"Конкурс" Учитель року""

Якщо щось і варто робити

                                                                         то лише те, що прийнято

                                                                                           вважати неможливим.

                                                                                             Оскар Уальд.

                                                                                             Освіта - найвизначніша

                                                                           з усіх земних   благ, але

                                                                          тільки тоді, коли вона

                                                                          найкращої якості, інакше

                                                                          вона абсолютно марна.

Р. Кіплінг.

Освіта ХХІ ст. – це освіта для людини. Її стрижень - розвивальна, культуро творча домінанта навчання і виховання  відповідальної особистості, яка здатна до самоосвіти й саморозвитку . Я впевнена, що однією  з найголовніших умов досягнення мети є активізація пізнавальної діяльності учнів, як головного чинника створення ситуації успіху. 

Протягом  7 років я досліджую проблему «Подолання труднощів у вивченні іноземної мови, шляхом особистісно зорієнтованого Навчання та застосування методу проектів та методу портфоліо на уроках англійської мови». В поданих далі матеріалах я буду прагнути розкрити її дослідження через інноваційні технології, методи і прийоми, використані мною разом з учнями.

Я працюю вчителем англійської мови у Новоархангельській ЗШ I-III ст. № 2 з 1998 року.

Для себе я вибудувала систему вимог, що повинні мене і моїх учнів вести до успіху:

-         застосування методів навчання та виховання, що стимулюють творчість, дослідництво, креативність, самостійне  мислення;

-         мати теоретичні знання та практичні вміння у сфері процесу спілкування, здатність створити позитивний мікроклімат в учнівському колективі;

-         завжди творчо підходити до будь-якої справи, самовдосконалюватися, відходити від стереотипів;

-         підводити учня до успіху, давати можливість відчути радість досягнення мети.

Усе це вимагає від сучасного вчителя здійснити перехід від «запихання» учня готовими знаннями до свідомого й вмотивованого навчання, нерозривно пов’язаного із саморозвитком особистості.

Сьогодні у новому світі освітніх технологій вже спрацьовує формула: «HI-TEACH= Hi – Teach + Philanthropy +Education» (високі технології + меценатство + освіта).

 Чому це так важливо? Нові технології можуть підвищити доступ до отримання освіти для кожного – незалежно від місця проживання та соціального положення. Ось чому серед головних компетенцій людина майбутнього повинна мати досконалі знання з іноземних мов, щоб вільно себе почувати у глобалізованому світі і не мати обмежень у своїй професії через не володіння іноземною мовою.

До зустрічі з учнями кожного дня готуюсь особливо ретельно, враховуючи вимоги до уроків іноземної мови (Додаток 1). Щороку веду особистий моніторинг навчальних досягнень учнів.Не завжди ці досягнення можна виміряти балами та відсотками. Тому, я вважаю, важливо мати відпрацьовану систему трьох груп  психолого- педагогічних технологій:

-         дослідження;

-         проектування;

-         взаємодії.

Ефективність цих технологій може бути досягнута, якщо навчально – виховний процес організований з урахуванням індивідуально – психологічних особливостей учнів, їх здібностей і нахилів. Прикладом ефективних педагогічних технологій  є використання інтерактивного навчання та комп’ютерних технологій на кожному уроці та в різних формах позаурочної діяльності.

Щоб навчити своїх учнів творчо мислити, самостійно планувати свої дії, вдосконалювати навички і культуру міжособистісного співробітництва на уроках англійської мови я вважаю доцільним використовувати метод проектів. Проектні завдання  градую  для того, щоб учні могли виконувати їх англійською мовою. Намагаюсь виступати не перевіряючим, а консультантом, співпрацюю з учнями. Використовуючи проектну методику на практиці впевнилась ,що вона використовує всі найкращі ідеї сучасної методики викладання: різноманітність, проблемність, навчання із задоволенням і Я- фактор (учні говорять про те,що вони думають, виявляють свою творчість в оформленні і презентації проекту). Досвід реалізації проектних робіт показує, що з кожним наступним разом зацікавленість дітей збільшується, вони ретельніше готуються до уроку з проектним завданням (Додаток2                                         ). Зазвичай, це підсумковий урок з вивченої теми, тому учні намагаються продемонструвати все, чого досягли протягом вивченої теми. Рівень якості проектних робіт зростає з кожним разом. Досить добре проектна  методика інтегрується з іншими навчальними предметами. Наприклад : «Зовнішність»- образотворче мистецтво;

« Традиції харчування»- праця;

«Здоров’я »- Основи здоров’я.

