After seeing all of the presentations, answer the following questions:
For self-reflection: Which presentations will work in your classroom? If there are any that won't work, can you modify them to work? How? Remember, if you teach in more than one context, choose just one context on which to reflect.
For the presentations:
1) In what other teaching contexts would these activities work?
2) What was the purpose/goal of each presentation? Was the purpose/goal achieved?
3) Would the activities presented have helped you learn the vocabulary if you had been the learner?
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Group 1
ReplyDeleteThis kind of activity will definitely work for me as I am a visual learner. Also, I would like to incorporate such an activity in my classes. Maybe, it wouldn’t be drawing a person; however, I do believe that drawing something is a fun and at the same time, an efficient way to connect vocabulary to its visual representation. Moreover, the fact that every drawing is personal to every student increases the chances that the student will effectively store the respective vocabulary into his mental lexicon. This activity might be best for students in primary and high schools; however, we all know how much fun we had when our classmates presented it during class. Therefore, I think it could be well received by my students at the Faculty of Tourism which are part of the group that is taking a beginner-level course in English. Despite the fact that many of them are much older than me I bet they would be eager to do it. I could make them draw just about anything that has a referent in the real world.
I think the presenters did a good job.
Group 2
A year ago, while I was teaching kids, ages 4-6, I did a lot of similar activities. As none of them could read or write, flash cards, role play, songs and TPR activities were pretty much the only options. These kinds of activities went well at the beginning, but then they would always concentrate more on playing and winning the game rather than focusing on English and actually trying to learn new words or practice and remember the ones they had learned. I definitely agree with Professor Sabrina that there are always a lot of problems that could, and actually do, come up when working with very young kids. I couldn’t keep them calm and concentrated for more than 15 minutes. This is partly due to the fact that they were from marginalized groups; still, kids are kids. What I didn’t like was that one of the last activities our classmates did was giving fruit to the kids (to us). Giving awards (candy, fruit, etc.) to little kids is a double-edged sword. When I was teaching these kids I have mentioned, at the end of every class I would give them candy and some juice; I swear that whenever they would see me coming the first thing they would ask me is if I brought some candy for them, and they wouldn’t cooperate until I gave them the candy. Naturally I used this to teach them the colors as I made them say the color of the candy they wanted. Anyway, I think that this kind of activity should be done by teachers who are sure that they will maintain complete control of the class and their students. Nevertheless, it is a good idea as role-play activities are always engaging, but teachers have to make it clear to students that the ultimate goal of that playing activity is learning rather than merely playing.
The presenters were not so good in introducing the activity. It took me a while to get an idea of how and what to do. Even to the very end I wasn’t sure that I did things right. It is a good idea, but maybe it could be a little modified. Maybe, students could go and ask for the price of a particular fruit; maybe they could be given the chance to fill the basket as if they really went out shopping. Also, there could have been a little more dialogue involved in order to get more chances to practice the vocabulary. I believe that uttering the name of a particular fruit only once or twice when asking for it will not do. There’s also the problem of dealing with restless children. Maybe the most problematic ones could be given the role of selling the fruit; that ought to keep them busy.
Group 3
I agree with Professor Sabrina that giving a handout instead of drawing something on the board could have been a better idea. This is mainly because it is time efficient and more practical. There could be several handouts for the same purpose, but drawing everything on the board could take up the whole duration of the lesson. Nevertheless, it wasn’t a bad idea and it is similar to the first presentation in that it links vocabulary to its visual representation. I could use this activity with my students of Tourism (the group taking an ESP course). I could tell them to draw the interior of a part of a hotel (room, conference room, banquet room, lounge, etc.) and then write a paragraph to describe it. I could also use this kind of activity with my students who are studying Mechanical Engineering. I could tell them to draw a very simple mechanical device and then describe its elements and how it functions.
The presenters could have done a better job introducing the tasks. Nevertheless, we quickly understood what we were supposed to do. This kind of activity can be very efficient for reinforcement; however, there could be a number of handouts with the same purpose of reinforcing a certain vocabulary. These tasks are easy and can be done quickly, so giving several of them during the class will not take up a lot of time and will be more efficient. I think this could work in any teaching context as it could be engaging for any age, gender or social group, so long as the purpose of the class is reinforcing words that have referents in the real world and that can be divided into certain lexical fields.
Q1. I’ve liked the presentation with the drawing and I think that the context fits with the activity we’ve done. I actually have done something like this activity but in a different context at a lower level, actually with beginners. The children have learned about the parts of the head like: eyes, ears, mouth, hair, nose etc. But they also have learned the adjectives big and small in the previous lesson. Also taking into account that they’ve already known the colors I’ve organized an activity very similar to the activity on the presentation. I have given the learners only the shape of the head drawn on the handout and they had to draw the parts of the head in the way that I’ve told them. For example I’ve told them to draw things like: blonde hair, blue eyes, small mouth, big ears etc. I’ve used this activity for a unit revision, in which they have learned the parts of the head and the adjectives big and small. I can say that this activity has worked in my classroom, the students have revised the words successfully and they had a lot of fun too.
ReplyDeleteAlso I think for the same class it would work the activity with the parts of the house and furniture. I would do this activity but only for revising the parts of the house (rooms) like the bathroom, dining room, kitchen etc. Since I had a unit for these words I would include these words only without the furniture items. I would organize an activity for revising these words by giving the students handouts with already drawn an empty house. I would tell them where they need to draw the rooms in the house, for example the bedroom is up and left, the kitchen is down and right. I think that this activity would work in this class because young learners like to draw things and by drawing they are creating pictures of the words in their minds that will help them to recall later. Also I prefer to do revising classes with drawing because I usually present new vocabulary items with realia (pictures).
Q2. For the first presentation where the learners have to draw a boy, as far as I remember the purpose was to reinforce the vocabulary. I think that the purpose was achieved but I was a little bit confused which lexical set we need to reinforce since there were several lexical groups like: parts of the body, parts of the head, clothes and some adjectives as well. Generally I think it was good activity and the purpose was achieved in an interesting and amusing way even for high school students. I also want to add that this activity was perfect for reinforcement since the students had to identify and draw the vocabulary items which is a good way to check if they learned the words as well.
ReplyDeleteIn the second presentation the purpose was to practice the new vocabulary in this case the fruits. I also think that this is and interesting way to practice the vocabulary items especially for this kind of young learners. I state this because is more amusing way rather than just drilling and repeating the words. Also I liked the way that every student was included with the names on the back of the cards, so the learners need to pay attention in order if it was their turn. I disliked that the learners had a chance to choose, it is more interesting but some of the students would choose the items that they know not referring to every item (word).
The purpose of the third presentation was the revision of the vocabulary items (parts of the house and furniture). I think that the goal was not completely achieved because there were so many words for the learners at age of seven. Likewise there were several skills included as drawing and writing. The drawing is more acceptable for this age rather then writing. I think that the goal would be achieved easily if there were fewer words to revise like only parts of the house and if the learners had only to draw the items on the board.
