Learning in goups!

Group is Common characteristics of all types of effective learning groups!

Work done in group is challenging and meaningful

Learning goals and time lines are clearly understood by the students and monitored by the teacher

Groups are heterogeneous, and all the students are involved

Cooperation is valued over competition

Students have a sense of being able to accomplish more learning together

The group process provide a comfort level of discussion and arising questions

Students’ oral interaction and social skills are required

Group time is not free time for students  Multiple means of assessment are possible

Evaluation can be of the individual student, of the group or combination of these

ARE YOU THINKING IN ANY REASON TO NOT USE GROUPS WORKS?

Classroom management!

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT!

Student learning, lesson planning and effective teaching are not posible without classroom management

Classroom management and management of students conduct are skills that teacher acquire!

Take into account:

1.       Know what you want and what you don`t want

2.      Show and tell what you want

3.     When you get what you want, acknowledge it

4.    When you get something else, act quickly and appropriately

BE CAREFUL! Classroom management is not a guarantee of a good behavior, but is necessary a good planning!

Effective and high quality teaching has always been associated with the development of a series of skills in classroom management:

Maintain visual control of the class                    Use of non-verbal communication

                                       Create flexibility of movement in class  

                                   Encourage participation of all the students

Control the amount and the quality of teacher talk!

             Promotes healthy relationship and happy classroom atmosphere!

If you want more information (realted to strategies, resources, professional development... I recommend you this page: 

http://www.theteachersguide.com/classroommanagement.htm

Children`s Characteristic

CHILDREN CHARACTERISTICS

Learning develops when heavily contextualized in concrete situation

They are focus on the here and now

They are centered on the functions purpose of language

They do not conceive language as a formal system

They cannot understand the metalanguage we use to describe and explain linguistic concepts

They do not have an effective Long Term Memory and forget things quickly

IMPLICATIONS FOR FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING!

Don`t explain grammar using terms like ¨present simple¨or ¨pronoum¨ (Don`t use metalanguage)

Avoid formulating rules stated in abstract terms

At the upper levels of childhood some grammatical concepts can be called to learner`s attention by showing them certain patterns and examples

More difficult language, sounds, patterns… may require more repetition and recycling than adults need

Attention span: children tend to have a shorter attention span than adults

*Activities should try to capture their immediate interest

*Lesson should include a variety of activities

*The teacher should appear enthusiastic and lively

*The children`s natural curiosity should be tapped into

Sensory input: children need to have all five senses stimulated

*Include physical activities (TPR)

*Incorporate hand-on activities

*Sensory aids help children to internalize concepts

*Use non-verbal language

Affective factors: children have a wide range of emotional needs, are extremely sensitive and are emotionally more fragile than adults

*Be patient and supportive to build self-steem

*Try to encourage a friendly classroom atmosphere

*Be warm and caring

Needs for meaningful language: Children are focused on what language can be used for and they need to obtain immediate rewards from language activities.

I HOPE YOU FOUND USEFUL THIS INFORMATION, TO KNOW ABOUT SOME CHARACTERISTIC AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS IN TEACHING, WHICH WE HAVE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT TO IMPROVE LEARNING PROCESS.

Many different approaches can be employed to become a critically reflective teacher:

TECAHING JOURNAL: a journal is a teacher`s or a student-teacher`s recorded/written response to teaching events.

Keeping a journal serves two proposes: events and ideas are recorded for the purpose of level reflection and the process of writing itself helps trigger insights about teaching (written in this sense serves us a discovery process)

Keeping a journal can also be beneficial when two or more colleagues share their journals and meet regularly to discuss them.

LESSON REPORT: is a structured inventory or list which enables teachers to describe their recollection of the main features of a lesson.

SURVEYS AND QUESTIONNAIRES: they are useful ways of gathering information about effective dimensions of teaching and learning such as beliefs, aptitudes, motivation… and enable a teacher to collect a large amount of information relatively quickly.  

AUDIO AND VIDEO RECORDIG OF LESSONS OBSERVATION: observation involves visiting a class to observe different aspects of teaching. It is suggested as a way of gathering information about teaching, rather than a way of evaluating teaching.

ACTION RESEACRH: it refers to teacher-initiated classroom investigation which seeks to increase the teacher`s understanding of classroom teaching and learning. (ACTION RESEARCH CYCLE: PLANNING, ACTING, OBSERVING and REFLECTING)

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Action Research Cycle

Stepehn Kemmis develop a simple model of the cycle nature of the AR process, a cycle that has four steps:

PLAN           ACT           OBSERVE           REFLECT

The central question is HOW CAN I HELP MY STUDENTS IMPROVE THEIR QUALITY OF THEIR LEARNING?

