Make Your Students Active Learners!

In one of my previous blogposts I was speaking about playing children, how important playng games is for them, how games make children become so creative, energetic and how games help them  direct themselves and  find their place in the world.

So it’s high time for the playng child to go to school.Is it possible to expect them to sit quietly and listen for the teacher for hours without moving, is it fair to ban them playng and say “YOU ARE  ALREADY A GROWN  UP”. I myself wouldn’t dare to do so with my own children and my pupils as well.   Think back to when you were in school.  Did you like to sit at a desk and listen to the teacher? The pasive learnig is demotivating and boring.We should have our pupils actively participate in the learniong process.

There are many ways and one of them is through“PLAYING GAMES”.If the teacher might normally ask her pupils a wordlist she’d better have them practice it through WORD GAMES.

                                                    

Playing games can help the teacher use points and competition as a motivator, but not for kids under six who may find the competition too stressful.  For them, just playing the game is motivating enough. 

Any aspect of language structure can provide the basis for a game.

The game “WORD SQUARES” is very intersting to play. The aim is to make up words of equal length which read both horizontally and vertically.The are many other types of word games:”Burried Words”,where words have to be found within sentences, in “Words Within Words”the aim is to make as many words as possible, “Grid Games” aim at building up words using letters. There are different levels of  “Word Mazes”. In the easy version a set of words is given in advance and the task is to find them. In a more difficult version the words aren’t given in advance.Here are some useful links to find various interesting word games:http://www.wordgames.com/

 http://www.wordgames.net/

 http://www.eastoftheweb.com/games/

 http://www.voanews.com/learningenglish/home/games/ 

http://www.english-4kids.com/games.html

It would also be nice to get them moving which is a vital component to motivating children. Try asking them to come to you if you need help instead of approaching them yourself, the movement can help them not to get too bored and tired sitting at the same spot.   Grouping the children for study projects and activities helps as well.  If you can, let them move the desks around or sit on the floor to change things up as well. 

Many games involve movement without the children needing to leave their seats, such as miming, moving certain body parts and passing things around as part of a game. Therefore even teachers with large classes and no space to move can use this technique, albeit to a more limited degree.  

PLAYING CHILDREN!!!!!

                                                                                 

In my podcast episode entitled “Playful inventions and explorations” I listened to the speech of developmental psychologist Edith Ackermann  who is in the opinion that with their boundless curiosity, fertile imagination, and natural mastery of the art of self-directed learning, children have much to teach adults about creativity and innovation.

She was mainly impressed by Jean Piaget.She speaks about relationships between play, imagination, creativity, innovation and design.There are so many definitions of the word play that one  just will get lost when trying to define it.

Children may not have much experience or knowledge but they are sure born” with a knack to do the right thing”.They are experts of self-directed learning.Children are always busy figuring out their place in the world as a traveller, a newcomer that has to convey needs,deciding what to bring along and what to leave behind, decide who to trust and not to trust.For travellersit’s like a reexperiencing ways of handling uncertain situations.So we are to learn lots of things from children, how to evolve in the world that is complex and unpredictable for them.

At the beginning children are very fused with their world. There is no distinction between themselves and the world. And as they grow they become both socialized and individualized simultaneously. That’s why they like to play hide and seek very much. When children play hide and seek they just  escape and are isolated but with the same time they have the hope to come back and be always happy.

As they grow older and their experience expands the concept of now enlarges, they start to draw lessons from the past to project into the future.

Children have very coherent belief systems.Their belief systems are stubborn and are nor easy to shake.It’s not to say that children do not change or are not influenced when they interact with the world, their views are evolving but they are evolving almost a logic of their own.

Teaching is always indirect. People always assimilate what we teach them accorging to their belief systems.Learners need leads and offerings but they want to discover by themselves.

Plays are invented realities. It’s very peculiar to children to invent the reality of their own. They create a world and become inhabitants of that world. Role plays are very common to plays: The child says:I’m a papa,he is  talking with his doll, puts himself in other person’s shoes.

                                                                           

PERSONAL VARIETIES

In my previous blogpost I was speaking about occupational varieties which distinguish certain group of people by their occupation. Now I’m going to speak about one of the personal varieties that distinguishes one person from all  others. So we can analyse the person by his handwriting which is called graphology.