Q3. If I was a learner at age of seven the drawing activity with the parts of the house and furniture would be very difficult for me because there were a lot of words from two different lexical sets. It a good idea to learn the parts of the house and the furniture in the same unit since they fit somehow, but I think that there were too many words for 7 year children. If I knew the words it would be easier and more interesting for me to draw rather then write and I probably wouldn’t be able to write at that age. Also I would revise the words easier if they were presented separately; first the parts of the house and then the furniture items.
ReplyDeleteI think that the activity from the second group (fruit activity) would help me to practice those words. I think so because for the beginner level the best way of presenting vocabulary and practicing is with the use of realia especially the pictures. As a 7 year learner I would like to choose and hold the flash cards which the teacher shows us every class. Also I like the activity because I have a chance to choose my favorite fruit, since we know that every child has its own favorite fruit. One more think that I think would be helpful is that the names of the learners were written on the back, so as a learner I would be cautious and ready if someone reads my name.
If I was a high school student the “boy drawing activity” in a first sight I would think that it is inappropriate for my age. I probably would think: why the teacher gives us these childish activities. However, later on I would think that I need to do a lot of effort in order to get the drawing right since there are words from various lexical sets. If we have learned only the parts of the body it would be easier, but in this activity were also included words from: clothes, adjectives, parts of the head, and parts of the body. So, I like this activity because besides we are going to revise the words we’ve just learned also we have to use and recall on words that are in our long-term memory. Also I need to recall on some words that I’ve learned long time ago and I haven’t used them for a long time. So it is a good activity since it expands the usage of the vocabulary, its goes beyond the vocabulary that need to be revised.
Q1. Well, i like the activity and i think it is really good and reinforcing for the students of that age. By this activity the students will develop not only the vocabulary but also their writing and listening skills.The activity seems to be a little bit mysterious which helped student to raise their motivation what is the most important and first step to learning. So i think that the mail goal of this activity was to raise the motivation and that was achieved, since students were really excited and motivated by trying to draw the right picture of the man, and also it was really fun. I will use this activity at my class let say in my intermediate group, and the aim of it would be practicing the already learned vocabulary by writing and listening. I think that this is a simple and interesting task by which we may achieve multiple goals.
ReplyDeleteQ2. This activity was also an interesting one,as you said the using of realia is really helpful. The student were interested in doing the activity but i think that it became a little bit boring in the end, may be it should be shorter, and a s you suggested to have a good feedback or some repetition of the vocabulary in order to hold the class control. Generally it was ok because the vocabulary was simple and enough to be remembered, and they do achieve the goal of it. I wouldn't use this kind of activity at my classes because i think that it is not appropriate for my studenst since i teach at university, this is a more interesting activity for children. I would try to use realia in my classes but of course with different context.
Q4. This was a really well thought activity, an interesting and a creative one. I like their presentation a lot and i think this is really an effective way of teaching-learning vocabulary of course on exercise class. The main goal of the activity was achieved since all the students were concentrated on the quiz- on the questions and on the answers as well. The questions were really good, because they were the definitions of the words, and this is really motivating and effective at the same time. I would definitely use this activity in my classes, at all three levels-pre intermediate, intermediate and upper intermediate because the activity is flexible and it could be used in any of it. This was a really good managed class since all of the students were active in learning. I thinks that this was a great job, as well as all the others.
Group 1
ReplyDeleteI think that the activity presented by the first group was very interesting. They used this activity for high school students; I also think that this will work for primary schools students. I work in primary school and I use similar activities in my class and I have realized that the students enjoy learning in this way. I found this activity very interesting and I will use it for my class when I will teach them the vocabulary about six musical instruments. The first group used this as reinforcement; I will use it in the same way because I think that it works better in this way. I use similar activities in my class, for example, when I taught my students new vocabulary about clothes; I asked them to draw one of their classmates, the student who finished drawing the first came in front of the class and showed the others his picture, he did not describe what the person he had drawn was wearing, but he ask the others to guess the name of the person in the picture. The student, who guesses the correct name, should tell what the person in the picture is wearing. If he/she is not able to describe the person in the picture, then another student should describe it. In this way, the student who was not able to describe the person in the picture will have the chance to listen the correct description. This will help him/her to learn these things. I usually use such activities because they help the learners to remember things better. In this way the students correct each other, I think that this is useful because I have realized that students remember words better when they are said by other students rather then by me. The student who was able to give the correct description of the person on the picture comes in front of the class and does the same thing; the game continues in this way. At the end, I asked the students which of the drawings they liked the most and then we put some of them on the wall.
I think that the goal was achieved because we were all drawing, and at the end all of us had our own drawing. If I was a learner this activity would helped me a lot because I am visual learner, it is easier for me to remember things that I have seen.
Group 3
I think that the presentation of the third group was similar with the presentation of the first group; both of them connect learning of new vocabulary with drawing. I agree with Aleksandar that using the vocabulary of the parts of the house and furniture is too much for 7 years old children. Therefore, I am not sure if the goal will be achieved with 7 years old children. I think that it would be better if they hade chosen only parts of house, or only furniture. When I taught my students who are 11-12 years old, the new vocabulary about the furniture that people have in their rooms, I used a similar activity. I asked my students to imagine that they are millionaires and then to draw their dream rooms. Students were supposed to name the things in it and to write a description. Students already know the colors in English; therefore, I asked them to use the colors when they will describe the room. Before they start to write I gave then an example. E.g. I have got a pink desk, with a white chair. That’s where I do my homework. When the students were ready, I asked one student to show other students his drawing and then to read the description. One by one, all the students did the same thing. As I mentioned in the first reflection, I am a visual learner; therefore, I found this activity very useful.
Group 4
The activity presented by the forth group was for reinforcement. I think that the goal was achieved. It was a good idea to use a game for reinforcement because the students like to learn through games. But, the teacher should be careful to use appropriate games for the age of the students; games should be neither too easy nor too difficult. I think that this game was really appropriate for the high school students. Moreover, I think that this game will be appropriate also for primary school students. I think that it will be good to use this activity for reinforcement of the words that are used for describing people’s personality. E.g. … has a lot of money, never gives money to charity, or to friends…. He/ she is …a) generous, b) mean c) lazy d) polite. Instead of giving students papers with activities and asking them to fill in the gapes by using these words, I will use this game. And, I am sure that it will be very interesting for the students.
If I had been the learner, this activity would help me learn the vocabulary because I like learning through games. And, especially these kinds of games, there are given options and the students should choose the correct answer.
Using a creative way to teach vocabulary is a very important way to enhance the students’ motivation and ability for learning the new words. The way how teachers present the new vocabulary words or the way how the students are involved in an activity are the main factors for memorizing and using the already learned words. Relying on the presentations from the previous class, I would say that they were all very effective and worthwhile, even though, some of them can be considered as better organized, more creative and more effective for learning or presenting new vocabulary words.
ReplyDeleteThe presentation of the first group was very effective, and it would be a very useful way to practice the already learned words. I would use this activity with different level of students. Actually, I have done something similar when I have taught the face parts with elementary level of students. The activity seemed to be very effective and the students enjoyed the class.