Ще одним з актуальних методів у сучасній методиці викладання є метод порт фоліо як засіб розвитку інноваційної особистості. Для опису цього методу підійдуть наступні слова: « Ідеальне керівництво коли керівництва немає, а його функції виконуються… Кожен знає що йому робити . І  кожен робить, бо хоче цього сам». Сьогодні однією із задач освіти є виховання інноваційної особистості, тобто дитину потрібно навчити самоаналізу, самокритиці, самодисципліні, саморозвитку, самореалізації, самовираженню. Тому для організації самостійної роботи учнів я обрала метод ведення портфоліо  . 

Метод портфоліо - це  сучасно, результативно, новітньо, інтерактивно, цікаво, креативно, диференційовано.

Мета – створення мотивації навчальної діяльності, розвиток пізнавальних навичок, розвиток об’єктивної  самооцінки, творчих здібностей, уміння самостійно конструювати свої завдання, уміння самостійно орієнтуватися в інформаційному просторі, планувати свою діяльність,  формування організаційних навичок. Ця робота виконується учнем самостійно,кожна тека ведеться творчо. Учні на сторінках портфоліо роблять усе для того, щоб довести свою неповторність та проявитись творчо. Портфоліо містить фото учня, анкетні дані, план роботи на семестр, табель самооцінки (Додатки 3,4,5,6) табель оцінювання вчителем, графік росту,папку самоосвіти та творчих проектів.  Термін ведення портфоліо - необмежений, графік контролю – регулярний, стиль ведення - безмежний. Кожен учень, задіяний у навчанні з використанням комп’ютерних  й інтерактивних технологій, завжди має можливість для самостійності та творчого підходу у виборі способів пошуку інформації відповідно до рівня підготовки та своєї мовленнєвої компетенції.

 Крім вищеназваних методів та прийомів, можна назвати наступні, не менш важливі. Це робота з додатковими джерелами інформації, географічними картами, словниками; порівняльний,ілюстративний, демонстраційний метод, метод спостереження, класні досліди, метод проектів та метод портфоліо. У своїй роботі спираюсь на особистісно - зорієнтоване навчання та розвиток комунікативних умінь (Додаток 7), намагаюсь розуміти та сприймати кожного учня, адекватно оцінюючи його успіхи та невдачі. Ввожу в практику нетрадиційні уроки: дискусії, ігрові форми навчання, уроки-тренінги.

Слід зазначити, що з 2011 року я є інформаційним координатором  Корпусу Миру в Україні у нашому районі . Моя діяльність полягає в установленні та підтримці ділових та дружніх контактів з  волонтерами  США в України та залученням наших учнів до активної  роботи .

Невід’ємною  частиною мого шкільного життя є  класне керівництво. Мої вихованці завжди займають активну громадянську позицію та із задоволенням беруть участь як в олімпіадах, так і у виховних заходах.

Нині стосунки вчитель - учень досягли такого рівня, коли учні мають можливості і вміють реалізовувати свій  творчий потенціал, самостійно розвиватись, а вчитель повинен дати лише стимул, уміло направляючи цей процес.


Цикл уроків 10 клас по темі: "Комп'ютерні технології"

COMPUTER ASSISTED LANGUAGE LEARNING

www.onestopenglish.com

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In terms of the wider picture of language teaching and learning, it is sometimes easy to forget that computers have been available as a resource in language teaching for little more than twenty years. During this relatively short time, there has been a dramatic change in the number of options open to language teachers and learners. Initially, computers were mainly used as sophisticated typewriters, allowing learners to write and to correct and amend easily and effectively. Some basic interactive software was available in the early years, but this was generally restricted to the type of exercise found in grammar practice books with the added feature of a sound to indicate a correct or incorrect answer. 