Writing is performed as a result of a circuit between your brain and the motor reflex muscles of the hand. The darker the written piece is the more emotional energy the writer has which implies that he is energetic both physically and mentally. Writers with heavy pressure are usually highly successful.

Then  its important to pay attention to slants. A right slant (////) shows that the person responds strongly to emotional situations and that he is warm, caring and their heart rules their mind. A vertical slant  (llll)shows that the writer can keep his emotions under control.And the left slant (\\\\)shows that the writer is a very isolated person and can conceal everything.

We can also check emotional control and reliability of the person when we pay attention to baselines which are imagined lines.A person with a straight baseline is overdisciplined and tense.A very wavy baseline indicates that a person is very undisciplined. An ascending baseline means optimism. A descending baseline means pessimism, tiredness or depression. A level baseline indicates a healthy balance between optimism and pessimism.

It’s also important to check the writer’s ability to concentrate.The size of the writing can indicate it. Small handwriting shows that the person is able to concentrate on minor details.They also like to stay alone. People having large handwriting have problems in concentrating themselves.

It’s also important to pay attention to spacing between letters. Average spacing between letters points to a person who is self-confident and feels comfortable and at ease. Letters written close together or "compressed" indicate a person who feels uncomfortable about themselves, and usually has low self-esteem or is self-conscious. Irregularly spaced letters indicate that the writer is confused, uncertain, or mixed up.

Spacing between words also can help: Compressed spacing between words- needs to be close to others; likes crowds. Average spacing between words- feels comfortable contact with others.Wide spacing between words- avoids people contact; has problems dealing with others.

Intelligence and  thought processing can be determined by the letters m, n, r: if they are written with sharp pointed tops then the writer is smart and quick to retain ideas.

                                                                                    

Those who write The "m," "n," and "r" with a round top are slower methodical thinkers. These people can retain just as much knowledge as quick thinkers, but they tend to "think things over" before making decisions. They are not as likely to "jump to conclusions," and tend to be more creative. 

                                                            

The same letters written flat and thread-like point to a person who doesn't have the mental capacity to learn quickly or to be creative. These writers are usually considered "lazy" or "dumb." Flattened peaks may also indicate that the writer is deceptive, or hiding something. He or she may lack communication skills or not want to communicate for some unknown reason.

                                                       

The speed of writing also matters. Quick writers are quick thinkers, aggressive, impatient, ambitious.Average writers are creative and more organized.Slow writers lack mental capacity. Mood, drugs, preoccupation, physical illness and many other factors can affect writing.

Judging by my handwriting I can see that most of the stated analysis are true.

                                                                 

OCCUPATIONAL VARIETIES!

                                                      

                                                     

Occupations are  important in the  society.If we analize any  society we must surely consider occupations. There wouldn’t be any occupations if there weren’t for  languages especially those in which many people work together, and need to pass  information about how to do things, or about current tasks.

Occupations develop their own special language features, and use those of the common language in novel or distinctive ways. Occupations are a source of language change .For example, factory workers have to master an array of technical terms and administrative vocabulary in order to carry out their tasks. Therefore, they develop their own slang and jargon which sets them apart from outsiders.

The term “occupational dialect” has long been used to classify people by their occupations. People become so engaged in their jobs that it influences their behavior not only socially but also linguistically. The more specialized the occupation is the more technical the language is likely to be.

One of the symbols to identify people is employment.The first question is “What do you do?” By it we mean their occupation.

By having a particular occupation society’s discernment will differ, for example doctors are perceived different to road sweepers. Therefore it will affect the way one perceives one’s self, and ultimately have an impact upon their identity. Employment and occupation does indeed influence identity.  As a result of changes in both economic structure, and in employment forces, individuals are strained to recreate and redefine their identities.

 I also consider occupation identifies a person more clearly than any other single characteristic.

Through our occupation we shape modify and express our identity. “We are what we do”.  Support for this statement is found in our everyday experience by considering the ways in which individuals typically introduce themselves to one another. We associate our professional

accomplishment and goals to who we are.

 In my personal experience I felt the impact of occupation greatly. The position of the language teacher made me become more serious especially during the classes.I speak English quite a lot with my collegues and sometimes I use English words unintentionally which would never be expected from a physics  teacher to do. 