The drawing activity gives to students the opportunity to develop their skills and learn things by hearing. This activity would be useful since it can be used with many levels, depending on the difficulty of the words. When practicing the body parts with elementary level students this kind of activity would be interesting, valuable and would enhance the students’ motivation. With such kind of activities students will not feel frustrated and will consider the activity more like a game rather than reinforcement of the already learned words. This would also be useful with pre- intermediate or intermediate level of students, especially when learning things that can be easily drawn. I would also use this kind of activity with beginner or pre- intermediate level of faculty students, since this would be really fun, enjoyable and would give to students more opportunity to learn or repeat things in a more interesting or relaxing way. The activity presented in the class was very effective, and the goal of repeating body parts was achieved in some way.
The activity of the third group would also be useful especially with elementary level students, even though, some of the students may face difficulties in drawing things on the board. It would really be more effective if the teacher would give to students handouts or draw things on their notebook. Generally speaking, the activity was useful, and I would use this activity with different level of students. For example, I would ask my students to draw their bedroom including all the stuff inside or would ask them to draw a town including the most important buildings. This would be important for reinforcing the names of the objects or buildings. These kinds of activities raise the students’ motivation, interest and love for the subject. Even though, the presenters could have given clearer instructions, again this activity was useful and the main goal was achieved. This activity enabled the students to learn things by picturing them on their mind, and use them by focusing on concrete objects.
The activity of the fourth group was appropriate for the students’ level, and the activity was a real fun. It raised the students’ interest for paying attention to the activity and it was chosen in accordance with the students’ desires. The way how the activity was lead was interesting, but one thing that wasn’t in a high level was the participation of other students. Even though, other students participated only for a minute when they gave help to the person being asked, again most of the activity was lead only by 2- 3 people. It would be more useful if the students would have written the answers on the paper when they were asked for help. This kind of activity would not work with elementary level students, since they would not be able to ask questions. I would use this activity with high school students, but it would also be useful with faculty students. This activity would also be effective with students who learn English for specific purposes. If I would use this activity with students learning the language for specific purposes, for example Law English, the questions that would be asked would be related to Law, and the choices would be related to Law terminology. The activity presented was effective and the goal for reinforcing the already learned things was achieved.
Group 1
ReplyDeleteI found this activity as very fun and very creative for reinforcing vocabulary. I consider it as very effective since it is very fun and highly motivating and it can easily engage all the students working. This is an activity, which I would definitely use in my teaching. As I have already mentioned before in previous online discussions I teach beginners. More precisely, I teach young children at age 6, 8 and 9 and therefore these kinds of drawing activities would be very convenient and appropriate to use and work with. Therefore, it is so since they represent vocabulary visually as a referent to the real world and it is something that helps a lot in acquiring vocabulary especially when it comes to young children. In fact, I use similar drawing activities a lot. However, regarding the presentation of this activity I can say that the goal was achieved. On the other hand, I have a small remark that is I agree with Professor Sabrina that the presenters could give more clear instructions preceded with slow pace while presenting the activity but having in mind that there was a time limited to present the activity; I can say that the presenters did a great job. All to all, I can say that the idea of the activity is very creative and very useful.
Group 2
This is also a very good activity. More precisely, I can say that it is a very useful and creative activity. In addition, it involves realia, which is something very appropriate to use especially when it comes to children since they learn things easily through visualization, which are things they see in their real life. On the other hand, I think that the presenters could have done something more with presenting this activity in more clear way with some modification since it seemed to me little bit disorganized and not all the students were engaged in both sets. The presenters could give more clear instructions and do something more to engage all the students in the activity because when it comes to children I can tell from my personal experience they can be very noisy especially if they aren’t all involved in the activity. However, I think that it is very good idea and I would rather use it in my teaching but with some modification. For example, I would be the seller and I would not change myself with students. In addition, I would divide students by chance in four groups. Each member of each group would have a chance to come and guess the fruit and the one who guess the fruit would pick up the fruit free as my colleagues did in the classroom. At the end, I would require from groups to count the fruits that they have picked up and one by one to tell me the number of fruits they have picked up. The group who will have most of the fruits at the end I would declare it as a winner of the activity. Therefore, children would be more motivated and more concentrated and the most important all of them would be engaged in the activity. Nevertheless, I would say that it was a good and creative activity.
Group 4
I liked this activity a lot. Moreover, I can say that the idea is very original, very creative and very thoughtful. In addition, students have done a great job in preceding the activity. I can say that it was a very interesting activity in which all students were engaged, motivated, concentrated and the most important they were all enjoying it. The vocabulary was also appropriate with the students’ age and students’ level. All to all, I can say that the goal was achieved. However, I consider this activity as mostly to be used for students who are at age above 10, since with young learners, the concept of money does not mean much and it seems more abstract to them. Therefore, I would rather use this activity in my teaching but with some small modification. I would use points instead of money and I would organize the game as a kind of competition since young learners adore competing with each other. Moreover, I would add that the group or the presenter of the group who will gain most of the points at the end it would be declared for a winner. In addition, I would use this activity more precisely for a unit revision, for example food, part of the body etc. All to all, the presenters have done a very good job. As an outcome, I can say that all the presenters have done a great work. Well done too all of them.
I wouldn’t like to repeat what my colleagues have already said. I think that all presentations were quite good. Of course, there are things that one might use in a different way or in a different context or with a different age group. However, we must have in mind that while we were making the plan for the activity we were pretending to be teaching. Nothing was real: the students, their age, their level of knowledge, the material that was to be taught, the books we were teaching from. What was real was actually that we were supposed to teach our colleagues. When dealing with real students teachers always take into consideration all the factors that might influence the flow of the lesson. They will never do anything to hurt their students’ feelings, or work with only one or two students and leave the others to “burn down the house”, or make kids write a paragraph for homework when they know that at the age of 7 kids are still almost illiterate, and so on. All the activities presented by our colleagues can be used for different vocabulary items and with few changes, with different age/level groups.
ReplyDeleteDuring the second presentation I got an idea
Group 2: I would use colorful fruit stickers , or small plastic fruit, divide them in groups, appoint one from each group to go to the shop and buy fruit for a fruit salad, give them 5 minutes to decide what they were going to put in it, do the shopping game for 5-10 minutes, give each group a hat/a paper plate/ and tell them to make their fruit salads by sticking/putting in the fruit they bought, at the end one student from each group would refer what they put in their fruit salad.
All the activities presented in class were very interesting and I think that they all presented vocabulary appropriately, especially having in mind that they were prepared in no more than 45 minutes.
ReplyDeleteGroup 2
Concerning the fact that this activity was intended for learners at the age of 7 I think that this was motivating, appropriate and interesting for the students.
I don't have experience teaching students, but I would imagine using them in future with my students.
I would use this king of activity with students from 5-7 years old, as my colleagues did, because I don't think that it would work with older students.
I would use this activity, besides for teaching fruits, for teaching other vocabulary, with a little modification.
