How do you know what to believe on the internet? How do you tell fact from opinion from pure b.s.?
There are three questions to ask:
1. What is this speaker or writer saying that helps me to answer my research question?
2. How is this person qualified to speak to this topic?
3. What is this person's motivation for speaking to this topic?
Most students find it easy enough to answer the first question. The second isn't hard either, but probably requires a google search at the very least.
The third is tricky because it speaks to different kinds of motivation. Is this person being paid to say what they're saying? Most likely, yes. Does that invalidate what they say? It depends. What other motivations might they have for wanting to speak or write about this topic?
There are two kinds of motivation commonly referred to in the literature which often overlap, enhance or even undermine each other: extrinsic motivation which usually means external rewards such as money or prestige, and intrinsic motivation which usually refers to the idea of doing something "for fun". For example, I'm paid to write this blog in the sense that I work for a salary at the university and part of my job is to do research and this is one way in which I carry out that mandate. That doesn't mean that I "do this for the money" (which honestly isn't all that great). I also have intrinsic motivation in that I'm genuinely interested in what I write about and enjoy sharing it.
Why am I interested in the topics I write about on this blog? Well, if I were to probe, I'd have to say it's because I teach and I hate staring at a classful of bored students, so it's in my interest to learn about motivation and what causes or undermines it.
A researcher can't always find out all of this psychological information about a writer or a speaker online, but what they can do is eliminate any possible sources of unethical bias. In my previous post about the Kuwaiti girl who started the first Iraq war by spreading the story of the incubator babies killed by Iraqi soldiers, it's essential to understand that as the daughter of the Kuwaiti ambassador to the U.S., she obviously had a vested interest in spreading the lie.
When you read my blog, on the other hand, you can see that even if some of my information is unclear or misguided, I have no vested interest in deliberately lying.
Or do I?
martes, 29 de abril de 2014
Interview: a player describes gaming
In a game, says S (a male), I always play a helper: my avatar is usually female and I support the main attacker.
Why?
I want to help people, but in the real world it's tough: sometimes you end up saying or doing the wrong thing. In the game world, you always know how to help and what to do. No-one questions your motivations for helping either because everyone has the same goal and different, well-delineated roles to achive it. In the real world, you can't just offer to help because everyone is suspicious of your motivations. There's no such thing as team-work in the real world. That's why I play games.
Why?
I want to help people, but in the real world it's tough: sometimes you end up saying or doing the wrong thing. In the game world, you always know how to help and what to do. No-one questions your motivations for helping either because everyone has the same goal and different, well-delineated roles to achive it. In the real world, you can't just offer to help because everyone is suspicious of your motivations. There's no such thing as team-work in the real world. That's why I play games.
lunes, 28 de abril de 2014
Lesson plan: descriptive essay writing
In the following essay, the students learn to write essays describing people. There are many ways to do this of course, and all include both a physical as well as a character description. However, the character description can be quite creative. One idea is to "show, don’t tell", i.e: instead of writing "She is generous", the writer could give an example such as "She always keeps an extra orange in her purse to give to street children". Another, as we will see in this example, could be to describe the person as other people see them, followed by a description of how they really are.
A) Look up Ritalin on Wikipedia. What is it used for? What are some of the risks and side effects? Would you accept such a medication being given to your own children?
B) Watch the following video about children on Ritalin and answer the following questions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie9Iu-kLxd4
Why do they take Ritalin?
What happens if they don’t take it?
How do they feel when they are on Ritalin?
How do they feel when they aren’t on Ritalin?
In your journal, comment on the video.
When they aren’t on Ritalin they say they "take in so much more information, that life’s so much greater and more interesting"
C) Before watching the video again, write a short physical description of each of the boys in the video, including the way they sit, talk etc. Compare it with your partner. Then watch the video again to check. Add any missing details to your final draft.
D) Write a description of how the boys feel when they are on Ritalin, then when they are off it. You may write your description from either their own point of view or from their teachers’ point of view. Read your classmates descriptions: who wrote from the boys’ viewpoint and who wrote from the teachers’. What are the similarities and differences?
