Class 4 - Didactic Material Analysis

In our September 3 meeting we examined one of CNA’s (Cultural Norte Americano, Brazilian language school franchise) student’s books, used for teaching the pre-advanced level students. This examination was made with the help of a list of questions used by MEC (Ministry of Education - Portuguese: Ministério da Educação - MEC, is a Brazilian government ministry) with this same objective. These questions were divided in three groups: 1) oral and written texts, 2) written comprehension and 3) linguistic-discursive knowledge: grammar and vocabulary. What we are going to present next is a summary of the results.

As for the topic of oral and written texts, we can say that the material brings texts which are representative of different spheres of social activity. It also presents texts of different genres and types, which represent the formal and informal registers. However, the texts do not present a diversity of original supports and do not indicate their source, which were apparently adapted.

As for the written comprehension, we can say that the reading activities present pre-reading and post-reading activities, promoting the development of strategies like information location, production of inference, and general and detailed understanding of the text. Moreover, the activities count on a plurality of interpretations, explore intertextuality and encourage the search of texts and information outside of the book. On the other hand, we could not detect the polyphonic nature of the texts.

Finally, from the linguistic-discursive point of view, we concluded that besides offering opportunities for the learner to use the language structures with appropriateness and correction, the material is grammatically correct and adequate to its thematic content. The linguistic input is contextualized and it is embedded in varied and authentic discursive practices. The vocabulary activities stimulate the understanding and use of expressions and idioms in the student, helping them develop organization and expansion strategies of their lexical knowledge.

Class 3 - Pro Dia Nascer Feliz

     On our third class on 27th August, we saw the first part of the documentary “Pro dia nascer feliz”, which showed the lack of infrastructure of the most schools in the countryside. Starting from the transport, which is done by very old buses carrying more students than they should, the total lack of basic facilities like water, toilets and illumination and many other essential things vital to give the students a proper place to study, the education on these areas seems to be left behind by the Educational System.  Besides that many students are not really interested in their education, because they do not see a purpose for that. On the other hand, most teachers are demotivated as they have no hopes about their or their student’s future. 
On the second part, we watched the educational reality at Colégio Santa Cruz, in São Paulo, where most students were born rich, with all kinds of facilities available and with motivated teachers. It was shown that these students just have a slight idea of what the world outside their school’s gates is, but they also feel uneasy as they seem incapable of thinking of a solution, because they are just teenagers.


     As a next step of the class, we divided ourselves in groups and used the jigsaw reading technique to analyze some relevant articles. Our group, in particular, discussed the text ‘Multiliteracies and Language - Orders of Discourse and Intertextuality’ by Norman Fairclough. In the text, the author presents the ‘designs of meaning’: the creative application of the language according to the needs of communication. He also mentions the marketization of the language, which is the language of some areas being influenced by the language of the market in order to achieve people in a more profitable way. According to the author, globalization is an economical, social, political and cultural process which leads to a global use of languages, changing the relationship between them in their cultural and linguistic aspect.    

References
FAIRCLOUGH, Norman. Multiliteracies and language. Orders of discourse and intertextuality. In: COPE, B. e KALAZANTZIS, M. (Eds.) Multiliteracies. Literacy learning and the design of social futures. New York: Routledge, 2000.

Pro Dia Nascer Feliz - Parte 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74jokEl7RQ4
Pro Dia Nascer Feliz - Parte 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqPVcpnN8cU&feature=related
Pro Dia Nascer Feliz - parte 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4t3ROgtrCQ&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

Museu da Pessoa - Valéria Fagundes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ4tmPU23_M

Valéria Fagundes, 16 anos – Escola Estadual Antônio Guilherme Dias Lima, Inajá, PE
http://www.cecac.org.br/MATERIAS/pro-dia-nascer-feliz_e_os-problemas-das-escolas-brasileiras-25.6.2011-.htm

DIAS MAIS FELIZES EM MANARI
http://www.museudapessoa.net/historias/historias_ontemehoje_07_07_08.shtml

Class 2 - “New people in New Worlds”

     On our second meeting, we read and thought about the text “New people in New Worlds” (Gee, 1999) which described two different kinds of students: one born and raised in a wealthy family and another one, in a poorer family. Reading this, we could realize that the social context plays an important role when learning is concerned. So we teachers need to recognize our students social life before we start our practice, but the most important thing is that we have to contextualize language for the students that live in this new globalized world, so they can learn how to speak English effectively.

     To exemplify that, we studied examples from another text: “Situated and Explicit Pedagogy” (Mills, 2010) from the book “The Multiliteracies Classroom”, which shows a teacher with a class of students from all over the world trying to make her practice meaningful. For that, she decided to show the students a claymation movie and, after that, she asked them to make a movie themselves. In an exercise like that, the collaboration between students is essential, and that’s why she had good and bad results. She focused her practice in the world of the technology, so the students had to use digital cameras to prepare the movement of the characters in the movie. The instructions had to be very clear, and the concept of scaffolding had to happen for the work to be done.

     The learners had problems, but at the end the goal was accomplished, she taught the students how to interact using technology; she could teach other subjects besides English and the results were fairly good.

     The poster below is our attempt to represent this experience and the author’s ideas by using pictures and the main words related to it.

References
Gee, J.P. New people in new worlds: Networks, the new capitalism and schools. In COPE, Bill; KALANTZIS, Mary (Ed.). Multiliteracies: Literacy Learning and the Design of Social Futures. London: Routledge, 1999.
MILLS, Kathy A. Situated and Explicit Pedagogy”. In: ________. The Multiliteracies Classroom. Salisbury, Uk: Multilingual Matters, 2010.

