Week 6 DISCUSSION: Engaging Students

Hi Colleagues,

Classroom Process

We are planning to initiate with the training/workshop "Teaching Large Classes – Enhancing Learning by Engaging Students" by Rick Finnan and Donna Shaw. I teach and train English language teachers at State Council of Educational Research and Training Uttarakhand, India. Since I teach a group of teachers so I don't look such problems as lack of interface with trainers, be deficient in or underprivileged conversation and need of regular test or marking assignments.

We completely have the same outlook with the suggestion that "Combining lecture with short, pair or small-group learning activities keeps students interested, motivated, and involved". In every folder lecture may not be a monologue; it's a dialogue. "Teaching Large Classes" (http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/earlycareer/teaching/LargeClasses.html) a number of of the ideas in addition may be applied in classes with one laptop for a class.

Although, by way of technology accessible, it might be more rapidly, easier and further resourceful for the reason that each trainee ought to complete the assignments. By means of PowerPoint presentations and video "support" the lecture, assist perception and continue the enthusiasm. Diminutive cross-examine at the end of the lecture will facilitate trainee teachers composite innovative matter.

Dr. Ashok Kumar

Week - 5 - TASK: Create a Rubric or an Alternative Assessment

My learners are also non-English speakers. Due to be deficient in English-using milieu, my learners tend to overlook their English communication follow up. In this circumstance, in order to endorse their oral English communication, I need a rubric to guide their oral communication skill. You can see my rubric online:

http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php?screen=Home&module=User

I will use it to assess my students' oral English performance, directing them towards accurate bearing. I have added my rubric to our wiki also in the "Rubrics" area for sharing.

Dr. Ashok Kumar

Some of My ELT and ICT Books Worth to be Shared

Week - 5 - PROJECT STEP 4: Describe a Technology Related Change

The previous to this project issues which I had declared was "encouraging students to speak in English and poor quality of pronunciation". My learners are excessively introverted to converse in English. I look forward to to discover a novel technique to give confidence them to communicate in English. CALL may be the most excellent alternative to assist in training and speaking dexterity.

I surfed numerous websites, the most interested is http://ddeubel.edublogs.org/2010/07/23/the-1-conversation-game/. This reveals a method to guide learners learning speaking skill in English. It is through the game. This action in fact facilitate learners learning speaking in English exclusive of even knowing it. Some more sites I followed  are

http://vocaroo.com

http://www.onestopenglish.com/skills/speaking/teaching-ideas/

http://esl.about.com/od/pronunciationlessonplans/a/l_minpair.htm

http://www.englishcentral.com

Dr. Ashok Kumar

Week - 5 - DISCUSSION: Rubrics, Assessments, and PBL 2

Project Based Learning (PBL):
It is principally one of the techniques of teaching that permits learners to expand wider perceptive of the theory and values. This technique is applied by Susan Gaer while she trained her learners Folktales. In the course of PBL she did teaching reading and writing Folktales and project too.

1. How can PBL be used to help motivate students more?
PBL encourages the learners further in their learning. PBL changes learners from place to activity for the reason that it motivates.

2) How can PBL be incorporated with technology in your class-or alternatively what limitations are there to using PBL in your class?
PBL can be coorporated by means of technology by application of WebQuest. The competence of WebQuest that is available new and simple to acquire and to apply assists learners to do their projects. WebQuests pull together the most effective instructional practices.

3) What is the role of rubrics and/or alternative assessment within PBL?

A rubric is a straightforwardly relevant variety of valid measurement. A rubric basically provides a list of set criteria. The responsibility of rubrics in PBL is presenting a gauge of excellence of presentation and with this teachers can calculate the learners' presentation and competence.

4) How can PBL, rubrics and/or alternative assessment be used to promote independent learning?

PBL show the way students to be self-sufficient learners. I look forward that at the conclusion, the learners will be in this world autonomously.