During our job  hours we are doing our best to do Good jobs.If the job is good we then should acquire the language that job demands.

               ALWAYS DO A

CULTURAL SOUP

In my previous blogs(World English) I referred a lot to language varieties, how diverse cultures came across and shared the same community, the same language, how they were  ‘blended’(see the blog entitled “Blends”).It would be quite natural to think that they had to overcome the stages of  cultural shock.

In the podcast episode entitled “Cultural Soup”Lynn describes the concept of “Culture shock”, shows ways how to recognize it and how to overcome it.I myself happened to live in Moscow for about a year and I overcame the same stages.

Cultural shock is a state of bewilderment, reaction to differents. It takes time to put up with barriers.

There exist four stages of cultural shock. The first stage is “The Honeymoon” stage, when everything is  new and exciting and people are tempt to experience. During the first month I myself was at the honeymoon stage when everything was  alluring.

The second stage is the “Hostile Stage”which refers to everyday life, how to get along, how to fit yourself to the new society.People get angry at this stage, they just may think that the hosts are “monsters”.

Everything was the same with me. I had to attend a Russian school, get acquainted with those “monsters”.

The third stage is an “Integration Stage ” or it can be called an acceptance phase or assimilation.They may find good in bad, their outlook is balanced and  I came to accept Russians as common people but not “monsters” as I used to. I began to plan my future, I was intending to enter  Lomonosov University, I had lots of friends etc .

And the last stage is called “Reverse Cultural Shock”when people return and feel that being at home is not good, the society has changed, everything seems strange to them, they just prefer to return back. When after a year I returned to Yerevan, believe me or not, I underwent the reverse stage. My plans had to be changed, Lomonosov University had to be changed for YSU. It wasn’t so easy to take that step but fortunately it didn’t cause me too much harm.

Lynn also gives advice how to overcome the stages.

Before turning to diverse cultures its recommendable to remember that people  have human needs which are universal. She recommends becoming a cultural explorer and trying  to find out the origin of the people you live among. It’s good to be objective, find a place to go, interact with people, find people who want to learn about your culture.It’s better to relieve stress by doing physical activity or visiting a church than by turning to alchohol.

Every minute detail can cause a cultural shock: started with transportation ended with toilets.

      VS  

 A blog of a Canadian  ESL teacher in Korea shows how she underwent  a cultural skock when she saw toilets dug in the ground, only feet to put on. Besides, in Canada public toilets are free  and it was another shock to pay for it. (Toilets are called John in Canada).

Another podcast episode is an interview of David Peach with a missionier La Moin Cunningham and the main discussion was on how culture shock can effect a missionary and how friends back homa can communicate with missioniers to help them through their time of culture shock  and culture fatigue.

La Moin Cunningham is in the opinion that missioniers are humans, they all have emotions.

Though they may be paid well, they still struggle with cultural fatigue. The culture shock is deeper when one goes from a developed country to an underdeveloped one. To relieve the stress someone is needed to comfort.She just advises not to judge missioniers as their state of being frustrated doesn’t have anything to do with spirituality.

PLEASE BE CURIOUS BUT NOT SERIOUS!

HIERARCHIES

HIERARCHIES

The concept of ‘hierarchy’ is applicable in any sphere of life.Generally when we say ‘higher’we mean to ignore the lower part. But it isn’t so. In hierarchy the higher constituents are made of the smaller  ones.

Let’s first take biological systems. The structure of living organisms including those of entire populations and ecosystems is organized in a hierarchical fashion that allows a systematic exploration of the question ‘What is life?’. In the biological sciences, the following structural levels are recognized.

Molecule(smallest parts of biological systems)-cell(group of molecules maing a single cell)-tissue(a substructure of an organ, part of a brain)-organ(structural system of an organism)-organ system(functional system of an organism)-organism(an individual)-population(individuals from specific spaces)-community-(Living things)echosystem(Living and non-living things).

Echosystems are the highest but if there weren’t for the molecules echosystems wouldn’t exist.The smaller parts are the constituent parts of the higher ones.

Abraham Maslow is known for establishing the theory of a hierarchy of needs, writing that human beings are motivated by unsatisfied needs, and that certain lower needs need to be satisfied before higher needs can be satisfied.

                                                

Hierarchies can also reflect relationship between people started from the lowest rank ended with ther highest:priest-bishop-archbishop.