E) Now write a complete descriptive essay about yourself from your teacher’s point of view. Include a paragraph on your physical appearance (including the way you sit, talk etc.) and one on your character (including your behavior). Give your essay to your teacher. Does she agree with it? Do you agree with this way of seeing yourself? In your journal, explain any differences between the way you perceive yourself and the way your teacher perceives you. You can share it with your teacher if you like.
EXPLANATION OF METHODLOGY
A) The students may have to look up ADHD or ADD as well because Ritalin is a drug taken to manage these conditions. They may want to look at medical websites such as www.webmd.com or www.mayoclinic.com. Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is characterized by "ADHD includes some combination of problems, such as difficulty sustaining attention, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior." (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/adhd/DS00275)
B) They take Ritalin because they’ve been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD.
If they don’t take it they say they feel more "like themselves" but their teachers refuse to let them into class because they say they will disturb the other students.
When the boys are on Ritalin they feel like "it focuses everything to such a fine point nothing’s fun anymore and you’re not the same person that you were."
C) It would be interesting to note what sort of vocabulary comes up during this task. You could then review it over the next few classes as a warmer by describing a physical description and having them position their bodies accordingly. This could also be done in pairs.
D) The weaker students may choose to write from the boys’ point of view because that’s easier since it’s what they heard, so perhaps the teacher could encourage stronger students to write from the boys’ teachers’ perspectives.
E) Seeing oneself from someone else’s perspective is a form of self-awareness and one of the things that distinguishes humans from animals (as far as we know, animals do not have self-awareness). Not everyone can do this accurately. By the same token, many people wrongly imagine how they are seen by others. This is an essential trait no matter what career you pursue. At school, for example, the best teachers demonstrate an awareness of how they are seen by the students. Ask the students to consider how understanding how others perceive you can be useful in other careers too.
A) Look up Ritalin on Wikipedia. What is it used for? What are some of the risks and side effects? Would you accept such a medication being given to your own children?
B) Watch the following video about children on Ritalin and answer the following questions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie9Iu-kLxd4
Why do they take Ritalin?
What happens if they don’t take it?
How do they feel when they are on Ritalin?
How do they feel when they aren’t on Ritalin?
In your journal, comment on the video.
When they aren’t on Ritalin they say they "take in so much more information, that life’s so much greater and more interesting"
C) Before watching the video again, write a short physical description of each of the boys in the video, including the way they sit, talk etc. Compare it with your partner. Then watch the video again to check. Add any missing details to your final draft.
D) Write a description of how the boys feel when they are on Ritalin, then when they are off it. You may write your description from either their own point of view or from their teachers’ point of view. Read your classmates descriptions: who wrote from the boys’ viewpoint and who wrote from the teachers’. What are the similarities and differences?
E) Now write a complete descriptive essay about yourself from your teacher’s point of view. Include a paragraph on your physical appearance (including the way you sit, talk etc.) and one on your character (including your behavior). Give your essay to your teacher. Does she agree with it? Do you agree with this way of seeing yourself? In your journal, explain any differences between the way you perceive yourself and the way your teacher perceives you. You can share it with your teacher if you like.
EXPLANATION OF METHODLOGY
A) The students may have to look up ADHD or ADD as well because Ritalin is a drug taken to manage these conditions. They may want to look at medical websites such as www.webmd.com or www.mayoclinic.com. Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is characterized by "ADHD includes some combination of problems, such as difficulty sustaining attention, hyperactivity and impulsive behavior." (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/adhd/DS00275)
B) They take Ritalin because they’ve been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD.
If they don’t take it they say they feel more "like themselves" but their teachers refuse to let them into class because they say they will disturb the other students.
When the boys are on Ritalin they feel like "it focuses everything to such a fine point nothing’s fun anymore and you’re not the same person that you were."
C) It would be interesting to note what sort of vocabulary comes up during this task. You could then review it over the next few classes as a warmer by describing a physical description and having them position their bodies accordingly. This could also be done in pairs.
