Course 3: Script for bored grammar student

Course 3: Script for bored grammar student
Me: What do you find boring about the grammar lessons?
Student: I don't like having to do exercises that repeat. Why do I have to fill in the correct verbs that go in the sentences?
Me: Grammar may not be the most interesting topic, but like math, you need to try to learn some information by repetition for it to stick in your head. For example, you learned that 8x6=48 by memorizing it. You had to repeat exercises with that equation, write it, and receive feedback on it so that it stuck in your head. A lot of grammar rules are the same.
St: But I can do it on paper, then I forget how to speak. I studied this for years and just want to speak English.
Me: You are speaking English, but you not only want to speak English fluently, but accurately. It's like typing. Do you know how to type?
St: yes
Me: O.K, if you just type quickly, but made lots of mistakes would yo be understood?
St: No.
Me: If you just typed with perfect accuracy, with no mistakes, but you typed very slowly, would it be good?
St: No.
Me: So you need to learn how to do both. Learning grammar will help you speak fluently and accurately..
St. What do you mean?
Me: Well, I try to get the class to do drills in areas where you are weak and I give you time to work on conversations and activities like presentations where you can apply what you're learning.  You may not need the rule now, but you can at least know where to find the information about it when you are ready. Research shows  that by combining the activities we do in class with grammar lessons, you will learn English better.
St: I hope you're right. I just don't want to waste time.
Me: Learning a language takes time. It'll all come together.

I might cut back on the amount of time spent on grammar if it's excessive, or try to find more activities to support the grammar points. For example, I try to record my students' sentences and ten have them find the mistakes in them to focus on the grammar we're working on or to use their mistakes as a springboard for grammar lessons.It personalizes the grammar to their needs.

COURSE 4--Reflection on Course Planning

I believe that the most important elements of a good course plan include:

1.A good assessment to discover who the students are, what they want to learn, preferred learning formats... Their CLB levels need to be assessed.
2. Planning a theme based on what students' needs are. My students will be here for the summer, so they want to focus on speaking skills within a context of various field trips. I planned on teaching them about Canadian themes that were followed up with field trips.

3. outcomes that fit into the theme
4.activities that are interesting and ones that flow together to build on prior knowledge
5. group/pair and individual work
6. work that makes my students talk rather than me doing all the speaking
7.grammar, vocabulary, cultural learning, pronunciation work, and different language skills
8. continual assessment
9. variety with routine

I hadn't planned a course using a theme approach before, so I found it quite challenging. It makes a lot more sense to do it that way, it just takes a lot of planning to make it all come together. I had to plan my course around field trips, so it wasn't an ideal way to write a course. I would have rather planned the course and created field trips to reinforce the lessons.

I found it interesting that my journal and conversation topics for the day could be interchanged.

I would have liked to create a settlement issues course, but I actually have to create the summer program course, so it worked out.

Teaching Grammar: My ideas on grammar

I just learned how to do blogs today. I had this written in the intro blogs when it was due, but it was obviously in the wrong place!

The outline for the course explains what will be covered re: grammar and vocabulary, but from my perspective, I would expect that we would learn how grammar should be used in the classroom. Many teachers avoid teaching grammar because they don't know grammar themselves or they think it's boring. Personally, I love grammar because I find it very mathematical. If I can identify what's going on in a sentence, I feel more in control. Labelling also makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something I can see and prove. When I homeschooled my girls, I really enjoyed teaching them grammar. Even when I teach grammar now, I really enjoy it. However, if I spend too long on it, I find it can get boring.

Re: vocabulary, I would hope we would learn the best procedures for introducing vocabulary and how to reinforce vocabulary using games etc.. If vocabulary isn't integrated into students' needs, I think it becomes irrelevant. Teaching vocabulary in context, rather than lists of words to memorize, is essential.

Course-2 Needs Assessment

The importance of needs assessments:

I believe that needs assessments are important because:

1)      They help you determine what the needs are of your particular students, rather than what you think they want to learn.

2)       They help you to get to know your learners, which helps build rapport and a safe environment.

3)      They give you an indication of their CLB levels, so you can plan appropriately.  Lessons will then be just right, not too difficult or easy.

4)      They allow you to assess  language levels in reading, writing , listening and speaking. This allows you to focus on the right level for the language skill., e.g.if you are teaching just a conversation class.

5)      They allow you to determine which formats, topics, and language techniques they prefer to work with. Some of my students didn’t like to learn about Canada, so I omitted that section. Others preferred not to do group work, so I accommodated that. Still others insisted we focus on pronunciation, so I adapted to their desires.