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Wednesday, November 21, 2012

TPR

Hello again! we can share with you some contents related to the TPR (Total Physical Response).

What is TPR?

TPR is a method of teaching language using physical movement to react to verbal input in order to reduce student inhibitions and lower their affective filter.
  • Total Physical Response(TPR) is due to James Asher.
  • TPR is an example of Comprehension Approach.
  • The emphasis is given to listening comprehension.
  • Children listen and respond with actions.
  • Speaking is a natural product of listening.
  • Game like movements reduce stress.
  •  Language chunks are practice rather than single items.
  • No grammar explanation is given.
  • Listen before speaking. 
TPR is not: Simon says, gesture based songs, simply using commands to practice English.


You can watch this video to learn more about TPR.





Now, we attach a scheme about Language teaching TPR Principles:


 

Thursday, November 15, 2012

+ Assessment

In this post, we attach the slides which correspond to the videos for reflecting about the assessment for learning.




Vídeo 1

1. The way assessment for learning was delivered in the video.

In this video, teachers use the following ways of assess the learning:

* Peer assessment.

* Self-assessment.

* Teacher make questions to students.

2. The benefits this strategy had for the pupils in the lesson.

We believe that, self-assessment help students to reflect about their own learning. It is a key strategy to involve students in taking more responsibility for their own learning. Perhaps the biggest drawback is that it requires greater involvement by the teacher.

On the other hand, peer assessment can be considered part of peer tutoring. As with other forms of peer tutoring.

3. Any planning or resources that had been prepared by the teacher.

The resources that had been prepared by the teacher are: self-assessment sheet.

4. what ideas or thoughts the video has provoked for your own lessons.

We think that the teacher shouldn’t the only person that assess the process of teaching-learning but children have to be aware of their learning acquisition, for the learning be more effective.

Vídeo 2

 1.  The way assessment for learning was delivered in the video.
    
  In the video the teacher uses two different ways of assessment:

             * Peer assessment

             * Self assessment

 2.  The benefits this strategy had for the pupils in the lesson.

The children are more confident, responsible, and independent. They also realize what and why they are learning, and how they can improve it. Moreover, they can see what’s wrong and how they can correct their own mistakes.

 3. Any planning or resources that had been prepared by the teacher.

Traffic lights, they have a notebook with different traffic lights. The red means 'I understand this work. I think I am ready to move on'. The yellow means 'I understand some part of this. I would like more time to work on it. And the red says ‘ I found this very difficult to understand I would like more help with this’.

- Looking for mistakes of a reading.

 4.  what ideas or thoughts the video has provoked for your own lesson.

Not only the teacher is the factor of the class what have to evaluate the learning, also children can and have to reflect on their own learning because in this way they could look for strategies to improve their learning. On the other hand, if something goes wrong we can adapt our lesson, in order to make meaningful the teaching learning process.

  
Vídeo 3

1.  The way assessment for learning was delivered in the video.

In this video, teachers use three ways of assess the learning:


 Observation: teacher does this assessment when she observes how children reflect upon the     new knowledge that they have acquire.

*   Peer Assessment: it has to do with the assessment that the teacher does when she asks them in which way can improve the performance of their classmates.

* Self-assessment: in the video we can see this kind of assessment when children have to put their thumb up, medium or down depending of the difficult that the activity has for them.

2.  The benefits this strategy had for the pupils in the lesson.

In our opinion, with this strategy children can be aware of their teaching-learning process and reflect on it.


3. Any planning or resources that had been prepared by the teacher.

In this lesson, the teacher has considered a good resource bring to class a woman who represent the Queen, when children ask her the questions, it will be more motivating and funny than read the information in a document.
Another good point is performances, through them children can acquire knowledge and also it is very useful to make pair assessment.

     4. What ideas or thoughts the video has provoked for your own lessons.

For us, the video shows a lot of ideas of how make children participate of their learning process. For this aspect, pair assessment and self-assessment is very important.

Friday, November 9, 2012

Our own rubric

In this post we attach a rubric that we have done for the subject Management, planning and assessment of the foreign language. Though this rubric we will evaluate the skill of writing and it is destined for the 3º grade of primary school.