D) The weaker students may choose to write from the boys’ point of view because that’s easier since it’s what they heard, so perhaps the teacher could encourage stronger students to write from the boys’ teachers’ perspectives.
E) Seeing oneself from someone else’s perspective is a form of self-awareness and one of the things that distinguishes humans from animals (as far as we know, animals do not have self-awareness). Not everyone can do this accurately. By the same token, many people wrongly imagine how they are seen by others. This is an essential trait no matter what career you pursue. At school, for example, the best teachers demonstrate an awareness of how they are seen by the students. Ask the students to consider how understanding how others perceive you can be useful in other careers too.
viernes, 25 de abril de 2014
linguistics or no linguistics?
In our English teaching degree, as in everyone else's in Ecuador, we give two main axis of instruction: language/linguisitics and teaching methdology.
Why does an English teacher need courses in linguistics? And how technical should these courses be?
Let's take phonology, for example. At a minimum, it's worth knowing how to read the pronunciation of an unfamiliar word using the phonemic alphabet in the dictionary. You'd need to understand the idea of syllables and how word stress works. You'd need to learn the conept of how meaning is transmitted through intonation and how intonation works differently in different languages.
In morphology, it's useful to understand how words can be built from roots and affixes, again, so you can deconstruct a new word. In English, we don't have much in the way of inflections, but because we have fairly inflexible word order we do need to know the few that we have.
Semantics, pragmatics and discourse are, for many teachers who are used to studying language according to rules of grammar and syntax, a completely new way of seeing language. It's useful to see how words and even entire phrases are often completely context-dependent for their meaning. Conversely, it's interesting to note how we don't apply rules of grammar per se, but rather choose the grammar point that best fits the meaning we are trying to convey.
In teaching, you have to know whereof you speak, and knowing the English language isn't enough: you need to understand the magic of language to teach it effectively!
Why does an English teacher need courses in linguistics? And how technical should these courses be?
Let's take phonology, for example. At a minimum, it's worth knowing how to read the pronunciation of an unfamiliar word using the phonemic alphabet in the dictionary. You'd need to understand the idea of syllables and how word stress works. You'd need to learn the conept of how meaning is transmitted through intonation and how intonation works differently in different languages.
In morphology, it's useful to understand how words can be built from roots and affixes, again, so you can deconstruct a new word. In English, we don't have much in the way of inflections, but because we have fairly inflexible word order we do need to know the few that we have.
Semantics, pragmatics and discourse are, for many teachers who are used to studying language according to rules of grammar and syntax, a completely new way of seeing language. It's useful to see how words and even entire phrases are often completely context-dependent for their meaning. Conversely, it's interesting to note how we don't apply rules of grammar per se, but rather choose the grammar point that best fits the meaning we are trying to convey.
In teaching, you have to know whereof you speak, and knowing the English language isn't enough: you need to understand the magic of language to teach it effectively!
miércoles, 16 de abril de 2014
How to make your students feel loved
When I was a kid in 4th grade we had this old Hebrew teacher. I think he was a Holocaust survivor; he was a terrible teacher, but the school just didn't have the heart to fire the guy. Every day he sent us 4 questions to answer in our workbook in full sentences like they used to do back then (as in: Yes, Moses went up the hill to get the commandments.) Well, I thought that was pretty stupid, and also really boring, so I made a point of always answering exactly 3 out of the four questions. Always. Exactly. 3 out of 4. He never noticed. When he called on me to answer the one I hadn't done, I just said I hadn't understood it. When my parents came for the parent-teacher meeting, he told them, "Sometimes Chaya (me) doesn't complete her homework." SOMETIMES?!? wtf!?! The guy just never knew how much went on under his nose. We girls especially passed mountains of notes to each other (no cellphones back then!) and he caught me exactly twice. On the same day. You know what he did? He wrote my name on the board. And the second time? He put an X next to my name. Oooh.
I believe in keeping discipline in my class, but not for the reasons you'd expect. For me it's about showing I notice, showing I care.
