practice exercises and download material. There are two learners who already need a bigger writing for better reading and if the audio quality of voiceboard were not be perfect, they would have major difficulties with understanding.
I uploaded some of the prepared quizzes and cross word puzzles, which was fairly easy for them to download.
I think I would have to be more patient and allow more time for each activity and espacially enough time to practise.
So far the learning platform which I created as an additional platform to ANVILL is
www.brigittefalkner.jimdo.com
www.jimdo.com
is a free homepage designing tool and also allows to embed blogs. It is very simple, clear and easy to use. Manual is explained with voice description within a few minutes.
A short comment on Anvill, it is a brilliant tool, similar to moodle, but Anvill offers voiceboard which is very helpful in making students pronounce properly and clearly in order to record, listen, speak and understand spoken instructions. I like it.
regards
Brigitte
doing the checklist seriously and making suggetions.
I though, doing the checklist about the peer draft would be much easier and quicker, actually evaluating is hard work in order to try to see it through other class mates eyes.
At first, I read Nguyens draft. She teaches 6th graders in Hanoi/Vietnam.
Reading and evaluating my peer's draft made me feel a little bit ashamed:
1.) I realised that I should also have had a close look at the checklist (it's function seems similar to a rubric), which I did not do before writing the draft,
2.) I left out some very important details,
3.) I did not mention the issue, that adult learners do not learn in the same pace and playful way as young learners. Due to the fact that most participating teachers in this web skill training teach young learners and teenagers, my students are much older and I could face the problem that some of my older students "could/would" need a bit more time to work on the PC than teenies.
4.) Recently I found out that one of my eldest students in class, a 58 year man, has problems with reading small-sized letters/writing and also has troulbes with listening, due to ear problems. He cannot listen to audios without a tapescript, because he would miss a lot of important information. I think we have to keep in mind, that there can be participants who can fall behind in learning due to their physical health condition. I am sure we as teachers are able to search, explore and find tools and solutions to cope with this in order to help people with special needs to also improve and succeed in learning a foreign language, which is a daily challenge for teachers. Plan B or thinking of alternatives in situations of unexpected errors is essential in teaching especially as teacher in the role of a "facilitator and learning guide".
To summarize this week, it was a fruitful and web tool enriched week with big variety of easy to use quiz tools, puzzles, test tools, exam creators, survey tools like hotpotatoe and especiall Anvill, an online learning/blended learning platform but it was also a little bit disappointing because I faced the limit what one can expect from adults and partly senior learners to learn a language plus new web tools within a short periode.
This is the first time, that I really had to change all my plans. I asked my students to find out about Anvill after I had introduced them to quite a lot of very useful and interesting web tools. Due to the fact that I don't have internet in class, my learners have to do step by step at home after I had introduced them to a theoretical power point introduction.
As I wanted to ask about the result, they were rather disappointed because I found out, I had introduced them to too many tools within a short time. Most learners said, that it is difficult to remember all tools, its function, purpose and access keys. So I had to cancel the ANVILL activity, because I was too diligent and too fast for my students. They need time to practise and foster each tool for a while, until I can go on and introduce a new one.
Then I decided to design a simple homepage with blogs, links, tools, embedded, that looks nearly the same homepage as they are used to look at, when they practice exercises and download material. There are two learners who already need a bigger writing for better reading and if the audio quality of voiceboard were not be perfect, they would have major difficulties with understanding.
I uploaded some of the prepared quizzes and cross word puzzles, which was fairly easy for them to download.
I think I would have to be more patient and allow more time for each activity and espacially enough time to practise.
So far the learning platform which I created as an additional platform to ANVILL is
www.brigittefalkner.jimdo.com
www.jimdo.com
is a free homepage designing tool and also allows to embed blogs. It is very simple, clear and easy to use. Manual is explained with voice description within a few minutes.
A short comment on Anvill, it is a brilliant tool, similar to moodle, but Anvill offers voiceboard which is very helpful in making students pronounce properly and clearly in order to record, listen, speak and understand spoken instructions. I like it.
regards
Brigitte
Hello Brigitte,
ReplyDeleteIt was same here, I was at first in puzzle and I looked for the sample and I downloaded some previose reports and then I got the template which made the task quite easier and to sum-up the ideas as well. But as you said I also left some loopholes due to time constraint. But it will be better by the end of the time. I liked your fourth point regarding variety of learners who needs to be addressed inside the classroom but in different manner which is very challenging.
----Aadesh.
Dear Aadesh,
Deletethank you for your comment, it is good to hear that someone else is struggeling similar but still proud and enthusiastic in facing the challenge.
Brigitte
Hi Brigitte!!!!
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right and true. As we know that project-based learning is crucial for learning or teaching any subject because projects build vital workplace skills and lifelong habits of learning. Project-based learning can allow schoolboys to address community issues, explore careers, interact with adult mentors, use technology, and present their work to audiences beyond the classroom. We are very, very lucky making better our projects with the help of collaborative learning. You’re very experienced, teaching to older students; the most challenging aspect of teaching older students: they cannot read so they do not like to read; reading is labored and unsatisfying so they have little reading experience; and, because they have not read much, they are not recognizable with the vocabulary, sentence structure, text organization and concepts of academic “book” language. Over time, their comprehension skills turn down because they do not read, and they also become poor spellers, poor readers and poor writers. As far as I am concerned, Very poor readers must have their phonological skills strengthened because the inability to identify speech sounds wears away spelling, word recognition, and vocabulary development. I like your ideas, too. Great work!!!!
Warm regards,
Nazeer Ahmed
Dear Nazeer,
DeleteThank you for your helpful, interesting and fruitful post. You seem very experienced. Well, I am used to both, teaching infants, young students, teenagers, adults and in companies and the most challenging were the adults, which I think, I have to put much more effort into my work than with young learners, because adult learners pay for their education and they expect a lot from the teacher and this challenge makes me work diligently, I really like it.
regards
Brigitte
Hello brigitte falkner ,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that evaluating a partner is a great challenge to the teacher, but it is a good chance to see what others do. At the same time, the teacher can reach the top of his work if he sees his work by the eyes of others. This type of evaluation helps us develop our works. The best thing you mentioned is that the checklist is similar to the rubrics. I liked this expression. I wished to think of it like this before. I think that my work would be better anyhow I learned it and I will take care of everything in the final report.
Mustafa
Dear Mustafa,
DeleteThank you for your comment on my blog, I have to admit that I learnt more about myself and my own blog by reading others and using the ckeck, which made me think of what I still have to improve and what I forgot to add.
Regards
Brigitte
Hi
ReplyDeleteFalkner,
I have gone through your blog and I like the ideas what you have said, "doing the checklist about the peer draft would be much easier and quicker, actually evaluating is hard work". Furthermore, by reading the blog, I have learned new ideas for my project. I also appriciate the comments by Mustafa, Nazeer, and Adesh.
Thank you.
Maheshwor
Dear Maheswho,
Deleteyes I agree and have to repeat what I mentioned in my blog:
Checklists and rubrics play a key role in teaching and
also in our webskill training.
regards
Brigitte
Hi Brigitte,
ReplyDeleteI share your challenge of teaching English to "old" learners. I don't teach any groups of them now, but I did some years ago. Some in my class are nearly in the same age as your oldest one, they were slower, and shy to talk or ask questions. However, my group is as not as big like yours, so I could spend time helping them.
By the way, I'm glad that my draft can help you some way. You know, I was very worried and spent a lot of time for it due to a change in direction, as I have written to you on our group wiki. I'm still updating it and waiting for your new checklist which is for Project Plan. Thank you.
Huong