For example, there will be no shop assistant, only cards representing colors and the kids would have to choose the right color. It wouldn't be up to the students to decide which color to pick up, their assignment would be but to pick a color another student tells them to. Because if it is left to them to pick up their favorite color, they would decide which one it will be in advance and would not care very much to learn the rest of the colors.
I enjoyed this game very much.
Group 3
I liked this activity very much. It would've been probably more suitable for children at the age of 8-10, because it involved writing activities and more complex vocabulary. It was very well planned and there were variety of interesting activities that involved drawing as well. And we all know that children love to draw.
I would probably use this activity with older students, as an activity for reinforcement of the vocabulary learned during the whole unit.
It is good for reinforcement of other vocabulary as well, like clothes and parts of the body. If modified this activity may be used for older students with higher level of proficiency as well.
Group 4
This was very interesting and challenging activity and I had a lot of fun since I was the one sitting on the "hot chair".
When using this activity with my students, I would probably divide them into groups, of four for example, and give them different questions which would be answered by a representative from each group. This way all of the students would be involved.
The group that has the most points is the winner.
I think that all of my colleagues did a GREAT job. Congratulations on that.
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ReplyDeleteGroup 1- I think that the first group activity was very useful activity about reinforcement of the vocabulary, in the same time it has a lot of fun. They did wonderful job because they integrated vocabulary with drawing, so very interesting for students. Through this activity all students were involved in and they were enjoying their drawing, they were enthusiastic and motivated about the work that they were doing. I would like to use this activity with my learners and I think that it will be very useful; we all know that students like drawing more than writing, exercises or any other activity, so through drawing they reinforce their vocabulary in funny and relaxed way. This activity will create different atmosphere in class, it will be a good twist of vocabulary and drawing, through teacher’s instructions learners reinforce their vocabulary, but in the same time they can have their own posters or drawings, so they will have their own products that will help them to store better words in their mental lexicon. I would like to use these kinds of activities with my students, because they are creative and motivated. This activity also can be used with other vocabulary such as: parts of the body, room’s elements and so on. I enjoyed so much this activity and I think that the same thing will happen with my learners in primary school.
ReplyDeleteGroup 3 -Third group activity was interesting, but as professor has mentioned about the instructions there were no clear instructions, while the work was divided, so groups had different tasks to do two of them to draw and two to write, were needed clear instruction about each group. They are beginners and when they have different tasks I think that they need clearer instructions. Activity was interesting; I would like to use it with my students but not with beginners. I think that this activity will work better if we use it with students that are in higher level. I can’t say that it is appropriate for seven or eight year beginners, this kind of exercise may be a little bit hard for them, they are still beginners and this kind of exercise will confuse them. I’m teaching beginners, they learn about elements of the rooms, but not so much words! If I use this activity with beginners I will put them in groups and ask to draw elements of the room in handout, so firs part of activity will be just drawing all groups to draw and then in the second part to write names of elements in their drawings. I think that in this way activity will be simpler and clearer. Homework that group gave to the students weren’t appropriate because beginners can’t write few paragraphs; it is work that doesn’t correspond with their level. In general it was interesting, good job.
Group 4-This activity was very interesting also. Millionaire is one of the most popular shows, people like it. So bringing it in class was very interesting and useful issue. It was very engaging and challenging. I would like to use this activity with my students, but with professor’s suggestion to put students in groups. It will be more appropriate if we put them in groups because in this way all students will be involved, so all will have the chance to participate in their groups. If we make it with each student individually, it takes a lot of time and it needs a lot of questions (a lot of vocabulary). So I will give the students questions and then each group to present their answers with the leader that they have chosen. Great innovation in class, I liked it so much.
Group 1
ReplyDeleteI think that asking students drawing in the classroom it will be a great fun, especially for young learners. Students usually learn new vocabulary by connecting the new words with something that they see something that they like or they have in mind. Every time when I teach them new words they try to connect them with something that they like; with toys, members of their family or their favorite place. Therefore I think that using these kinds of activities while teaching vocabulary will help me to achieve the goals, especially with the beginner level students because they like drawing, they like painting, so that this activity would reinforce them while learning new words and it will motivate them more.
Anyway I liked all the presentations presented but I think that we as teachers should pay more attention at the time and the student’s age; not asking them to do something for which they have to try hard and maybe they won’t succeed.
Group 4
I would definitely use these kinds of activities with my eight grade students, and I think that they will have fun. I would divide them in four groups and give each of the groups different texts to read. Then I would ask them to make questions concerning the text and exchange the questions with the other groups. Then each of the groups would have to answer those questions and discus them in the classroom. That group which will bring the best answers will be the winners. So,they will present their answers concerning the questions given by their friends and they will talkbout them. Then we will choose the best group and declare them as winners. I think that using games in the classroom students are more motivated, more active and concentrated because they try to do their best in order to be the winners.
These are different presentations which each of them teach me much how to use, modify if possible and reduce less important and useful things. It is about finding the best paths of teaching words to the students in the best and productive way. We had also different ages of students where the teacher should decide which ways are useful and which not. These presentations were teaching vocabulary which I think it makes children feel happy and less nervous. They have the opportunity to forget what a boring lesson is because they are going to learn through making fun. It is good to mention that almost always teachers are based on course books, and this time the students have the possibility to learn something in quite different way. This will help the students to remember better.
ReplyDeleteAt the time when is mentioned a name of a fruit as group 2 did, they will automatically remind the way the teacher entered in the classroom and that will be like a video on their mind which will help them to remember and never forget those fruits’ names. Teaching fruits can be writing the words and their translation. It is impossible to explain them with other words or act them as many words can be thought by acting. This was the only way that students can learn in some other way. I liked this way of teaching. I think that students are fed up with those same ways of learning. It becomes boring and they may loose the interest to learn anymore. For that reason we choose that way of learning to break the monotony. If I were a young learner it would be very interesting for me the teacher to come with the cart full of fruits and arguing that today she isn’t our teacher but she is going to sell fruits just for us students. You have no idea how happy they will feel. And it is the first step of inspiration of learning the names of the fruits. When I say to my students: ‘I’m not your teacher, I’m your friend and sit near my students’ they say to me:” Oh teacher you have no idea how much I love you to be my school friend, I’m sure that you will be my best friend as well”. And then, by the time they will come to the cart to buy fruits. They need to learn how the fruits are called; otherwise they won’t win the fruit. This can become a very interesting class for students to win the fruits only if they know how they are called, so they desire it and they will feel proud. It will be a reinforcement to learn more. Also this kind of game is useful, because the teacher is able to correct all the students at the same time, because they are not doing the game in pairs. It is quite funny. Group 4- this is the presentation I liked most. This way was unusual that I haven’t heard before that is used in the classroom. I have been using way students to choose the question that should be answered, but this game “Millionaire” impressed me much. This activity can be used in too many differences, so it has no limit of using. It may include all levels of students preparing questions from the easiest one to the hardest one. The purpose of the goal is to see whether the students have acquired the material or in what level, do they need more explanation, when they are aimless to gain the teacher’s help. And I am optimist that these goals will be achieved whenever they are used in all ages of students. It is also the best way to mark them. If I were a learner I would have the desire to do such kind of activity where if I do not do well next time will improve the language better, if I have done well I will feel the happiest learner who will learn more and with more enthusiasm and motivation. It was very interesting and a very productive method.