This is an important idea. I'm not out to punish or shame, but if I'm aware of when someone in my class isn't on task, then I'm also aware of when they are on task and having trouble. It's possible to be aware of the former but not the latter of course, but it's almost impossible to be aware of the latter and not the former.
So how to let them know that I'm aware? Nagging is just annoying. "How come you're not working?" "Don't speak Spanish!" etc. is irritating in the extreme and bound to produce the opposite effect once your back is turned. A simple "How's it going here?" is much more effective. Especially if you make a point of walking aorund the room while the students are working and asking everyone periodically and individually; not just the ones who are misbehaving, but everyone.
Have you ever had a teacher who asked you that?
I believe in keeping discipline in my class, but not for the reasons you'd expect. For me it's about showing I notice, showing I care.
This is an important idea. I'm not out to punish or shame, but if I'm aware of when someone in my class isn't on task, then I'm also aware of when they are on task and having trouble. It's possible to be aware of the former but not the latter of course, but it's almost impossible to be aware of the latter and not the former.
So how to let them know that I'm aware? Nagging is just annoying. "How come you're not working?" "Don't speak Spanish!" etc. is irritating in the extreme and bound to produce the opposite effect once your back is turned. A simple "How's it going here?" is much more effective. Especially if you make a point of walking aorund the room while the students are working and asking everyone periodically and individually; not just the ones who are misbehaving, but everyone.
Have you ever had a teacher who asked you that?
lunes, 14 de abril de 2014
Lesson plan: Global poverty and double comparatives
Start by playing the song "Cardboard Box City" by The Levellers (you can find it at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfWtmCpByYc) and make sure they can read the lyrics. Ask: What is a cardboard box city?
Ask students if they have ever donated their own time or money to help the poor.
Tell the students about the two following economic theorists and ask them to position themselves on an imaginary line closest to whichever one they agree with most (they can stand in the middle if they wish). Obviously this is somewhat of a simplification, but in a nutshell:
The poorer they are the hungrier they are so the more money they get the more they will spend on calories. F
The heavier the subsidy on rice the more they buy. F
The better a child is fed the more he will earn as an adult. T
The poorer they are the less they spend on weddings and funerals. F
The cheaper the medicine the more likely people are to take it. F
The poorer the country the more likely people are to get malaria. Unknown
The poorer the patient the more likely she is to go to a private doctor. T
The less qualified the doctor the more likely he is to prescribe medicine. T
The more people believe in shaman medicine the less they believe in conventional medicine. F
The more children they have the more likely only the oldest will go to school. f, brightest
The more you go to school the more you will learn. F
The poorer the parents the less likely the children will go to school. T
The lower the child's self esteem the less well he will do in school. T
The better trained the teachers are the better the education they will provide. F
The more teenage girls are educated about HIV the less likely they are to have sex. T
The more school uniforms are given out for free the fewer the number of teenage pregnancies. T
The more telenovelas women watch the fewer children they will have. T
The easier the access to contraceptives, the lower the fertility rate. F
Note: this information is a simplification of the findings from "Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty" by Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo
Ask students if they have ever donated their own time or money to help the poor.
Tell the students about the two following economic theorists and ask them to position themselves on an imaginary line closest to whichever one they agree with most (they can stand in the middle if they wish). Obviously this is somewhat of a simplification, but in a nutshell:
- Jefferey Sachs points out that solutions to extereme poverty are inexpensive and easy. For example, a mosquito net is only a few dollars yet can prevent malaria and dengue; vitamin A pills are relatively easy to administer and cost very little and can prevent blindness in a child. So why don't we all contribute a few dollars and eradicate poverty?
- William Easterly says that we throw loads of money at the poor and yet they're still poor. So why do we all keep giving money?