The real advance in the use of computers in language teaching came with the transition from floppy-disc to compact discs (CDs) as the basic form of software, the proliferation of e-mail as a means of communication and, most importantly, with the arrival of the Internet as a widely available resource. Today there is a vast array of language teaching material available on CD ROM or DVD, ranging from self-study materials to supplement published course-books, to ESP-based courses and culture-based materials. Many learners of English have access to e-mail and the Internet at home as well as at school and this presents teachers with a range of useful options in terms of setting writing tasks, communicating with learners by e-mail, giving learners research tasks and setting up project work based on researching the Internet. Where previously such tasks would have involved a great deal of letter writing on the part of both teacher and learners, on the one hand, and a potentially time-consuming visit to the local library on the other, they can now be accomplished quickly and easily without the learner ever having to leave his or her PC. 

Although many learners seem to be much more familiar with the use of computers than a lot of teachers appear to be, there is still plenty of scope for some input in class related to computers. Basic terminology is a good starting point and a useful exercise may be the pronunciation of e-mail and internet addresses, such as jbloggs@newmail.com or www.onestopenglish.com . Similarly, there may be some value in teaching the meta-language of word processing (e.g. copy, cut, paste, insert), writing e-mails (e.g. reply, forward, delete) and surfing the Internet (e.g. search, link, key-word and so on). Many UK language schools are now responding to the specific needs of learners and offering computer-based options leading to word-processing qualifications such as the UK-based CLAIT, validated by the RSA, and the American MOUS qualification, validated by Microsoft. In both cases certificates are offered for different levels of competence from basic user to proficient user and both practice activities and examinations are offered “on-line”. 

In terms of practical classroom activities to exploit the Internet, if teachers have access to several Internet-linked computers for use with their classes, there are numerous possibilities. Learners can fill-in on-line questionnaires, research specific topics, prepare presentations using on-line information, graphs and diagrams, find the answers to questions set by the teacher, do interactive grammar, vocabulary and even pronunciation exercises, read and summarise the latest news, and contribute to on-line discussions and debates. With technology advancing at breakneck speed, it sometimes seems difficult for teachers to keep up but remaining informed is crucial. Our learners may already be several steps ahead in this area and to retain credibility we need to be familiar with the latest developments in computer technology and to be able to integrate computers confidently into our everyday classroom practice.

Creating interactive materials for ESL/ ELT

 

The World Wide Web offers ESL teachers and students hundreds of tests and quizzes. Many of them are of good quality and are user-friendly but after a while teachers usually start to create their own quizzes because the ones they find on the Internet do not satisfy their needs.

The Advantages of computer-based teacher-created materials

The advantages of using computer-based teacher-created materials are numerous:

·        Interactive exercises increase motivation when the material is directly linked to the course and/or interests of your students.

·        The exercises are game-like and fun.

·        The students can work through the exercise taking as much time as they need and learning as they go.

·        They receive immediate, frequent and non-judgmental feedback.

If you feel you'd like to have a try and make exercises for your students but you don't know how to start you will find some information in this article.

Hot Potatoes

The tool for creating interactive quizzes I like best is the Hot Potatoes suite, created by Stewart Arneil and Martin Holmes at the University of Victoria Humanities Computing and Media Centre. Use of the suite is free as long as you do not make money with it and you are prepared to share your exercises by placing them on a publicly accessible Web server but you need to register in order to be able to use the full version of the programs (the registration is free). The applications are logical and easy to use and the output (the web page with the exercises) is really impressive.

The Hot Potatoes suite includes six applications which you can use to create many variations of interactive quizzes such as:

1.   Short-answer quizzes (JQuiz) where the students answer questions by typing their answers.

2.   Crosswords (JCross) where you can use definitions, translation or even pictures as clues.

1. Multiple-choice quizzes (JBC) which can be easily changed into True/False exercises.
2. Gap-filling exercises (JCloze) with or without a word list.
3. Matching exercises (JMatch) which you can use for putting lists in order and matching words, words and their definitions, words and pictures, questions and answers, halves of sentences, etc.  
4. Mixed-sentence exercises (JMix) where the students can practice unscrambling words, sentences, dialogues or lyrics of songs.