Sometimes some exercises are not helpful as the teacher plan. Group 1 did a way that students’ task was to draw what the teacher tells, because drawing helps somehow students, the teacher was so clear. But it would help those students who already know those words that are needed and those who did not learn they would never learn in this way. As I know even those students who do not study at home they have the possibility to learn from the revisions and answers that other students do. And this kind of presentation does not give that possibility to those students learn from others’ answers. Also learning a language is good to develop communicative skills. In this method there is heard only the teacher speaking and students are not allowed to speak each other. This kind of work would be like a quiz, but there are many more interesting quizzes that the teacher may use to teach as better as possible and in many other contexts. Also this kind of activity has no possibility to mark the students. It is impossible to understand the learners what is the aim of this exercise. I have worked these kinds of exercises with my students, but they forgot what the aim of this exercise was. They stopped at the first thing described, because they paid too much attention of whether they drew well or not almost started to cry because of bad drawing. In group 3 activities would probably help the students because drawing is a very good way to learn better, but this group did a work that weren’t able to convince me to use it with my students even though my students are beginners. I completely agree with you that maybe the board is too high for students to use all the parts of it. Also the children of seven or eight years old are not able to write the words in English Language at these ages. Also this is not so creative work for students; they want to be involved all the students’ not just one of that group. There is no possibility to give them homework to write. I would give them for homework this kind of exercise that was for class work. I would write all the words if they are eight years old and the students’ task would be to draw what is written and to match them with appropriate words. I wouldn’t use this kind of activity in my classroom because I think students may feel bored of drawing.
Group 1
ReplyDeleteQ1 This activity was presented by our group. I think that it was fun, because a lot of children like to draw, and they often scribble on their notebooks, so why not give them a productive scribbling task. However, I myself do not like to draw, and I am very bad at drawing, so I am not sure I would do a very appropriate job presenting the boy. I will definitely try,and I will put the objects and body parts in the right place, but it will not very presentable. Often students tend to get discouraged when they cannot get something right. Thus, I would make sure that they have covered all the vocabulary, and they were familiar with the South Hampton cartoons, so that there aren’t any discrepancies, and I will emphasize, as I did, that I will not grade their drawing skills. If this activity was done with smaller students, much younger students, I would probably have them draw one thing at a time, i.e. first class physical appearance, second class clothes, third class something else, but not all in one class. So, it all depends on the level of the students. As long as we adjust the difficulty level to our students’ age and abilities, we will be right on target.
Q2. I think we achieved our purpose, reinforcement, because everybody did a wonderful job. Some of my classmates were even creative.
Q3. It will work for me as long as I don’t have to show my picture to the class, because I can’t draw. And, I did drawings at school when I was studying and I didn’t like the activities, and I always complained. :( However, drawing is letting your imagination work, and it is very productive and very stimulating, thus it should be provoked and students like me, who don’t like drawing, should be encouraged.
Group 2
Q1. I think that this activity will be effective for any teaching context, especially for ESP, because the ESP field provides many exploration opportunities. Whether it’s ESP for medicine, dentistry, business, the activity can be adjusted to any field. Interview role play, doctor and patient role play, tourist talking to the clerk at a reception desk role play, and many more; it can be adjusted to basically any context. I think it will be very successful, because it is not the usual reading and repeating from the book, or drilling.
This particular activity will not work with my online students because we are on different continents. I could adjust it a bit. I can use this activity and have them talk to a travel agent on the phone, or have them pretend they have business presentations with their companies, and so on. They won’t be able to actually shake the interviewer’s hand, or sit down in the doctor’s office, but the visual effects will be wonderful. This activity is useful because the students need to know the vocabulary in order to be able to use them to have a meaningful conversation.
Q2. I think that the group did achieve the goal, and they did reinforce the vocabulary. It was right on target. I would also agree with two comments. As Ms Sabrina said, the students are younger and get restless easily, and the discipline might become and issue. Natasa had the same comment. Kids often loose interest very quickly. I would actually have to be in the classroom, to see how they would react, and act upon their reaction, because I have no idea what they might do. I think we need to be part of the classroom, and spend some time with the kids in order to know how to get their attention. It is very difficult to give advices for a hypothetical situation.
Q3. I did activities like this one when I was a student, and I enjoyed them. I remember we always liked to play a librarian and the students. We always fought over the role of the librarian. This type of activity is a hands-on-activity and is very useful for all types of students, auditory, visual,and especially kinesthetic.
Group 3
Q1. This activity can also be used for any context. But I think it was a little confusing because it had all those rooms. Maybe, if the students had to do one room at a time, it might be more efficient. Somebody might not agree with me, but this is only my opinion. To me the instructions were a little confusing, because my group never got to use the little piece of paper they gave us. And, if the instructions were confusing to me, they would definitely be confusing to a young learner. When young learners don’t understand something, they often stand up and move around and ask many questions, and get frustrated if they don’t know what to do. Therefore, one room at a time and a more detailed instruction are two things to consider into detail for this activity. Incorporating all of the rooms, with all of the objects would be an appropriate activity for an older group of students.
Q2. As I said, it was a little confusing at the beginning, but we all managed to do it, and I think with appropriate instruction, and appropriate difficulty level, the activity can be adjusted to any context. The goal was achieved.
Q3. I don’t know if this activity would work for me. I am terrible at drawing, and when we have a drawing activity I always complain. And, even though teachers point out that they will not grade the drawing skills, there will always be somebody like me who will complain. As I said in my comment about our presentation, students who don’t like to draw should be encouraged, because drawing comes from our imagination. If we have imagination that means we are motivated. And, if we are motivated, then we can learn anything.
Group 4
Q1. This is an activity I really liked and like. I think it can be used with any context, but not with extremely young learners or beginners. It is more appropriate with adults, young adults, and ESP students, i.e. pre-intermediate, intermediate, post-intermediate and advanced students. The students can also be divided in teams, and it provokes their competitive spirit, and they all want to win, and they think very hard, because they don’t want to make mistakes, and lose. It can be used with any context. I can use it with my students because I can see all of them at the same time on the window, and they can actually click on the multiple choices and it will be very fun. We do similar activities like these, and the students like to dress up, and they pretend that they are on national television.
Q2. The goal was achieved, and it was a wonderful activity. I really liked it.
Q3. I did participate in activities like these when I was a student in the USA. It is similar to playing Jeopardy, and it was very fun and motivating.
I think that we all did a good job provided the time we were given. We all accomplished our set goals. It is very different and very easier when a teacher plans activities for her own class, and knows her students. However, working with a hypothetical situation enables us to be very alert, decisive, and always be ready for a plan B in case plan A doesn’t work, because plan A sometimes doesn’t work.