The poorer they are the hungrier they are so the more money they get the more they will spend on calories. F
The heavier the subsidy on rice the more they buy. F
The better a child is fed the more he will earn as an adult. T
The poorer they are the less they spend on weddings and funerals. F
The cheaper the medicine the more likely people are to take it. F
The poorer the country the more likely people are to get malaria. Unknown
The poorer the patient the more likely she is to go to a private doctor. T
The less qualified the doctor the more likely he is to prescribe medicine. T
The more people believe in shaman medicine the less they believe in conventional medicine. F
The more children they have the more likely only the oldest will go to school. f, brightest
The more you go to school the more you will learn. F
The poorer the parents the less likely the children will go to school. T
The lower the child's self esteem the less well he will do in school. T
The better trained the teachers are the better the education they will provide. F
The more teenage girls are educated about HIV the less likely they are to have sex. T
The more school uniforms are given out for free the fewer the number of teenage pregnancies. T
The more telenovelas women watch the fewer children they will have. T
The easier the access to contraceptives, the lower the fertility rate. F
Note: this information is a simplification of the findings from "Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty" by Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo
viernes, 11 de abril de 2014
Autonomy vs "tough love"
I teach at a university. I tell my students they have a deadline , so for example now it's April 11 and they have until May 12 to complete all of the assigments (why May 12th? It's the deadline set by the university). A lot of the teachers are trying to do that, but last time alot of the students didn't complete everything by deadline, so they figure it's kinder to put lots of shorter deadlines.
Their argument: It's cruel not to help. At the very least, we should be on top of them and show concern if they appear to be wasting their time.
My argument: What gives us the right to decide how to "help"? Or to say who is "wasting" their time. (Clearly the definition of "wasting time" is not using your time they way I think you should.)The students could do what most adults do which is to calendar in mini-deadlines for themselves. Or not. Shouldn't that be up to them? We should obviously check in with them to see if they need help with anything, because that's our job as teacher, but does that have to include checking to see if they're doing what we think they should be doing?
Who's right? and Why?
Their argument: It's cruel not to help. At the very least, we should be on top of them and show concern if they appear to be wasting their time.
My argument: What gives us the right to decide how to "help"? Or to say who is "wasting" their time. (Clearly the definition of "wasting time" is not using your time they way I think you should.)The students could do what most adults do which is to calendar in mini-deadlines for themselves. Or not. Shouldn't that be up to them? We should obviously check in with them to see if they need help with anything, because that's our job as teacher, but does that have to include checking to see if they're doing what we think they should be doing?
Who's right? and Why?
martes, 8 de abril de 2014
How NOT to give instructions
DON'T
- speak too fast
- give more than one instruction at a time (first you're going to..., then when you finish that you'll need to..., but make sure you've...)
- call on individuals to repeat the instructions
- ask "what do you have to do"?
- ask "do you understand?"
- assume that if students are not following instructions taht they're lazy or stupid
How not to play God in class
A student is messing around for the whole lesson. Surprise, surprise, he doesn't finish his assignments and he wants more time.
Another student works really hard on her assignment but can't quite finish on time. She wants an extension too.
Would would you give the extension to? Why?
My guess is you would base your decision on who you think made the most effort.
Next question: what gives you the right to judge effort? Who made you judge, jury and executioner? Who, in other words, made you God?
What if we decide to be honest with the first kid: "Paul, I don't think you deserve an extension because I think you wasted your time. However, if you disagree, write me a letter telling me why you think you should have the extension."
In the end, it's still the teacher's decision. However, higher purposes have been achieved: Does the teacher have the courage to allow a student's argument to sway her? Does the student have the ability to argue his point rationally? Does the student realise what he is asking for? Do both have the ability to admit they can be wrong?
Another student works really hard on her assignment but can't quite finish on time. She wants an extension too.
Would would you give the extension to? Why?
My guess is you would base your decision on who you think made the most effort.
Next question: what gives you the right to judge effort? Who made you judge, jury and executioner? Who, in other words, made you God?
What if we decide to be honest with the first kid: "Paul, I don't think you deserve an extension because I think you wasted your time. However, if you disagree, write me a letter telling me why you think you should have the extension."