This can be broken down into these specific questions:

1 What is my concern in my practice?

2 What am I going to do about it?

3 What evidence will let me make a judgment about what I did?

4 How will I validate any claims about what I have done?

Gerald Susman developed a somewhat more elaborate model by distinguishing five phases to be conducted within each research cycle. Initially, a problem is identifying and data are collected for a more detailed diagnosis. This if followed by posing several possible solutions, from which a single plan of action emerges and is implemented.

Data on the results of the intervention are collected and analyzed, and the findings are interpreted to determine how successful the action has been.  Then the problem is re-assessed and another Action Research cycle starts.

ACTION RESEARCH CYCLE

PLANNING: develop a plan of critically informed action to improve what is already happening.

WHAT IS MY CONCERN IN MY PRACTICE?

INDENTIFYING    INFORMING    ORGANISING

ACTING: act to implement the plan.  WHAT AM I GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?

TRILLING   INFORMING   ORGANISING

OBSERVING: observe the effects of the critically informed action in the context in which it occurs.

ANALYSING     REPORTING       SHARING

REFLECT: reflect on this effects as a basis of further planning. REPORT RESULTS AND GET FEEDBACK!

EVALUATING     IMPLEMENTING     REVISING

GETTING START!


AR IT WILL TAKE PLACE OVER SEVERAL WEEKS OR MONTHS. THE LENGHT OF TIME NEEDED TO OBSERVE OR DEMONSTRATE IMPROVEMENT WILL DEPEND UPON THE TARGET OF YOUR INQUIRY!

AR IS VERY PERSONAL AND TARGETED TO THE NEEDS OF YOUR CLASSROOM.

WHAT TOPICS  WE CAN INVESTIGATE?  COMMENT US PLEASE!

Our group work about ACTION RESEACRH

ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT

PLANNING:

I`ve noticed during this month that my students are always moving, they don`t pay attention, they seems to be bored, they aren`t motivated to do the activities proposed…. It doesn`t matter the topic, they always disrupted.

For these reason I have decided to talk with my colleague asking him if he has the same problem in my class with his subject. He has told me that the students usually have a good behavior and they don’t really disturb.

I think I’m making some mistakes; the problem is mine, for sure, not the group, because their behavior and motivation are good with other teachers. But I don’t know what the problem is, so I’m going to take some measures:

·      

      I’m going to gather information on the internet and in some libraries about new methodology on teaching foreign language, how to use resources, classroom management, student’s motivation…

·       
            I’m going to ask my colleague to go to his class to observe his methodology.

·    

    I’m going to give my students a questionnaire asking them their likes and his dislikes,who is their favourite teacher, why, which are their favourite activities… in order to make changes on my teaching way. 

ACTING

1.     I have passed the questionnaire to my students.

2.     I have gone to my mate’s class to observe how he acts.

3.     I’ve been keeping a journal writing down interesting things I’ve found and possible changes I could make in my classes.

  

OBSERVING

Once I’ve gathered all the information from the students, from the internet, and from my mate, I’ve noticed that my colleague use an interesting methodology because he interacts with them all the time and on this way they can´t distract theirselves. Also, the teacher use new ITC very attractive for them. The teacher often organizes pair work and group work and this is a motivation for the students and they enjoy this kind of activities and classroom management.

REFLECTING

  

The project was useful for my professional development and has solved the main problem I had, my methodology. Because of that from now till the end of the course I’m going to make some changes in order to make my classes more attractive for my students. I’m going to introduce different ITC tools each lessons and I’m going to course a Master in relationship with students to establish confident with them.

I’m also going to keep a journal to see what my mistakes are and by the end of the week I’m going to do a report to change planning.

From this point we could ask ourselves how to solve other problems in the classroom, such as conflicts between peers or conflicts of a student with the teacher.

ACTION RESEARCH

WHAT IS ACTION RESEARCH?

Action research is ¨learning by doing¨, a group of people identifying a problem and doing something to resolve it, evaluating their efforts, and is not satisfied, trying again.

Action Research is examining one`s own practice through collaborative inquiry, reflection and dialogue.

Good teachers are those who are also good students (learner who seek to improve their knowledge and practice throughout their careers).

AR provides teacher with the opportunity to gain knowledge and skill in research methods and to become more aware of the actions and possibilities for change.

Teacher participating in AR become more critical and reflective about their own practice because they are increasing their understanding of the teaching and learning process. Therefore teachers who engage in AR tend to be more willing to self-assess and reflect on their practice and action in order to improve their teaching.

WHY TEACHERS SHOULD USE ACTION RESEARCH?

It deals with their own problem

It start now providing immediate results

AR provides teacher with opportunities to better understand and, therefore improve, the educational practice

As a process, AR promotes the building of stronger relationship among staff

Importantly, AR provides educators with alternative ways and question providing a new way of examining their own practice.