ELT Approaches and Didactic Material Preparation - Class 1

At the beginning of the Module “Abordagens no Ensino de Línguas e Preparo de Material Didático” we started thinking about what underlays our teaching  practice. To know how to answer to this question, for four weeks we have discussed about approaches, methods, The Post Method Era, multiliteracies, knowledge, techniques, how to deal and interact with students, the role of the teacher, and how to choose a didactic book.

Our hopes for this module were the discussion and clarification of the influence of different approaches on the teaching material that we use. In that respect, the first question posed for our consideration - Which principles underlay your teaching? - was a great start. We quickly defined what a good teacher should be: someone who encourages others to pursue knowledge, but also pursues knowledge themselves; someone who has passion for its teaching practice and value interaction; a true educator who builds bridges between the learners and the world around them, creating the perfect environment to help them leave their comfort zone. Eventually, we realized that techniques alone were not the base for this educator’s practice; they were like branches and leaves of a tree that were subject to the change of the seasons. Following this metaphor, we could visualize this image:

EFL teaching tree

After that, we started talking about the differences between 'Method' and 'Approach'. Method is something that guides the teacher, it is the technique teachers use for teaching; Approaches are the principles that underlay the teachers’ practice.

Let’s see some Methods and Approaches discussed during the module:

METHODS AND APPROACHES	BRIEF EXPLANATION
Grammar Translation Method	- Beginning of the eighteenth century; - Students have to translate literature texts and analyze grammar in order to understand the structure of the language; - Interaction: Teacher → Students
Direct Method	- Classes taught in English; - Grammar is inferred by the student; - Interaction: Teacher ↔ Student
Audio-Lingual Method	- Used during the War Period ( 1940-1960) - Focused on Speaking; - Students had to memorize vocabulary and long phrases; role-plays; drills; pair work - Interaction: Teacher centered
Suggestopedia	- Teachers had to set the scene (adapted classrooms); - Use of posters and imaginary scenes; -Change of moods while reading; - Students can act the role of a different character; -Songs help set the plot; - Students are asked to give a class feedback
Community Learning	- Based on cooperation, not competition; - Students oral production were taped; - Interaction: Teacher ↔ Student ↔ Student. The teacher sits at the same level as the students.
Total Physical Response	- Focused on listening and comprehension, - Learner responds to language input with body motions; - Low anxiety learning; - Interaction: Teacher ↔ Student ↔ Student.
Silent Way	- Teacher makes students think, encouraging them to solve their own problems; - use of colored rods to figure out the patterns of language based on a few examples given by the teacher - Interaction: Student ↔ Student
Communicative Approach	- Students have to learn how to interact in English; - Focus on meaningful communication not structure; - Functional syllabus instead of structural syllabus; - Authentic and meaningful language input is more important; - Interaction: Student centered

After analysing all this methodologies and approaches, we have thought about how we teach, and what is the method we have been using in our practice; then we realized that we mix lots of methods to reach the communicative approach, and that is why we can say that we have a Post Method Pedagogy: we worry about teaching the student how to interact and, in order to do it, we merge different kinds of approaches.

How about you: Have you ever thought about which principles underlay your practice? As a language student, do you ask yourself which techniques your teacher is using and how well it fits your style of learning?

Leaving our comfort zone

This Saturday it was time to analyse what the previous module meant for us. Studying "Abordagens no Ensino de Línguas e Preparo de Material Didático" in just 40 hours seemed quite an impossible challenge. In one of our next posts we are going to take you on a guided tour of our thoughts on these last few weeks. One thing I can tell you in advance is that we all left our comfort zones at one point or another.
     With this in mind, here is a nice excerpt of a post from Jeremy Harmer's blog, an author that was mentioned today in class.

Of fingernails, gliders, guitars and glue – a new ZPD?
by Jeremy Harmer

"In a sense all teachers leave the comfort zone every time they meet a new class or teach a brand new lesson, but deciding to do those shows in South America (I hope you are following!) seemed a little more than that. A real risk. An exciting and terrifying risk."

(click to read the complete post)

Jeremy Harmer is a teacher, teacher trainer and author of more than 20 books HeJeremy also loves music and, more recently, he's become a fan of the sites Twitter and Second Life.

Generations Chart

     If you have been teaching for some time, you have probably crossed paths with one of the generations below. It is important to know their characteristics, strong suits and preferences to design a better class plan. Do you agree with the information below? [click on the image to read]

About me

    Hi, everybody!

   Well my name is Mariana Malaquias, I'm 28 years old, I was born in São Paulo and I have one younger brother. I've been married for almost 6 years and now I'm living in Cotia and pregnant of my first baby boy Davi.

    I studied at the same private school since I was a baby until the first year of high school and there I used to spend all day long most of the days because my parents worked a lot from 8 to 8 and sometimes more than this. There were some days that the school had already closed and they couldn't arrive before because of work, so the school's secretary (that was a really sweet woman) used to take me and my brother to her house that was near school until my parents arrive. When I was in the first year of high school I had to move to a public school because my parents were having financial problems. I've never felt sad about those situations because my parents were and are wonderful, role models I always wanted to follow and were always present in my school life. Most of what I am nowadays I owe them.

    Well, since I was a child I have shown my passion to English and I always inteded to work with it and I used to learn the language faster than the others in my class.

    I've given classes at Yazigi Morumbi for 2 years, a really nice school with an awesome environment, where I do my best and work with pleasure. Before Yazigi I worked at Skill for 6 months.

    In my opinion giving classes is a gift that should be more valued by the people in general. There is nothing more rewarding than to know that you can change the life of bunches of people with your knowledge and to hear a "Thank you teacher" in the end of the semester. It's the world's nicest thing to know that my knowledge can improve people's lives, that's why I don't intend to stop so soon. I love my work.