Writing activity

1. Pre-writing

The teacher promotes in classroom a topic. (e.g.: My Family). Then, the teacher asks children about their family, how is their family, how many people are in their family, how are they like? And the teacher even say them something about his/her family, in this way children will be more motivated and interesting about the topic. Then, the teacher is going to show his/her children a key vocabulary using flashcards (He/She is going to show them a flashcard and explain who appears on it (father, mother, son, daughter, grandfather, grandmother, sister and brother).

2. While-writing

They will have to write about their family, how many people are in their family, what are their names and how they are like. Then, the teacher asks them where would be their ideal vacation with their family. (It doesn’t matter if they don’t know to say something in English, the teacher will help them, the main aim of the activity is that the children produce a legible, creative, and organized writing.

3. Post-writing

When they will finish the activity, we ask for a volunteer who wants to show the rest of the class his/her writing, in this way he/she is developing her/his oral skills.


Writing Rubric
Necesita mejorar
Podría estar mejor
¡Buen trabajo!
¡Excelente!
%


 

Contenidos
Los contenidos presentados no se acercan a los esperados.Acercamiento a los contenidos tratados en clase.El alumno ha puesto en práctica los contenidos aprendidos en clase.El alumno ha expuesto los contenidos de una manera lógica y ordenada además de introducir propuestas.


   
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Organización/ Estructura de los contenidos
Está desorganizado sin una secuencia lógica de ideas.El alumno ha ordenado de manera confusa los contenidos, aparecen en un grado muy leve algunos mecanismos de orden (after, secondly,etc).Uso apropiado de mecanismos de coherencia y cohesión.

Está organizado de manera entrecortada, con una secuencia de ideas lógica pero incompleta.
Uso adecuado de mecanismos de coherencia y cohesión.

Está muy bien organizado, con una secuencia lógica de las ideas.

   
  



15





 

Gramática y vocabulario
Uso inadecuado del vocabulario básico así como una notable ausencia del vocabulario específico del tema y de estructuras gramaticales con errores frecuentes.Uso adecuado de vocabulario básico, sin embargo hay una ausencia en el vocabulario específico del tema y de estructuras gramaticales simples y complejas con algunos errores.Uso adecuado y variado de vocabulario tanto básico como específico y de estructuras gramaticales complejas con pocos errores.Uso adecuado y variado de vocabulario (específico y básico) y de estructuras gramaticales complejas  sin errores.

  



20








Creatividad/
Originalidad
El número de respuestas que el alumno/a emite es muy reducido.

Produce escasas categorías de respuestas diferenciadas.

Las respuestas que emite son frecuentes.
Emite pocas respuestas.

En ocasiones esporádicas produce categorías de respuestas diferenciadas.

Empieza a producir respuestas menos frecuentes.
Emite un número aceptable de respuestas.

Produce un número adecuado de categorías diferentes de respuestas.

En la mayoría de ocasiones produce respuestas poco frecuentes en el entorno.
Es capaz de producir muchas ideas.

Es capaz de ver y abordar las situaciones de formas diferentes.

Produce respuestas que son poco frecuentes en el entorno.






 


15



Presentación /uso del lenguaje
El texto resulta incomprensible. Dado que no ha tenido en cuenta aspectos como el orden en la escritura, la separación de párrafos, márgenes, etc.El texto es comprensible pero requiere que el lector descifre el texto sometiéndose a un gran esfuerzo.El texto es comprensible. Requiere aclaraciones mínimas por parte del lector.El texto es comprensible. No requiere aclaraciones por el lector. Se puede leer de una forma amena y sin interrupciones.
   


10



Ortografía y puntuación
La escritura de las palabras es incorrecta. La puntuación y el uso de las mayúsculas son utilizados de forma inapropiada.La escritura de algunas palabras es  correcta. La puntuación y el uso de las mayúsculas es a veces correcto.La mayoría de las palabras están escritas correctamente. La puntuación y el uso de las mayúsculas son correctos.Todas las palabras están escritas correctamente.
La puntuación y el uso de las mayúsculas son también correctos.

   


20






Thursday, November 8, 2012

Learn more about Bloom's taxonomy


Remembering: Has to do with what information can remember our pupils.

Understanding: Children are or not are be able to explain ideas and concepts.

Applying: Can our students use the information to do something new, in a new situation?