It is possible to include a reading text in all of the Hot Potatoes quizzes. What's more, the text can be set to disappear after a pre-specified amount of time in order to add a timed component to the exercise, although students may click a button to see the text again. You can also add sound (create listening exercises), pictures and video files. Two of the tools, JMatch and JMix, can also produce drag-and-drop exercises.

The applications produce html pages with javascript but you don't even need to know what it means. All you need to do is to enter your data - texts, questions, answers, etc. - and the programs will create the exercises ready to be published on your web page. The Hot Potatoes suite has got a very good step-by-step interactive tutorial (http://web.uvic.ca/hrd/hotpot/wintutor/) written by the authors of the program.

To start creating your own quizzes you should take the following steps:

1.       Go to Half-Baked Software Inc. (http://web.uvic.ca/hrd/hotpot/index.htm#downloads) and download the Hot Potatoes suite.

2.       Install the software and apply for a registration key.

3.       After receiving your registration key via e-mail follow the instructions and start the program.

4.       Decide which type of exercise you want to make and choose the suitable program (Potato).

5.       Enter your data in the boxes named: title, questions, answers, reading text, etc.

6.       Go to the Configuration screen to write the subtitle of your exercise, instructions and feedback for your students and choose the appearance (page background colour, text colour, etc.).

7.       Save separately: the "teacher's file" (extension .jmx, .jbc, .jqz, etc.) - the template where you enter your data and the "student's file" (extension .htm or .html) - the web page with your interactive quiz.

8.       Publish your exercise (upload the .htm file to your web site).

It may seem intimidating at first but after making a few quizzes it becomes really easy. And if you need any help, you can join the Hot Potatoes Users (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hotpotatoesusers/) discussion group on the Yahoo web site and the authors of the program or other users will answer all your questions.

Using the Quizzes

When the quizzes are posted on the Internet you can use them with your students in many different ways.

You can take your students to the computer room from time to time (once or twice a month, for example), show them how to use the quizzes and revise vocabulary or grammar. Moreover, you can use the exercises not only for revision but also for introducing new vocabulary. You can provide your students with feedback (extra hints, definitions, explanations, etc.) both for wrong and correct answers. You can even teach the students how to make quizzes and have them create revision exercises for their fellow learners.

Apart from being posted on the Internet, the quizzes may also be used on the school's network or (if there is no network) even distributed to students on floppy discs.

Hot Potatoes also has great potential for self-access use. The students can learn on their own and still benefit from the interactivity the quizzes provide.

Some more information from Half-baked software inc. on Hot Potatoes:

·        The programs allow the author to change the language of the interface (so that the buttons messages etc. which the author sees are in say French rather than English). We also allow the author to change the language of the messages, button captions etc. which appear on the generated pages. So a French-speaking author could create exercises in German say. The interface and configuration files for languages other than English are provided by expert users of our software.

·        We have a clipart library on the web which we commissioned expressly to meet the needs of language instructors. The URL is http://web.uvic.ca/hcmc/clipart

·        Some background on the history of Hot Potatoes we presented at a conference in Holland last year can be found at http://web.uvic.ca/hrd/eurocall2001/HotPotPastFuture/PastFutureHome.htm

http://www.towerofenglish.com                               http://www.eslspot.neuf.fr/teachlesson.htm

http://www.cal.org/caela/elltoolkit/Part5-3.pdf                    http://www.sitesforteachers.com/index.html

http://www.eduplace.com/activity                            http://www.onestopenglish.com

http://www.cal.org/caela                                           http://www.manythings.org

http://esl.about.com                                                   http://www.learningpage.com                       Eric

www.learnenglish.com

http://exchanges.state.gov/education/engteaching/pragmatics.htm

LEARN ABOUT PLUGINS (PLUGIN=PLAYER. A WAY TO PLAY SOUND CLIPS SUCH AS MEDIA PLAY, REAL TIME PLAYER ETC) http://www.learnthenet.com/english/html/56plugins.htm