Adriana, it's the South Park cartoons :)
ReplyDeleteI told you I have never seen it before :)
ReplyDeleteObserving the all four presentation, I would have to admit that each presentation was very detailed constructed which have contributed only positive effects. Moreover I think that all of these four presentations would be a very helpful in my classroom. Firstly, for the reason that all of the presentations were well structured, the words were chosen according to the student’s level which is most important part of the learning process. Another point I would like to point out is also choosing the appropriate vocabulary that have to be taught for that class and at the same time is possible to present through this type of activities the organization was also well formed and the motivation of the students was on a very high level. But if we planning to have consolidation class with students yes these might be a good activities but if we have class where we have to teach a new vocabulary then I think that a few problems that might occur. As I have experienced in my own classes, not all of the words planned for that class can be taught and be remembered during that class. That is why, I would like to say that I was slightly skeptical with one of the presentation that might have not been good for my class. I found it interesting yet not very practical since I have to take in consideration that for some of the students these words might be difficult to remember and some would not be even concerned to remember the words.
ReplyDeleteTherefore, I would have to say that in my classroom would not work the presentation where students had to do the drawing of the clothes. The only reason that I am saying this is because that will have difficulties to understand with those extra words that are said by the teacher because some of them simply do not understand and they immediately would start copping from the other students. So they would not be focused on that that they might understand those word from the context and guess it. So, what I would do is that I would have to stick only to one word at the time and repeat them several times. For instance I would say only “draw a T-shirt” and not “draw a T-shirt with horizontal stripes”. I think that on this way my class would be more efficient. As a conclusion I have to stay that in the end again all depend on students level and how much students are eager to learn the vocabulary of that language.
2) What was the purpose/goal of each presentation? Was the purpose/goal achieved?
ReplyDelete- According to my opinion, the purpose of each presentation that has been made by each group was how to teach and explain to the students the new vocabulary that is designed for that class. Also, another point that is very important by making this presentation is that in this way students will memorize the words faster then in that traditional way that teacher usually has been teaching the students. In some of the presentations I can say that the goals were achieved but with some help of the teachers for the reason that students could not still relay on their own knowledge. Perhaps this would be much achievable if the students have had more detailed explanation on the activity that was planned for that class.
3) Would the activities presented have helped you learn the vocabulary if you had been the learner?
- I personally believe, that it might be helpful possibly some of the activities. But I also have to say that the student’s level is also very important and as I saw from the activities some of the presentations were not appropriate for the students and the level of the students. They were not compatible. Therefore I must say that I would be more puzzled and discouraged because I could not follow the activity. Apart from this some of the activities were very helpful for me and I am sure that would helped me a lot to learn if not the complete vocabulary then possibly more than the partly of the words.
1) In what other teaching contexts would these activities work?
- These activities could be much helpful if students have to learn about the weather and the seasons of the year so if we as teachers explain this to the students through this type of activities would be more fun and more memorable for the students itself also, I would apply this activities when learning a vocabulary about clothes or food which could be also very motivating and they would be very encouraged to continue with solving the activity so they can see at the end the result of their knowledge.
SELF-REFLECTION
ReplyDeleteThe presentation that in my opinion will be the most useful one is the presentation with “drawing the boy”. First of all, I think that this activity is effective since all of the students are actively involved in the activity; it is presented in an interesting and amusing way and promotes creativity. What I also like in this activity is that the students practice their listening skills. One thing that I consider as a major advantage is that the students need to recall or refer to words and adjectives which have been learned long time ago according to my assumption. This was a reinforcement activity; however several lexical sets were included in the activity, which engage the students to refer to words that they have learned before. It was hard for me to determine on which lexical set the activity focuses since there were several. Yet, I think that involving different lexical sets; ones that are revised and others that are recalled from long-term memory is an effective way to practice and revise as much vocabulary. There some weaknesses likewise, in the activity there was no spelling practice and writing as well, since the students draw during the whole activity. Therefore I think that the most effective use of this activity would be at low level lessons. I also want to add that this activity is valuable for the beginning stages of the lesson plan, because the activity focuses on identifying vocabulary items.
As I mentioned, in my opinion this activity will be suitable for younger beginner level learners. I think that it will work in my classroom with my 3rd grade students; they are 8 years old children at the beginner level. I think that the younger learners will benefit more than the older because this activity is mainly focused on identifying vocabulary items. New vocabulary items are usually presented by realia and flashcard for the younger students and the goals are set around identifying and naming words, therefore I state that this activity is suitable for this type of learners. Unlike the lower levels, in the upper levels the words are learned by actual usage in a communication.
In order to make this activity appropriate for my classroom with my younger learners I will make few modifications. This activity can be applied for reinforcement or either for revision. Since I want to involve few lexical sets from several lessons it would be more appropriate for revision. Within this activity I want to revise the parts of the head, the adjectives and the colors as well. First of all, my activity will be on a very low lever unlike the activity form the presentation. I will revise the following words: eyes, hair, mouth, and nose, ears, big, small, red, blue, blonde, pink, green, and yellow. These words have been presented to the students in few lessons, whereas the colors were taught three months ago. An advantage of this activity is that I can include vocabulary items that are stored in long-term learners’ memory since they taught it few months ago. I plan to give four sheets in which there is drawn only the head without its parts. I will explain the students what they need to do. I will tell them that they will draw what I will say them to draw. For example, if I say big eyes, they will draw big eyes. I plan students to draw: blue eyes, big nose, small red mouth, big ears, big pink mouth, green eyes etc. They have four sheets so they can practice with a few variations of the vocabulary items. I think that this activity is suitable for them because they have learned the words by flashcards and have created mental lexicon stored by images. So, when I taught them these words they stored some images, but now I want those images back. I want to do the reverse process, which would be easier and faster for production in this case drawing. If they have learned the words by images, they will easer recall by drawing those images. A reason more for applying this activity is that is fun and amusing, younger learners are motivated and reinforced when they are participating this kind of activities. They prefer game-playing and drawing activities rather than typical activities in which drilling and repeating is included.
Hi,everyone!I feel very pleased to discuss with my teacher and my colleagues this way.I spent a great time reading other comments and having a chance to give my comment as well.I really enjoyed this kind of discussion-the online discussions and i would like to continue this way of discussing together,facing the same problem and solving it together.An old proverb goes that'two heads can solve a problem in a easier way than only one head'.
ReplyDeleteGroup 1.
I must admit that I had a great fun while doing this activity-drawing a boy.I
I would use the drawing activity with my pupils.I think that it's funnier for primary school pupils than for high school students.
I have done a similar activity with my 3rd and 4th class pupils,but in a different way.I presented the parts of the face and the body to them.
I agree with professor Sabrina when she said that the presenters should have gone step by step with this activity.High school students need a concentration although they are not very young learners.The teachers should have gave them a better feedback,maybe choose the best drawing,show that to the other students and analyzeit together.For example,the presenters said to me that I have done a very funny and interesting boy,a modern one.But,it should have been presented in front of the class.however,I had fun and laughed a lot.i spent a good time doing this activity.
I think that this kind of activity will work in my classroom.As far as I teach the 1st-4th class pupils,the drawing will be a motivating and an enjoyable activity.I often use these drawing activities in my classroom.They are very young learners and they like to learn the language through drawing and colouring.