Notions of quantity are also arranged in a hierarchical order: a second-a minute-an hour-a day…..

Hierarchies are also observed in grammar. All the sentences in any language are hierarchies of levels of organization. In the book “Encyclopedia of the English Language”the following sentence is brought as an example:The big dogs enjoyed their unexpected bones.

As we see the words dog, enjoy unexpected and bones contain prefixes and suffixes which identify that there is a level of structure within a word.

The first three words are combined to form phrases. So do the last three words:the big dogs, their unexpected bones. So there is a level of structure between the word and the sentence.

It’s possible to make the serntence bigger by linking it to a similar sequence of words and the sentence will contain clauses: The big dogs enjoyed their unexpected bones and the little puppies liked the scraps.

It’s possible to add sentences to sentences and get a text as a result.

The following order can be arranged:prefix, suffix, morpheme-word-phrase- clause-sentence-text.
I find similarities between blends and hierarchies in a sense they both contain another word or concept as a constituent part,  both are built on smaller parts,  both are containers.But the difference is that  blends take two words and reduce some parts to give born to a new word, but hierarchies set  the lower concept wholly in themselves.

BLENDS

Take strawberries, wash them and cut leaves off. Take a banana, remove its peels. Plug in your blender and put the banana and strawberries inside. You may add sugar or yogurt. Then put the lid on your blender and turn on.

                                          

Think what will you get a banana? Or a strawberry?

The same process is evident when two lexemes are peeled and put into a blender. The peels are the overlaping parts of the words and the resultant mixture is called a blend, which joins them into one. Here is a list of  blends:

Bash	bang + smash
Because	by + cause
Bit	binary + digit
Cellophane	cellulose + diaphane
Dumbfound	dumb + confound
Electrocute	electronic + electronic +
Flare	flame + glare
Fortnight	fourteen + nights
Goodbye	God + be (with) + ye
Hassle	haggle + tussle
Humongous	huge + monstrous
Intercom	internal + communication
Modem	modulator + demodulator
Motel	motor + hotel
Muppet	marionette + puppet
Napalm	naphthene + palmitate
o'clock	of (the) + clock
Bleep	blankout + beep
Blotch	blot + botch
Blurt	blow + spurt
Brash	bold + rash
Chortle	chuckle + snort
Chump	chunk + lump
Clash	clap + crash
Ditsy	dizzy + dotty
Doddle	dodder + toddle
Emoticon	emotion + icon
Flop	flap + drop
Flurry	flutter + hurry
Galumph	gallop + triumph
Glitz	glamour + ritz
Goon	gorilla + baboon
Pang	pain + sting
Prissy	prim + sissy
Pixel	picture + element
Paratroops	parachute + troops
Skyjack	sky + hijack
Slang	slovenly + language
Smog	smoke + fog
Swipe	wipe + sweep
Telethon	telephone + marathon
Workaholic	work + alcoholic
Scuzzy	scummy + lousy
Slosh	slop + slush
Snazzy	snappy + jazzy
Splurge	splash + surge
Squiggle	squirm + wriggle
Tangelo	tangerine + pomelo
Twiddle	twist + fiddle
Waddle	wade + toddle

Let’s  have a look at the world. A husband and a wife –the blend is their son, mixing colours -the result will be a blend.  Or let’s speak about English and its varieties(see WORLD ENGLISH).Again blends: Singlish(Singapurian English, Hinglish(Hindu English), Chinglish(Chinese English)etc.

And what about blended teaching?

Blended or hybrid teaching is a combination of web-based  online approaches and  face –to- face, classroom learning. It is important to make small changes to the course. If the instructor adds too many tools, the students will get confused.  Blended learning is described as “integrative learning”, “hybrid learning”, “multi-method learning” (Node, 2001). The ultimate aim of blended learning is to provide realistic practical opportunities for learners and teachers to make learning independent, useful, sustainable and ever growing.

 Blended learning is a harmony between a face-to-face learning and online learning. In most blended learning classrooms, there is the ability to study whenever the student chooses to do so. If a student is absent, she/he may view some of the missed materials at the same time that the rest of the class does, even though the student cannot be physically in the classroom. This helps students stay on track and not fall behind. 

  SO, ENJOY YOUR DRINK!