LEARN ABOUT mp3 MUSIC http://www.learnthenet.com/english/html/97mp3.htm

LEARN ABOUT WEB RADIO http://www.learnthenet.com/english/html/57radio.htm

MORE LISTENING AND MORE, MORE, MORE http://www.rong-chang.com/

MOVIE CLIPS http://movie.web.com/

Here's the web address for the Western/Pacific Literacy Network.  The second address is for the CNN site on the network.

http://literacynet.org/lincs/

http://literacynet.org/cnnsf/home.html

Listening lessons http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/poetry/

Here are a few more listening sites. You can also google for "listening" and "esl"

 

Virtual University http://home.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/~teaman/vu/index-e.html) because it has interviews of international college sts about subjects like love, home, family which I think are likely to be interesting to sts. Activities are also provided.

This American Life (www.thislife.org) which is a radio show out of Chicago .  They have several years of archived shows.  They don't have built-in activities but they do have a page for educators where teachers have contributed ideas of how they have used the material for different lessons.

The Economist page, called Executive Dialogue. The URL is: http://www.economist.com/business/globalexecutive/dialogue/

http://www.esl-lounge.com/board_gamesindex.html  

 

One of my favorites under http://bogglesworld.com/worksheets.htm   is the "word scramble" click for making words from "black board." It also scaffolds the game for lower levels. This could be a fun activity for pairs or small groups or to take home as homework for intermediate levels.

 

I really enjoyed the education cartoon under the click http://www.tolearnenglish.com/free/cartoon.php .

This first link has blank board games so you can fill it in according to your particular lesson)

http://www.esl-lounge.com/board_gamesindex.html                http://bogglesworld.com/worksheets.htm

http://www.tolearnenglish.com/indexfree.php

I just came across a new way to record from the net. It is called a looprecorder. Go to the site below and click on the trial download that is good for 30 days. You can probably just keep downloading it every 30 days.

After you down load it:

1)      locate your listening source on the web

2)      open   the looprecorder (it will be on your desktop) It begins recording immediately so you will always have a blank at the beginning of your recording time.

3)      click on your listening to begin recording it.

4)      When you have finished with all that you want to record, click save. I would suggest saving them to “my music” folder so that they will all be together.

5)      Now go to the folder   and play it.   The greatest thing since sliced bread!

http://looprecorder.de/task_radio.php

TO RECORD FROM THE WEB YOU WILL NEED A TAPE RECORDER THAT HAS A MIKE PLUG AND THE JACK TO JACK CORD BELOW. YOU CAN GET THIS INEXPENSIVELY AT ANY RADIO SHACK. PLUG IN ONE END TO THE MIKE HOLE AND ONE TO YOUR MIKE HOLE ON YOUR COMPUTER. LOCATE AN AUDIO SOURCE (MUSIC, NEWS, A SPEECH, OR POLITICAL AD, ETC.) AND PRESS RECORD.

THERE ARE A FEW SUGGESTIONS AT THE END OF THIS E-MAIL, BUT THERE ARE LOTS OF LISTENING SOUND BITES ON THE NET. SOME OF THE ESL SITES HAVE NATIVE SPEAKERS TALKING ABOUT THEIR LIVES ETC.  FUN.

THIS IS A TOOL I USE ALL THE TIME SO IT PROBABLY IS WORTH THE INVESTMENT AS A TOOL IN THE LONG RUN. THIS IS A REAL LIFE SAVER IN AN EFL SETTING WHERE IT IS HARDER TO OBTAIN SAMPLES OF ENGLISH.

Recording from the Web                                                                                                    Recording from the web is considerably faster and simpler than you might think (faster than searching back and forth through a cassette for listening exercise 8.5!), providing you know where to find audio resources on the web and you have the equipment and software. It also allows you to cover a topical issue or a subject of interest to your students.

Required Equipment 
One cassette recorder (with a microphone input socket)
One blank cassette
and One Jack-to-jack audio cable (see picture) - available at most electronic stores.
Required Software - A Media Player
FREE RealOne Player available from www.real.com (don't download the '14 day trail version' as there is a free player available on the site!). This is essential software if you want to use the vast audio resources on the BBC web site!