Dr. Ashok Kumar

Week - 5 - DISCUSSION: Rubrics, Assessments, and PBL 1

1) Alternative Assessment: It has given confidence to my students to develop into extra sovereign learner.  It further has given emphasis to my students' potential. It has amplified incentive as well. This style of measurement has helped to get a vibrant synopsis of students' educational and linguistic maturity.

2) Checklists : It has supported my learners to develop into further sovereign learners for the reason that they ally strongly with responsibilities and an energetic involvement. 

3) Role of rubrics and/or Alternative Assessment within PBL: They endow with a gauge by means of which to conclude the excellence of presentation on the basis of recognized criterion.

4) Holistic rubrics: They have countered to language concert completely. They have further put emphasis on what the students do well.

5) Analytic rubrics: These are alienated into various categories in lieu of special features of show. All categories have special weights. In this way they make available information to the learner in relation to their strong point and limitation of language performance.

6) PBL: It encourages the learners’ to develop into extra independent learners since it make available ways to help learners to expand language skills by conducting meaningful projects and developing a sense of community. PBL motivates learners to learn language for an idea, furnish significance to the learning and creates enthusiasm and inspiration. 

7) WebQuests: It gives self-assurance learners to turn out to be extra self-directed learners to develop problem-solving and decision-making skills. It is attractive and encouraging to teachers and learners for the reason that it consists of a two-way learning module and necessitates learners to go afar, to investigate, use inspiration, serious thinking skills, amalgamation, assessment of information and coming up with ingenious explanation. A WebQuest can put the power of the Web behind the topic, learners work at their own pace, they explore in additional profundity and the unlike ability and intensity in the class.

8) Incorporation of PBL with technology in class: Learners build interviews by means of skype, record an oral testimony and post it on a personal blog, put in order role-plays, observer them and send them, inscribe online interrogate about a topic, short and long term WebQuests. I apply technology and its reimbursement to provide the learners prospect to put into practice the intended language.

I have also tried WebQuest. It is the technology which makes better students wisdom. I would like to share you my WebQuest link "http://zunal.com/webquest.php?w=219971".

Dr. Ashok Kumar,

Deptt. of English Language,

State Council of Educational Research & Training, Uttarakhand, India.

Week - 4 - More On Reading, Writing and Vocabulary Skills

Hi Colleagues,
I went through incredibly motivating and valuable although a few websites and articles on reading, writing and vocabulary and I could use them with my classes and in technology enabled lesson plan. These URL links are :

http://www.childrenslibrary.org/icdl/SearchWorld

http://www.childrenslibrary.org/icdl/BookPreview?bookid=gowgran_01060036&r

oute=asia&lang=English&msg=&ilang=English

http://fog.ccsf.edu/~lfried/grammar/grammar.html

http://fog.ccsf.edu/~lfried/grammar/yesnoquestions2.html

http://fog.ccsf.cc.ca.us/~lfried/call/fillinstory1.html

http://fog.ccsf.edu/~lfried

http://fog.ccsf.edu/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/lfried/quiz.cgi?quiz=noun2

http://fog.ccsf.edu/~lfried/grammar/articlestest.html

http://fog.ccsf.cc.ca.us/~lfried/grammar/NounClausesGoodEnglish.html

http://fog.ccsf.cc.ca.us/~lfried/grammar/goodenglish3.html

http://fog.ccsf.edu/~lfried/grammar/present.html

http://fog.ccsf.cc.ca.us/~lfried/call/fillinstory1.html

http://fog.ccsf.edu/~lfried/grammar/am-is-are.html

http://fog.ccsf.cc.ca.us/~lfried/grammar/goodenglish1.html

http://fog.ccsf.cc.ca.us/~lfried/tests/sanjosegrammartest.html

After exploring different pages I went through various stories, grammar, tense related exercises for children from different ages and classified by topics. I chose various books for children.

My ABCD objectives:   
C: After exploring the various websites" A: Students C: will be able to prepare a lesson plan for pupils D: with an 85% correct sequence of activities and creative exercises.

DR. ASHOK KUMAR