In the end, it's still the teacher's decision. However, higher purposes have been achieved: Does the teacher have the courage to allow a student's argument to sway her? Does the student have the ability to argue his point rationally? Does the student realise what he is asking for? Do both have the ability to admit they can be wrong?
The adversarial relationship
My husband tells this story of how he and his cousins pitted themselves against his uncles.
"My grandmother used to invite all of us to help pick the corn in her field in Cayambe. Corn grows tall enough to hide a kid, so of course as soon as we went out into the field, we kids took off. Well one day My Uncle Honorio got mad about that. He chased after us brandishing his belt like a whip yelling that we were gonna be in big trouble. We thought this was funny, so we waited till he got close enough to make the chase fun and then we started running. each of us managed to dive into the bush at the crucial moment, but Gustavo didn't. He tore off down the hill with Uncle Honorio in full pursuit. Then seeing how close his uncle was, he simply stopped short. Uncle Honorio barrelled past him, tripped and went rolling down the hill."
This is a story of adversarial conflict at its best. Notice how genuinely furious the adult was. Notice how the kids thought this was a big game. Notcie how getting beaten would have been a punishment, not for the crime of running off, but for simply being stupid enough to get caught.
Maybe this is just what childhood is about: kids sneaking off and taunting the adults. It doesn't make for a very productive relationship. In class, if I turn to help a student and the kids behind me begin to slack off, there's something wrong: they're rebelling against me but damaging themselves.
We don't want kids who follow orders. We don't even want kids who internalise orders and do what they're "supposed to" without being told. What we want is kids who do the right thing because they realise it's right. The problem is as long as they're reacting to us, they're not acting in their own interests.
This, more than anything, is why we need to cut down as much as possible on adversarial situtauions in class. If I want them to speak English instead of Spanish in my class, I can enforce that by taking off points, giving stars etc...but that would turn me into a full-time cop and it wouldn't teach them anything.
What's the alternative? I don't know...but I don't have to know. It's not for me to solve their problems or make their decisions for them. I'm not God.
"My grandmother used to invite all of us to help pick the corn in her field in Cayambe. Corn grows tall enough to hide a kid, so of course as soon as we went out into the field, we kids took off. Well one day My Uncle Honorio got mad about that. He chased after us brandishing his belt like a whip yelling that we were gonna be in big trouble. We thought this was funny, so we waited till he got close enough to make the chase fun and then we started running. each of us managed to dive into the bush at the crucial moment, but Gustavo didn't. He tore off down the hill with Uncle Honorio in full pursuit. Then seeing how close his uncle was, he simply stopped short. Uncle Honorio barrelled past him, tripped and went rolling down the hill."
This is a story of adversarial conflict at its best. Notice how genuinely furious the adult was. Notice how the kids thought this was a big game. Notcie how getting beaten would have been a punishment, not for the crime of running off, but for simply being stupid enough to get caught.
Maybe this is just what childhood is about: kids sneaking off and taunting the adults. It doesn't make for a very productive relationship. In class, if I turn to help a student and the kids behind me begin to slack off, there's something wrong: they're rebelling against me but damaging themselves.
We don't want kids who follow orders. We don't even want kids who internalise orders and do what they're "supposed to" without being told. What we want is kids who do the right thing because they realise it's right. The problem is as long as they're reacting to us, they're not acting in their own interests.
This, more than anything, is why we need to cut down as much as possible on adversarial situtauions in class. If I want them to speak English instead of Spanish in my class, I can enforce that by taking off points, giving stars etc...but that would turn me into a full-time cop and it wouldn't teach them anything.
What's the alternative? I don't know...but I don't have to know. It's not for me to solve their problems or make their decisions for them. I'm not God.
lunes, 7 de abril de 2014
how to do research
"What is research?" I asked my students.
"A search for facts!" they shouted, pleased to know the answer.
"No!" I said, shattering their hopes for an easy A. "You search for facts on Google. Research isn't about finding answers, it's about asking questions. It's about taking knowledge that exists, playing with it through experiments, interviews etc, and finding ways to apply it to what you want to know.