FREE Windows Media Player available from www.windowsmedia.com

Method
Simply put one end of the Jack-to-jack audio cable in the record socket of the cassette player and put the other end of the cable into the headphone socket of your computer (this may be on the front or the back of the computer). Onc e you have found the audio resources you would like to record, press play on the Media Player and press record on the cassette player. When your recording has finished, press stop on the cassette player.

Note: It is advisable not to use your computer while recording from the web as this may slow the internet connection and cause breaks in the recording.

SOURCE http://teachers-pet.org (THIS IS A GREAT SITE FULL OF K-12 IDEAS BUT MANY WILL WORK FOR ADULTS TOO.)

Internet Resources

Google News Search	www.news.google.com
World News	www.bbc.co.uk/news (includes extensive audio resources)
Local News in English	www.budapestsun.com
Easier English New	www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/news/ (audio included)
	www.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/ (includes audio resources with tapescripts!)

THIS IS A LIST ON THE SITE BUT I DIDN’T CHECK THEM OUT. I ADDED ONE OF MY FAVORITE, NPR BELOW. TODAY THERE ARE KIDS READING PORTIONS OF BOOKS IN A REPRORT ABOUT SUMMER READING SELECTIONS.

Music and news                             npr.org

Kids sites:

www.kaledioscapes.com                                           www.kidschat.ws/

www.kidchatters.com                                                           www.activitypad.com

www.scholastic.com                                                 www.kidscom.com

www.yahooligans.com                                              www.kidsdomain.com

www.4kids.org

making exams:

www.geocities.com/barbaraghowell/lesson1.html free 30-day trial

pronunciation:

http://eleaston.com/pronunciation

INTERNET

Where did the Internet come from?

The Internet is a “network of networks.”  It was created in the 1960s by the United States’ Department of Defense to be used to send messages when other means were not available.

After the Cold War, universities began to use it to exchange information.  A common language called HTML was developed in the 1990s and the World Wide Web expanded to create possibilities for multimedia. 

The Internet continues to constantly evolve.  Its benefit is seen in the ability for communication, the speed of communication, the cost savings of communication, the large amount of information available and the freedom offered to users.  The Internet belongs to everyone.

What can you do with the Internet?

·         exchange emails

·         ‘chat’ - have conversations with other Internet users in real time

·         do research

·         try new programs

·         check the weather

·         get travel directions

·         buy things and services

·         listen to music and watch movies

·         play games

·         share documents

·         share information with people

·         find information

Why use the Internet?

·         You can find information you would never find in your town

·         You can find out anything

·         It is easy to find the information

·         It gives you freedom to move around the world

·         It is fun

·         It increases professional skills and knowledge

Why is Internet important for TEFL?

·         Much of the information is in English and it is a good way to practice

·         You can learn a lot about English-speaking countries

·         You can have access to resources, such as photos, encyclopedias, books and other information that is not available in your town

·         Students like to use the Internet and it can motivate them to use their English

·         It shows students how they can use English in real life, outside the classroom

·         You can talk with English speakers, English learners, or other English teachers

·         It is an easy way to develop a cultural exchange

·         You can use email to set up pen friend programs for your students

Email

Many of you have email accounts.  This allows you to directly correspond with people all over the world.  As young adults, you should also realize the tremendous value email has in the professional sphere.  Having email makes contacting you with important information easy for employers and colleagues. 

What can you do with Email?

• Compose (write) a message
• Send a message
• Read a message
• Reply to a message
• Forward a message that you have received to another person
• Delete a message that you have received
• File and store a message you have composed or received
• Attach documents or files (photos, videos, etc.) to your message

Opening an email account is often free and easy to do.  Free email in English is at www.yahoo.com or www.hotmail.com.  Free email in Russian is at www.mail.ru.  If you use Yahoo! Mail, your Email address will look like this: youraddress@yahoo.com.  If you use Hotmail, your address will look like this: youraddress@hotmail.com.  Every Email address has at least these three parts: your address, then the @ symbol, then the company providing the Email service, then the . and then the tag. 

At this time, everyone should open the Internet browser, Internet Explorer.  Those of you who have email should help their colleagues without email open an email account. 