Analyzing: Has to do with the ability of the children to recognise differents things/parts about what they have done.

Evaluating: Can students give an oppion or justify a decision?

Creating: If they are be able to create a new producte or if they are be able to give a new point of view.

There are six different domains: remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate and create.
We can alsodivide it in two different cognition levels: lower cognitive questions (remember, understand and apply) or higher cognitive questions (analyze, evaluate and create).

Examples of activities:

Remembering

- Match character names with pictures of the characters.

- What is the main idea of...?

- Make a time line of your typical day.

Understanding

- Write and perform a play based on the story.

- Can you write in your own words?

- Cut out, or draw pictures to illustrate a particular event in the story.

Applying

- Paint a mural using the same materials.

- Dress a doll in national costume.

- Construct a model to demonstrate how it looks or works.

Analyzing

- Can you explain what must have happened when...?

- What are some or the problem of...?

- Can you distinguish between...?

Evaluating 

- Prepare and conduct a debate.

- Is there a better solution to...?

- Do you think...is a good or bad thing?

Creating

- Invent a machine to do a especif task.

- Create a new product. Give it a name and plan a marketing campaign.

- Write a TV show play, puppet show, role play, song or pantomime about...


Monday, November 5, 2012

In this post we attach some questions relationated with the rubric that we have done for the subject Management, planning and assessment of the foreign language.


1) Which elements does the RUBRIC introduce in the learning process?


We think that a rubric takes into account a lot of elements of the teaching-learning process:


* To know what are the competences we expect that our children develop
* To be able to achieve our goals.
* To develop the creativity and autonomy of our children.


Also, with this tool students can acquire independence, autonomy, etc. And we can assess the learning of concepts, strategies and attitudes.


2) How does it help the students/pupils?


It provides feedback to our students in order to discover their strength and weakness, their goals, what the teacher expect from them. It encourages them to be more creative, original, hard workers, etc. 
Also, thanks to the rubric students have an important prominence in their own learning and they know what the criteria by which they will be evaluated.

3) Why is it good for the teacher? How will using a rubric help me as a teacher?



The rubric is good for the teachers for different reasons. Firstly,  the teacher can define the learning objectives and how to achieve them, and clearly the task.


  1. Rubrics create a focus on instruction and learning.


  1. Rubrics improve the clarity of the feedback provided to students and them get a clear description of their strengths and weaknesses.


  1. Rubrics characterize the desired results/products of student work objectively, they give students clear instruction about the instructor’s expectations for an assignment.


  1. Rubrics are operational definitions for the standards used to evaluate performance and  enables multiple graders to evaluate student work consistently and reliably.


  1. Students can use a rubric to assess their own work  and they can have a better idea about whether they are meeting expectations before they submit their work for formal evaluation; thus, rubrics develop competence in self-evaluation.
  2. Rubrics engage students in the learning process , when students can describe exactly what is expected of them, they may be more strongly motivated to work to meet these expectations.

4) Can you think of advantages and disadvantages ?


Advantages of rubrics


* Teachers can increase the quality of their direct instruction by providing focus, emphasis, and attention to particular details as a model for students.


* Students have explicit guidelines regarding teacher expectations.


* Forces the teacher to clarify criteria in detail.


* Giving the child more control of their own learning process.


* Rubrics help students become better judges of the quality of their own work.


* Rubrics allow assessment to be more objective and consistent.

* Rubrics force the teacher to clarify his/her criteria in specific terms.


* It produces a feedback of the process.


Disadvantages of rubrics


* Their development requires a lot of time.


* If the criteria that is in the rubric is too complex, students may feel overwhelmed with the assignment, and little success may be imminent.


* For the teacher creating the rubric, they may find the task of developing, testing, evaluating, and updating time consuming.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Storytelling

How would you do a storytelling? Remember is TELLING don't READING.

Last year we had to do an storytelling, you can use it like a model .)


In this video you can see one member of our group (Marta León, the teacher) and one of our classmate (Cristina Muñoz).

What's a storytelling? 

Storytelling has to do with tell a story using gestures, different tone of voice, facial expressions, etc. It's not the same as reading a story aloud or reciting a text from memory. When you do a storytelling you take into account your learners, they have to participate on it.