1)I think that this activity will work with older pupils from the primary school or maybe in a high school.Why not?Learners like to learn the language in a less stressful way,more relaxed and by not being aware that they are going to be evaluated or marked.
2)The purpose of this activity was the students to reinforce their vocabulary,the parts of the face/body.I think that this goal was achieved.However,I think that it depends of the learners' age,level,learning styles,memory capacity as well.We did a good job in class,but it was only an acting part.It depends how the younger students would do this activity and achieve their aim.Finally,our presenters did a good job.
3)If I were a learner,this activity would work.
I have always had talent in languages,especially in English,drawing as well.
Group 2.
ReplyDeleteI was a member of group 2.
Thank you Sabrina for giving us the feedback of our presentations.I think that our presentation about the fruits was very motivating and funny.I know that because I teach the 1st class pupils-6-7 years old pupils.They like to do these kind of activities in classroom because all of us feel more relaxed.I like and accept critics.In my opinion,critics or feedbacks are an imrovement,not a judgement.It hadn't ever happen to me my pupils not to cooperate if i don't give them candies as Natasha said.It is true that when i promised them candies,the next class they asked me about that.when I don't have them,I promise them that the next class i will bring their deserved gifts.However,I keep promises and I enjoy making them happy with candies and other gifts.I love them and they love me too!!
I often use realia in my classroom.My pupils like that!
These kind of activities will work in my classroom.I would modify something.I would like all my pupils to be engeged in the activity ,but being careful our class not to be a caotic one.As my colleagues mentioned,children are children and they like to be themselves.So,we should understand their world,their age.I must admit that we as presenters liked to use original fruits in calss,but since there was a limit of our time and no conditions for buying(the campus market was closed at that time),we choosed to draw the fruits on the paper and....you know the rest of the activity.Thank you all for participating and 'being' 7 years old pupils!!!
1)I think that this activity would work with higher pupils,maybe until 4th class, whom I teach.I think it's appropriate for this leve,and age.This kind of activity is appropriate for ESP(English for specific purposes)such as tourism or medicine and so on.
2)Our goal was to undrestand and learn better the names of the fruits.Our 'pupils'achieved their aim-they reinforced their vocabulary(fruits).
3)If I would be a learner,this kind of activity wiil work and help me feel more relaxed and learn the names of the fruits better.we cannot expect so much conversations from our 7 years pupils.We should organize them and teach the main expressions such as asking about the price,the colour and so on.
I use the realia in my classroom and we had a great time in class.
Group 3.
ReplyDeleteI agree with our Professor Sabrina that 7-8 years pupils should have been put into the groups because there will be a caotic situation.I agree that the handouts or the worksheets would be very useful.Each pupil would have in front of him/her the vocabulary,the picture,the activity as well.
I would use this activity,but in a simplier way.I have done this activity with my 3rd and 4th class pupils.I have brought a big poster in the class and other smaller posters,all photocopied.There were the rooms of the house;the bedroom,kitchen,living room,dinning room and the bathroom.My students could have a good view of all the furnitures inside the house.
1)I think that this activity would work with other ages.Even older learners don't have a clue about some parts in the house.So,there is a good thing if sometimes learners do a repetition-repeat their vocabulary even in older ages.However,we as teachers should be careful in our presentations and follow-up activities.
2)The goal was to understand better the parts,the rooms, and the furniture of the house.The goal was achieved.However,the 7 year pupils should be taken more into consideration and paying attention to them.I agree with Sabrina that the teacher should be careful if her/his pupils can reach the top of the table.so,the worksheets are more appropriate for this age.At the end,they could colour the rooms with the colours they like.
3)If I were a learner,this activity would work for me.But,as the teacher said,I wouldn't reach the top of the whiteboard.So,I would like to have the handouts in front of me.
I spent a great time!!
Group 4.
ReplyDeleteI had a great fun watching this show!I would use this in my classroom.Actually,I have used this activity when I worked in a high economic school two years ago.I divided my 4th year students in groups,gave them the questions they needed.Then,they had to play the role of the speaker and the candidates.At the end of the game,there were scores,different cheques with written prices on them,or gifts.
I would use this with my pupils as well.But,as far as I teach the 1st until 4th class pupils,I would prepare a quizz with simplier
words,different contexts.
1)I would use another words such as the rooms of the house,food,parts of the body and so on.
I would use this quizz with 'older'pupils such as 8th class pupils.
2)The purpose was to have fun and reinforce the vocabulary learned before.I think that the goal was achieved.However,I think that we as the public should have had handouts with the questions on them.
3)If I were a learner,a high school student,
this activity would work.However,as I said,the handouts are more appropriate for each student in this case.
I enjoyed being present in all 4 presentations.That day was special for me.We met each other better and I had fun being an actress and an audience.
Best wishes to Sabrina and my classmates!!!
See you!!!!
Group 1
ReplyDeleteThe drawing activity presented by the first group was really interesting and fun. By doing this kind of activity the students get more engaged in the class and they enjoy doing it. If I were teaching I would use this activity with intermediate high school students as the presenters did, but this activity will also be appropriate with primary school students, and taking into consideration their level, it is better if it is not too detailed. Another drawing activity that would work with intermediate learners is; for example, from the new words that the learners are supposed to learn, we choose one word which is explained by a definition. The learners should draw a picture about how they read the definition and to illustrate its meaning through drawing.
Reinforcement was the purpose of the activity and it was achieved, because all the students did a good job and their drawing was exactly the same with the instructions that the presenters gave.
I think that this activity would work for me because it is very creative and the students get more motivated while doing this kind of activities.
Group 2
The activity presented by the second group was a good one. Using realia with beginners it is very important because they get the words through the pictures and it is very appropriate for their level. I would use this activity with beginners as the presenters did. I would use the same activity only with small modifications, such as using plastic fruits and it would be better if we divide them into groups of three or of four and give them (fake) money. Each group should have the same amount of money and then they go to the store to buy the fruits by using the terms.
The purpose of the activity was reinforcement and it was achieved and as some colleagues mentioned that using this kind of activity, the class might get noisy.
I think that this activity would work for me because the learners enjoy doing it, it is appropriate for that age and the learners remember the vocabulary better when using pictures or objects.
Group 3
This was a good activity and it can be used in any teaching context. However, the age is not very appropriate, because they are very young to write sentences. Also, it would be very confusing for them if we teach all the rooms at once. This activity would work better with intermediate learners and also it is good if we put them to work in groups. This activity was an interesting one and involved drawing which is very suitable for teaching that kind of vocabulary.
The aim was achieved and I enjoyed the activity.
I think that this activity would work for me because it is interesting and very fun, the learners will enjoy doing this activity.
Group 2.
