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Back Talking

In all my school’s years I have had a lot of different teachers and classmates, but actually I can’t remember a big back talking situation…

When I was in elementary school, kids only worry for playing and running as much as possible; in secondary school I was the “god student” type so I had a kind of control in my classroom, I was something like the intermediary between my teachers and my classmates; my high school was private, discipline there was strict and teachers used to send you to the principal’s office if you do (or say) something that upset them; and well, in the university you always find the person who always is complaining for something (most of the times without a reason) some teachers just ignored the situation –like my classmates and me done it- and some others tried to solve the situation with any god result.

In the other hand, in my last course, I had a teacher whom was extremely rude, He always was back talking about everything that we (their students) opine or answer in class. His justification was “Only in this way I will make you use your brains” Sincerely He never made me “use my brain” And I think that his concept of discipline is twisted, my classmates and me never want to talk or participle in classes because we were afraid of him and his constant lack of respect.

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Bloom’s Taxonomy Activity

Bloom’s Taxonomy Activity

 

Level: Elementary

Learners: Children

Book: BackPack 2 – Mario Herrera & Diane Pinkley 2005

Unit 6 Every Day

After watch the video a couple of times, students will:

 

  • 1. Recalling: List all the activities that they remember from the video.
  • 2. Understanding: (in couples) Explain what other activities they do during the day.
  • 3. Applying: Choose 3 of their daily activities and illustrate clocks which mark the time when they do each one.
  • 4. Analyzing: (in groups of 4) compare the time and activities of every one.
  • 5. Evaluating: Formulate 5 sentences about their daily activities, including the time.
  • 6. Creating: Plan and write their perfect day, relating activities and time.
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Bloom’s Taxonomy Reflection

Module 2 = Lesson Planning

Before I got crazy with the lesson planning, I was reading a lot about Bloom’s Taxonomy, and I have to admit that at first it was hard for me to understand it…

“Bloom’s Taxonomy was created in 1956 under the leadership of educational psychologist Dr Benjamin Bloom in order to promote higher forms of thinking in education, such as analyzing and evaluating, rather than just remembering facts”

 

I know, I know, it was created many years ago, but recently it was adapted to our modern reality.  

I think that Bloom’s Taxonomy provides to the teachers an amazing tool that guides them among the learning process; as a teacher one of the most difficult experiences is self-evaluation. Are you transmitting to students your knowledge? Are your students learning enough? Are you using the correct techniques? To know in what point between the knowledge and understanding your students are, let you know in what areas you need to focus on and work harder, besides Bloom’s taxonomy refers to specific activities which make easier pass through the six levels. And in my opinion Bloom’s taxonomy helps you with your lesson plans for the same reason.

 

In conclusion, it isn’t what you teach; it is how you teach it! 😉

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Thoughts & Ideas

After a unique class I learned the importance of motivation and it necessity in the different kind of learning.

About the 3 types of classes:

a)     Distance Education: Which is possible through the internet and some tools like the e-mails or blogs J

b)    Blended Classes: A combination between a) and c). Personally my favorite, because students can work for their self but teacher is there too for guide them.  

c)     Face to face Classes: The typical prototype of class, where the teacher and students are in the same room working and learning.

 

Finally, motivation is the key for the teaching – learning circle, so as a teacher you must to know how and when use it.

 

And here is my DIY Veen Diagram

Image 

 

 

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wam5PscoSjU&list=UUnMrpuHjtAZxdDrwTRuSX1Q

 

 

If you are here, let me a comment! 🙂 

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Working (not) hard (enough)… II

Homework for the last week

A)  Graphic Organizers

 Are communication tools that uses visual symbols to express knowledge, concepts, thoughts, or ideas, and the relationships between them.

 

 

I found this OG particularly lovely and is perfect like a post reading activity.

 

diagram thumbnail

This one could be useful for teaching the base words, prefixes, suffices and compounds.

 

Tree diagram thumbnail

And finally, this could be an excellent extension activity, at the end of a unit or important lesson.

You can find all of them (and more) at

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/graphicorganizers/

 

B) Literate Circles

According to Harvey Daniels, literature circles are small, temporary discussion groups of students who have chosen to read the same work of literature. Each member agrees to take specific responsibilities during discussion sessions. The circles meet regularly, and the discussion roles change at each meeting. When the circle finishes a book, the members decide on a way to showcase their literary work for the rest of the class.

http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr259.shtml

 

Something important to say before I share my lesson plan is that I would like to work with young learners, so literature circles would be an amazing tool for me, because the kids would be developing more than one skill at the same time.

I chose the lesson #4 “My Town”

At first I would give the children a definition of what a Town is.

As pre-reading activities

-They have to drawn, individually, a place of the town that they know.

-They will get a number and will form a literate circle

As during reading activities

-If the place that they had drawn it’s mentioned in the reading, they will explain to their classmates why they drawn it.

-They have to make notes about places mentioned in the reading that they find interesting.

Post reading activities

-Still in literature circles, they have to write down the main ideas of the reading.

-The kids have to change of group, and will share their group ideas, with the new group.

-Undone the literature circles, they will give clues to their classmates, and they will try to guess where the place, that they had drawn, is.

And to finish the class I will give them a resume and explanation of what and why they have done the activities. 

 

And I think that finally I finish my homework! Wuuu! 

 

Be nice and leave me a comment 🙂

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Working (not) hard (enough)…

Well, these are my Pending Activities

 

A) Answering to the TKT post of March 24

 

After look the presentation I’d learn the importance of eliciting, I mean as student you usually think than teachers have to know everything, but now I think that it’s important to students show that they can teach each other themselves

Personally I found lovely the use of word bags watched in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8FOGIkzJJ4

 

I recommend this tool because I found it easy and useful,  I would use it a little bit different, like for example put all the words of the glossary and their meanings too in the bag, so children would interactive between them looking for the word (or the meaning) of their card.

 

B) I didn’t finish my homework last weekend and I feel very ashamed for it, I tried, but I’m a complete disaster with the online games… Whatever, finally I can make a very modest couple of games, the matching game is for Unit 2 and the crossword is for the Unit 3

 

http://www.puzzlefast.com/en/puzzles/20130419289556

 

http://www.puzzlefast.com/en/puzzles/20130419729989

 

So this is it! If you are reading this, please, leave me a comment 🙂

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Busy like a preposition

I know, I know… My blog had been terribly abandoned and I have not excuse. But in my free weeks I only wanted to enjoy my family and my last vacations, just in case that you want to know I almost finish my university education and in the next months it suppose that I have to get my degree, a job, and get a place in the master’s introducing course, yes I still don’t have idea of how I would do it…

Well let me see, I should have written a note after my last class, if I’m sincere, I felt a little bit lost in my last class, in the meeting that my group had and with all the homework that it should be done a week ago, I mean, I feel like when I was a kid with no classes in the elementary school, and my father had to take me with him to his school. My father was a secondary school teacher and when I came to his class with him I had no idea of what was he talking about, and that is a very, veery sad and shameful feeling.

Whatever I still have some hours before my next class so work hard mode ON!!

Found it in

http://www.google.com.mx/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=busy+prepositions&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=SCOzRa3uMKxnJM&tbnid=ag0KDC7o02CciM:&ved=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpinterest.com%2Fsheleeb%2Fteaching-ela-prepositions%2F&ei=eJ5oUbqkNori2AXTpYHoDw&bvm=bv.45175338,d.b2I&psig=AFQjCNHTTwtzQCYjuskaUV6wJbC63tIVmA&ust=1365897209348748

By the way, you should watch the video, to know what I’m talking about! 😉

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaMVejZshE8