2nd warmup class/pair work.

This is another icebreaker activity that I used, after my warmup. These guys are great at interacting and communicating. I chose not to tell them I was filming  to achieve the most realistic experience from them. They caught on fast though!

CI techniques and warmup

This is a video of one of my higher level speaking classes. The exercise was a warm-up in the form of a 'rebus' puzzle. This was the first time with my students and a fun way to introduce myself. Rather than me talking, I reduced TTT by writing a number, symbol, or letter(s) on the board. (For example, the number 20) Students would then have to use a framework of questions to guess what that represented. (Is it your birthday, is it your brother's birthday, is it your brothers age? etc...) 

Unfortunately I did not tape myself, but here you can see a student mimicking what I had done earlier.  I am not sure if it was the most effective in the terms of CI techniques. This class is already quite good at speaking, and I did not really have to use any CI techniques, so I thought. but when I watched the video more closely, I did notice that there are some errors in grammar and pronunciation, which at that point I should have stopped the student and corrected them, before moving on, or if I did would that undermine their confidence in speaking? I will have to rethink if this is a good warm-up using CI techniques. In my defense, this was the first time I had these students, so I wanted to make it as enjoyable as possible, which it seems they did.

How to succeed in grad school.

Fellow STGer's! I spoke to my stepbrother who did his MBA at harvard awhile ago. I thought what better person to give some tips on grad school. A lot of it seems obvious, but some not so much. I'm posting this to share, and hopefully it will also become ingrained in my mind from now on! Knowledge is power afterall.

1. Exercise before studying. Studies have shown that Andrenelin helps brain function  and  abosrbtion of material.

2. Get your personal chores, and other things out of the way first. That way when you start studying you won't feel guilty about it later.

3. Set a schedule, write it down. Get in the routine, the hard part is sticking to it.

4. Study for 45 minutes at a time and not more. Take 15 minute breaks in between. Your brain can only absorb so much.

5. Get proper sleep. For an adult that's 8 hours. (yeah right! lol) and eat a balanced diet.


6. 'All work and no play make Jack a dull boy'. In otherwords, don't sacrifice your social life completely, set aside some time for friends, or loved ones.

1st reflection?

I don't know if this would be really a reflection, but  today my thoughts went to teaching and thinking about how I teach, and what is my methodology? Am I succeeding in actually teaching in that my students are truely learning? How do I adapt my own teaching practices to each different level of student? It’s a bit hard because even with the best lesson plan, it might not work for one group of students as well as another. I do try to make contingency plans, if I have the time, but it seems like there is never enough, and I can’t' make four different lessons a week for one subject, it’s almost impossible.

Also, as I work at an international school we use American text books. We have the freedom to design our lessons, and use our own methodology. Aside from reading and language arts, I also teach science and social studies.  I think learning a language versus other subjects is a different ball game, for example with Science, how do you teach kids about different kinds of dirt, and make it interesting, without a lab, or even science kits? I can easily find activities related to social science, that are related to the lesson of the day, but science is more of a challenge. These are some things to start reflecting on over the next three months.

Introduction

Its been awhile since I wrote a personal blog. I used to love writing in a journal as a kid, but now, I just don't seem to have the time, although I must, as it is long overdue!

What can I say about myself? Well, since 2006 I have been teaching in South Korea. The culture and teaching experience in ROK, has taught me a lot, but as I have gotten older and (hopefully) wiser, I now want to redefine and REALLY reflect on what makes me a good teacher,and what I need to work on. Not only for my benefit, but for my students.

I was never good at self reflection, even in my personal life. Call it avoidance, or ignorance, but I think we all either choose a path, or the path is chosen for us. I will always remember an intro to business undergrad course, where the professor introduced Maslow's theory, and asked us a very philosophical and pertinent question, which was, 'Where do we see ourselves and how can we obtain self actualization?' (in regards to Maslow's theory). Money is one thing, but realizing one's self worth is something that no one can place a monetary value on.

In response to that, in the very present, I would like to believe that self actualization is in teaching, and while teaching is not by any means a financial windfall, it is rewarding, and I hope to encompass and fully realize my full potential, as a contributor to society, and as a teacher, and that will reflect my self worth and 'self actualization'.

I hope you follow my blog through this experience, and any insight towards your own humanistic approach to teaching and learning will be greatly appreciated. The journey of life itself, does not have to be a lonely one, we are all human afterall, its how we interact with each other that makes life a unique growing experience, as humans and educators. I hope we can all share our views and opinions through the STG experience and learn from each other.  If not, how can society evolve uniquely, as an individual, or as a collective whole?