ReplyDeleteThough in the beginning the presenter was a little bit unspecific and unclear about the task, but with her peer feedback it turned out to be a very interactive activity. Such an approach is especially appropriate if teaching beginners, where translation is not an option. This lesson typically involved the teacher demonstrating actions, using “real objects” and then getting the learners to perform the same or similar actions in response to commands. The use of pictures or objects as prompts for vocabulary teaching can be enhanced if some basic principles of memory are taken into account, including the principle of distributed practice. In teaching a set of, lets say in this case ten fruits, it is important to keep reviewing the previously introduced items, preferably in a varying order. If the fruits were real-students might get frustrated, even some of them might cry-so my advice to you is that don’t try this activity with real fruits except pictures.
Group3.
There was quite a high vocabulary load in this task if learned for the first time to beginners or even elementary level, including the furniture and electrical appliances, classroom and business items, local amenities-including drawings on the black board which I considered a waste of time. There was too much moving around the class, lots of noise, thus the situation could turn into chaos and the task loses its value and purpose. Also, we should be aware that some students lack drawing skills, so this might demotivate them. But, again, in making use of the immediate environment of the classroom, and of the things that can be brought into the classroom, the intention was to replicate the experience of learning one’s mother tongue. Generally a good presentation.
Group 4.
I would rather choose Group 4 as a best presentation yet, because of the interaction between teacher and student. There was a lot of excitement, and the game really looked interesting. I think that these kinds of games encourage students to recall words, and preferably at speed. I’m waiting impatiently to use it with my high-school students. Well done!
Self-Reflection
ReplyDeleteFrom what I saw the previous class, I can say that there were many interesting ideas that would be useful in my teaching career!
All the groups came up with great ideas of how they can teach vocabulary in interesting ways. However, there are some things that I would have modified! What I want to say it is not a criticism, but a correction to the groups that made some mistakes, and that was because we had 45 minutes to get prepared. The activity that the third group used was a very good activity and also very entertaining; however, I don’t think it fits their age! They are 7 year old which means they can hardly understand the English language also it might be confusing if we introduce to them all the rooms at once. The things that I would do differently is to use the activity with 9 year old learners, to introduce for example two rooms at once one with drawing and the other one writing the items and also to put them into groups, which is very important because putting them into groups will engage all the learners, and to use the vocabulary that it is needed, otherwise, great game and very interesting. Another activity that I would use is the game show performed by our group. The students get motivated while doing this activity and it would be really fun. The learners are interested to do activities like this one. Great chance to be a millionaire after all! :). We saw the reaction of the learners while doing this activity. The game show is hilarious that would encourage anyone to participate. It could also be used before the teacher tests the students for a particular unit. It won’t be boring; anyone would try to guess as many words as they can, plus, they had three jokers, same as in the real game show, so if they get stuck in a word, to not give up but to use the jokers.
After all, I could conclude that I really enjoyed the games and that they will definitely be part of my teaching. Even though I don’t teach I think that these activities would be a very good choice to introduce the learners with the new words.
For the presentations
ReplyDeleteGroup 1
Q#1
This activity was very well thought and good instructed. It can be useful for other contexts, for example it can be used for plants, such as “drawing a tree” and we can ask the students draw all the parts of the tree including the worm eating the fruit. The same activity can be used in many ways. It is very creative, and makes students remember/recall the words they have learned so far.
The goal was achieved, it was reinforcement. Teacher could see if there were words students did not remember. We had fun doing that activity. And I liked that the most.
I do not remember to take part in such kind of activity. But yes, I do think that this could have helped me a lot for learning the new words, reinforcing them. I do not like drawing, though. Because I am not good at that, but if the teacher says that he/she would not consider the drawing, than I wouldn’t have any problem.
Group 2
It was a good presentation, and it can be used with any context. That can be also used for vegetables, things that are eatable; also for other stuff like kitchen object, house objects, in the supermarket etc. This presentation should have more instructions, or better organization. Because some students ended up without fruit and some other got two. This can make a chaos in the class as young learners may get disappointed if they got no fruit.
The goal was reinforcement, and it was achieved.
This activity would be enjoyable for me, especially young learners like role play activities. It may be a bit problem for shy students, but this activity is an opportunity to recover their shyness a bit.
Group 3
This was my group. I agree with all the colleagues, a better job could be done here. However, I think it is a god way of learning new words. And also it is interesting because there we had drawing and guessing stuff. This activity can be used for every context also. But I agree with Sabrina that students of 7-8 cannot reach the whiteboard. So when practicing this activity with small children we can give them handouts. We can use the whiteboard in this activity with grown up and tall students, that can reach the board.
I think that the goal was achieved, as the students had to draw the words they read on the list given to them.
I like this kind of activities, as I do not have to talk much. This activity would be very interesting and useful if I was given one of this kind.
Group 4
Very motivating. All of us had fun with this activity. This activity can be given in every context. But this is not a very good choice for beginners. They will not have fun with this activity as they do not know many words. As Adriana said this activity can be very enthusiastic with pre-intermediate, intermediate, upper-intermediate, and advanced learners. As their vocabulary is richer.
The goal was achieved, the words were reinforced, and the good thing was that when the teacher asked the one student that was playing in the middle of the class, all the other could hear and at the same time think of that word, which one is the correct.
It would be very enjoyable for me, but a bit problematic. As I mentioned before shy students are not comfortable to go in front of the class and talk. It is motivating, though.
For self reflection
I liked all the presentations. All of them would work, because we had fun with all the activities, my students will enjoy that much more. I wouldn’t prefer to use the presentation of group #4, because my students are elementary students, so I think that activity is more suitable for higher levels. I mostly liked the activity “drawing the boy” (group #1). My students like these kind of activities, and everyone tries to be the best one in the class. And in that activity everyone has to do the drawing by himself, not asking for help from their friends or the teacher. There were a lot of details; I liked that and sometimes repeating the instructions is good because my students forget things easily. And they keep asking me the same things, after a while when I ask them they do not remember what I have explained them. So I liked this activity, because it makes a picture of what they hear, and they immediately make a picture of that in their minds, after that they draw it. This helps them commit the vocabulary to memory. In addition, I think that this activity should be done after we assume the students have mastered the words we will be asking. If we do this activity immediately after the class we have taught them, than it won’t have any success. Students will not have fun doing that, because they for sure, won’t remember the majority of the words.
group 1 - i liked the activity first because the students hade fun they laught a lot, second they used their imagination and their talen for drawing, also the students listen carefully what the teacher is saying to them so at the same time students are practicing listening also drawing and having fun.
ReplyDeletethis kind of activity helps students to get involved and to participate because at the same time they have fun and they will learn also.the students were good at this activiy they draw a man which the isntructions were given by the teacher.
group 2 - this activity was good also, but for littel children in this way children can rembemer words better and when they will need it to use the words. i didnt liked was the organization of the activity it was a little bit borring we may consider that children may feel frustrated if they dont know the answer, and even though that the activity was with fruits most of the children all the time think what to eat so teachers should be carefull and to motivate students and to encourage them, but it was good for the reason that children can remember better the new vocabulary.
group 3 - this was also good activity i hade fun and for the students it would be fun also, because they can discribe their rooms and tell what they have, so in this way and with this activity the teacher can achieve a lot and the studnets would learn a lot of new thing and new vocabulary. another thing that i liked it was that all the students were involved in the cativity we didint get borred.