Pen Friend Exercise by Katy Wagner

Establishing a pen friend program at your school is a good way to motivate your students to use their English in a real life situation - as well as practice it.  The Internet is a great opportunity for students to exchange letters with a native speaker without having to pay for postage or wait for long periods of time between letters.  Email also prevents letters from getting lost in the mail.  The students usually get very excited about the possibility of writing real Americans or Britons.  The first letter is always difficult for them to write, but once they receive their first response, the person becomes real and a connection is formed.  The connection between the students, teachers and the schools can become very close.  You can send photos of your students or your town in Emails using a scanner or a digital camera.  You can exchange holiday cards or even small gifts with land mail, you can even organize a web conference if you have a web camera, in which the students can talk to each other in real time.  Over time, the connections between even the two communities can become a lasting one.  A pen friend program does not only benefit your students’ English and country studies, but also promotes Ukraine to the native speakers.  You will find that they are very very interested in learning everything and anything about a new culture.

When beginning such a program it is important to find a teacher in the English-speaking country that is willing to take the time to motivate his/her students and to organize the sending of Emails on a fairly regular basis.  As English teachers in Ukraine, it is easy for us to assign a pen friend letter to our students as a homework task, but it is different for the native speaking teachers.  Sometimes you will have to try one or two teachers or schools before you find a good match. 

Once you do find a school and a teacher, you can get the students involved.  As a class, have them write a paragraph or two about Yuzhny and Ukraine to introduce their community to the native speakers.  You can also send some pictures of the town.  In the first letter, have the students answer five simple questions and ask three questions of their new friends. In general, they are very shy and do not know what to write, and therefore a rigid structure helps them.  I gave my students the following questions:

1.       What is your name and surname?

2.       Who is in your family?

3.       Where do you live?

4.       What do you like to do?

5.       What music do you like to listen to?

Ask your new pen friend three questions.

Then you or your students can type these letters into a Microsoft Word document.  Make sure that each student includes his/her name and surname so that there is no confusion.  I correct the first letter that they write, but never read their next letters unless they ask me to correct them.  This way they have their own friend and all of their letters are private. 

Next log on to the Internet and using the Copy and Paste functions, you can put the letters into an Email message.  Send the Email of all the letters to your counterpart teacher and let him/her match your students’ interests with his/hers.  The teacher will then Email his/her students’ responses back to you.  You can use the Copy and Paste functions to put these messages into a Microsoft Word document.  Then print and cut the document into individual letters for your students.  Keep a list of each student and his/her pen friend.  Eventually, the students can exchange their own Email addresses and write each other without the help of a teacher.  Alternatively, you can have them save their messages as Microsoft Word documents and then you can send them all once a week. 

Searching the Internet

At first the Internet can be overwhelming and confusing, but with practice, it can be an invaluable tool.  Resources for English teachers are scarce in Ukraine.  The largest advantage offered by the Internet is the ability to obtain information.  The Internet provides easy access to the world and to all its resources.  You can obtain an address or phone number at any time of day or night.  You can research a term paper for university.  You can read about your favorite movie star. 

When you are presented with a unit theme, for example New Zealand, you can go onto the Internet, search the World Wide Web for information and read stories, see maps, and even talk to New Zealanders.  It is possible to print or save web pages and make your own resource books.  You can also find many resources for teachers of English including lesson plans, games and activities.  You and your students can read English language newspapers and encyclopedias.

To navigate the Internet through the World Wide Web, you need a browser program.  Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator are the two most popular browser programs.  The browser allows you to view web sites, search for information, move around the World Wide Web, and share, save or print information from the World Wide Web.  Using browser, you will move around different web sites and web pages.  A web site may have many web pages.  Each website has an address (or URL), such as http://www.website.com.  Usually the browser will automatically put the http:// into the address and so you only have to type - or worry about - the www.website.com part of the address. The last two or three letters (after the last full stop) refer to what kind of web site it is.  Here is a short list:

