First of all, I am so sad that I missed the last class but I didn't have an option since I had a test.

First of all, I am so sad that I missed the last class but I didn't have an option since I had a test. We could combine another picture then I can join you :)
Our course it was amazing, I want more weeks together with you guys. Thanks, everybody.

Task #2Finding the right audience and making writing meaningful are two of the major challenges teachers face when designing writing activities. What affective strategies have you used that achieved these goals?

It's very important that students feel comfortable to show us what they need to improve, their questions and fears. When I worked with Junior (5 years old) I saw that some students weren't feeling comfortable and weren't enjoying. I did a lot of activities in pairs, to encourage them and I did individual activities with me, so that I could explain to that student the best way to him. I think when they start writing and reading they need to be more welcomed, it's my way to be sure that they are learning and enjoying the class. I had a very good feedback doing activities like these and I always think about the best option for each child. They are a group, but they are different and each one has their own way to see things.

Comments

  1. Carolina Brenes BurgosApril 29, 2016 at 1:54 PM

    I think your last sentence is very true. "They are a group, but they are different" I think I often forget some details about my students because I consider the majority of the group.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Juan UribeMay 3, 2016 at 2:44 PM

    Carol,

    You have brought an important point. Talking about learning allows us to discover how they think and make meaning about their experience with English. Some might believe that they have no talent and then lose motivation, others might only see that they are far from a desired outcome and thus do not see their progress.

    Once we verbalize our fears, strengths and dreams we are able to do things towards them and we feel more in control of the process.

    First experiences reading and writing should definitely focus on the enjoyment of doing so and should be savoured. Affective language learning pays attention to designing activities that foster positive feelings while learning.

    And every student is unique. You are very right!

    Missed you at the last session. Will try to make a collage with all of our pictures in a blog post I am going to write.

    Hugs!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Carol FerlineMay 5, 2016 at 9:43 AM

    Thanks :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

TASK 2: Getting ready for storytelling.

TASK 2: Getting ready for storytelling. I have a group of 12 kids ranging from 7 to 8 years old. They are already familiarized with the characters of the book (Tina the tortoise, monkey, own, duck and rabbit). The leading character is Tina the tortoise. This is a pre-teaching activity and I bring realia objects to the classroom like: football, a coat, socks, a cap and a mug. I ask kids where Tina is: where is Tina? ( I act like I'm looking for her..) Oh look! Tina is in her shell! Tina come out and play! ( sound of a negative answer) Help me kids! Repeat: Tina come out and play! ( sound of a negative answer again). Let's try again but louder! Tina, come out and play! Tina answers: No, no! It's cold outside! I say: Tina let's swim! ( I make the gesture) Tina answers: no, no! It' cold outside! I let children have ideas showing the objects inside the box! Let's play football! Children keep trying to convince her (Put on a coat! Put on a cap! Put on your socks!). A...
Read more

Finding the right audience and making writing meaningful are two of the major challenges teachers face when...

Finding the right audience and making writing meaningful are two of the major challenges teachers face when designing writing activities. What affective strategies have you used that achieved these goals? Imagine asking a ten-year old student to write about the impact of the economic collapse in the USA. This student will not have much to say and he/she will feel frustrated. Now imagine asking a 17-year-old student to write about his/her favorite toy. This student will not feel excited to write about this because it is not part of his/her reality anymore. Of course, these are extreme examples, but we do have to take into consideration many aspects such as students's age, background, reality and interests when designing writing activities. Besides relating to students lives and realities writing acitivities should also cover three moments: pre writing, writing and post writing. In the first stage, we should activate students memories, feelings and senses providing them with the ...
Read more

Discussion task #2

Discussion task #2 Finding the right audience and making writing meaningful are two of the major challenges teachers face when designing writing activities. What affective strategies have you used that achieved these goals? 1) I try to personalize writing as much as possible. I usually start talking about myself to get students at ease and more open to share their own feelings and ideas towards the writing topic. Then I adapt the task to allow students to express themselves in a comfortable and confident way. 2) Finding the right audience is definitely a key issue in all writing tasks but it's even more important with young learners as they need to feel their writing is authentic and will be read by real audience. That's why I try to do peer check/correction before I read it myself. Whenever possible, I try to have students write to each other and reply back. As a different version of it, we created at our center (A wise owl) which students write to and get personalized replies...
Read more