I set the students to come up with a research question by giving them one card from each of the following columns:
They were allowed to swap cards for a while, but by the end they had to use the cards to come up with a research question so they could use the class next door as guinea pigs.
Interestingly, no-one chose experiment as a method. They seemed more comfortable using questions. This led to another problem: being aware of the difference between an overarching research question and individual questions to put on a survey or to ask in an interview. The latter have to lead to an answer to the research question.
The other problem is when you use big words in your questions, you need to define them, or at least have your research "subjects" define them. For example, Is it important to have fun in an English class? begs the question What does "fun" mean in the context of an English class? Or Is English important for global communication? requires a definition of "communication".
All in all, some very interesting questions came up. This week my students will be unleashed on the class next door...wish them luck!
"A search for facts!" they shouted, pleased to know the answer.
"No!" I said, shattering their hopes for an easy A. "You search for facts on Google. Research isn't about finding answers, it's about asking questions. It's about taking knowledge that exists, playing with it through experiments, interviews etc, and finding ways to apply it to what you want to know.
I set the students to come up with a research question by giving them one card from each of the following columns:
Learning English
|
truth&lies (unit 2)
|
survey
|
English for communication
|
success (unit 3)
|
interviews
|
Global English
|
experiment
|
They were allowed to swap cards for a while, but by the end they had to use the cards to come up with a research question so they could use the class next door as guinea pigs.
Interestingly, no-one chose experiment as a method. They seemed more comfortable using questions. This led to another problem: being aware of the difference between an overarching research question and individual questions to put on a survey or to ask in an interview. The latter have to lead to an answer to the research question.
The other problem is when you use big words in your questions, you need to define them, or at least have your research "subjects" define them. For example, Is it important to have fun in an English class? begs the question What does "fun" mean in the context of an English class? Or Is English important for global communication? requires a definition of "communication".
All in all, some very interesting questions came up. This week my students will be unleashed on the class next door...wish them luck!
unconditional parenting
I spent the weekend re-reading Alfie Kohn's "Unconditional Parenting: Moving from Rewards and Punishments to Love and Reason".
He's adamantly against rewards and punishments for a wide variety of reasons, but perhaps the key is when teachers or parents reward or punish students, we take away their sense of autonomy: did the child do/not do something because he or she reasoned that this was the best way to act, or was it just desire for the reward or fear of punishment?
Think about a beautiful woman: is her boyfriend with her because he loves her or is she just arm candy? How will she ever know unless through age, disease or accident, she loses her looks? People who see the couple might think he's only with her for her looks. What about the boyfriend: does he know what his true feelings are?
That's the problem: it's not just that other people, teachers, parents, outsiders don't know what motivated the behaviour, it's that the child herself doesn't know either! Did Mary give Tom half her cookie because she likes to think of herself as a generous person, because she noticed Tom was hungry, or because the teacher gives out gold stars to kids who share? It may seem like the question doesn't matter as long as Mary does share her cookie, but unless we know the underlying reasons for the behaviour, we will never know exactly what kind of person Mary is...and neither will she!
He's adamantly against rewards and punishments for a wide variety of reasons, but perhaps the key is when teachers or parents reward or punish students, we take away their sense of autonomy: did the child do/not do something because he or she reasoned that this was the best way to act, or was it just desire for the reward or fear of punishment?
Think about a beautiful woman: is her boyfriend with her because he loves her or is she just arm candy? How will she ever know unless through age, disease or accident, she loses her looks? People who see the couple might think he's only with her for her looks. What about the boyfriend: does he know what his true feelings are?
That's the problem: it's not just that other people, teachers, parents, outsiders don't know what motivated the behaviour, it's that the child herself doesn't know either! Did Mary give Tom half her cookie because she likes to think of herself as a generous person, because she noticed Tom was hungry, or because the teacher gives out gold stars to kids who share? It may seem like the question doesn't matter as long as Mary does share her cookie, but unless we know the underlying reasons for the behaviour, we will never know exactly what kind of person Mary is...and neither will she!
viernes, 4 de abril de 2014
influence of the teacher
How much influence does a teacher have on student motivation? Does our attitude make a difference to how the students feel about the class?
If it does, then we need to take a serious look at ourselves:
If what we don't enjoy is the work itself, the planning, the explaining, the correcting, then maybe we need to reconsider the tasks we assign. If they're no fun for us, they won't be fun for the learners.
If what we don't enjoy is the arguments with students ("Why aren't you working?", "Stop speaking Spanish!", "Pay attention!") then maybe we need to rethink our class dynamics. This means recognising exactly how much power one human being can have over another: we can't force students to pay attention, and we can't force them to learn. The best we can do is inspire them.
Are you an inspiration to your students?
If it does, then we need to take a serious look at ourselves:
- Do I really enjoy my students or am I secretly afraid of them?
- Do I focus on what they write and say or just on how they say it? In other words, do I get so focussed on correcting their English that I don't enjoy reading their work?
- If I don't really enjoy reading their work, is there any way I could modify or change the assignment to make it more fun for myself?
- Do I enjoy myself when I teach?
If what we don't enjoy is the work itself, the planning, the explaining, the correcting, then maybe we need to reconsider the tasks we assign. If they're no fun for us, they won't be fun for the learners.
If what we don't enjoy is the arguments with students ("Why aren't you working?", "Stop speaking Spanish!", "Pay attention!") then maybe we need to rethink our class dynamics. This means recognising exactly how much power one human being can have over another: we can't force students to pay attention, and we can't force them to learn. The best we can do is inspire them.
Are you an inspiration to your students?
Motivating learners using self-determination theory
My article was published in Colloquia by Universidad de los Hemisferios: http://www.uhemisferios.edu.ec/colloquia/index.php/colloquia/article/view/6
miércoles, 2 de abril de 2014
Dos and don'ts for EFL speaking tasks
DOs:
Always make sure that the listener is required to do something with the information they are getting.
"Tell your partner about your favourite foods" means the listener doesn't have to do anything, but "find 3 foods you both like" means that each student has to understand, analyse and evaluate what the other person has said.
If a student is presenting at the front, the rest of the class will misbehave or fail to pay attention unless they are required to make use of the information in some way such as answering questions or even making a list of "surprising things I heard".
Always make sure the task has a clear and tangible end point.
In a task like "find 3 foods you both like" the end point is when the pair has 3 items on their list which they can then show to the teacher as proof.
The best forms of proof are written or drawn in the form of lists, posters, mindmaps...anything you can show afterwards as a result of your work.
Try to make the task repetitive.
The more students get to practice the better. The tragedy of oral presentations is that you get to do it once and for better or worse, that's it. That's why it works better to have mingling activities. For example "how many people did the same things you did last weekend?" means that students get to tell others about their weekend several times.
DON'Ts:
Don't interrupt to correct language mistakes that don't interfere with meaning.
There's nothing more discouraging than having every word corrected as soon as it's out of your mouth.
Always make sure that the listener is required to do something with the information they are getting.
"Tell your partner about your favourite foods" means the listener doesn't have to do anything, but "find 3 foods you both like" means that each student has to understand, analyse and evaluate what the other person has said.
If a student is presenting at the front, the rest of the class will misbehave or fail to pay attention unless they are required to make use of the information in some way such as answering questions or even making a list of "surprising things I heard".
Always make sure the task has a clear and tangible end point.
In a task like "find 3 foods you both like" the end point is when the pair has 3 items on their list which they can then show to the teacher as proof.
The best forms of proof are written or drawn in the form of lists, posters, mindmaps...anything you can show afterwards as a result of your work.
Try to make the task repetitive.
The more students get to practice the better. The tragedy of oral presentations is that you get to do it once and for better or worse, that's it. That's why it works better to have mingling activities. For example "how many people did the same things you did last weekend?" means that students get to tell others about their weekend several times.
DON'Ts:
Don't interrupt to correct language mistakes that don't interfere with meaning.
There's nothing more discouraging than having every word corrected as soon as it's out of your mouth.
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