.com	businesses, general sites	.ua	Ukraine
.co.uk	British businesses and sites	.ru	Russia
.edu	educational institutions	.ca	Canada
.ac.uk	British educational institutions	.nz	New Zealand
.gov	U.S. government	.au	Australia
.net	networks
.org	non-profit organizations

Each web page in a web site also has its own unique address (or URL), such as www.website.com/webpage1.  No two URLs are the same.  If you know the address of the web site that you would like to visit, you can type the address into the URL text box on the browser’s tool bar. For example, if you would like to go to the Peace Corps Ukraine web site, you would type [www.pcukraine.org] into the URL text box and press the Enter key. You do not need to type http://.  You must wait a few moments as the browser downloads the information from the Internet and displays it for you. You must be very careful to type in the address exactly correctly, or the browser will not be able to find the web site that you want.  So, if you know the web site that you want to visit you can go directly there and begin to explore the Internet - or “surf the ‘Net.”  If you do not know the web site you want to visit, you will have to use a Search Engine.

Within each web page there may be many hypertext links.  These are doors to other web pages and other websites.  Hypertext is usually underlined and/or a different color than the normal text.  When you place the cursor over this hypertext with your mouse, a hand will appear.  This hand shows you that the text is a hypertext link.  If you click once on this hypertext, the browser will take you to that page.  Notice that every URL, or address, is different.  In this way you can move around the World Wide Web.  Once you have clicked on the hypertext and seen the new web page, you can click on the Back icon on the browser tool bar to return to the page before.  If you click on the arrow menu next to Back, you can see many of the websites you have visited since you logged-on.  To return to any of these websites, highlight that website with the mouse and click on it.  Similarly, if you click on the Forward icon, you will go to the page you visited after the page you are currently on.  Use the Refresh icon to load the web page again.  This is useful if the web page does not load correctly or stops while it is loading.  The Stop stops the web page from loading.  This may be useful if you decide that you do not want to visit that web page or if the web page takes an extremely long time to load.

Hypertext is extremely important when using Search Engines to find information.  The most common search engines in English are www.yahoo.com and www.google.com.  In Russian, there is www.rambler.ru or www.bigmir.net.  Unfortunately, searching is often made easier for English speakers but there is much information available in multiple languages. 

To search for information using a search engine, you need to go to a search engine web site (see Useful Web Sites).  Most search engines use a text box.  You need to type keywords into this box and then click on the Search icon.  For example, if you want to learn about Australia, you can type [Australia] into the text box.  The search engine will then search its lists of websites and then give you a list of hypertext links to websites, along with keywords describing each website.  This process may take some time, as there is a lot of information to look through.  You can then use your mouse to click on the hypertext and go directly to the websites.  Use the Back icon to return to the list of search results.  You can use the Find function to search for words within a web page. 

To make your search more specific, you can use AND, OR, and NOT.  For example, if you want to search for Australian kangaroos, you can enter [Australia AND kangaroo].  The search engine will look for web sites with both of the keywords Australia and kangaroo.  If you are searching for information about Australia you can enter [Australia OR Aussie].  The search engine will look for web sites with either Australia or Aussie or both.  If you are searching for information on Chelsea, which is a district of London, the results may include many websites regarding Chelsea Football Club.  If you do not want to learn about the football club, you can type [Chelsea NOT football] into the text box.  This will give you a list of hypertext links regarding Chelsea, but not Chelsea football.  AND, OR, and NOT must always be in capital (BIG) letters. 

The very popular Yahoo! search engine offers another means of searching for information.  In addition to the text box and search icon, Yahoo! organizes its information (lists of websites) using different theme groups.  These theme groups have sub-groups (for example: Countries, States, Regions, Cities...) and are hypertext links.  For example, you can search for Australian kangaroos by going to www.yahoo.com and clicking on Countries and then on Australia.  Then there may be a sub-group called Animals or Wildlife.  You continue like this until you get to the smallest sub-group that you want: Australian kangaroos.  You can find anything this way.

Once you have found the information you are looking for you can save it in several ways.  Firstly, you can print it by clicking on the Print icon on the browser’s tool bar.  Secondly, you can save the web page in either text or HTML (the language of web sites) formats.  You could then print the text version of the web site, or view either the text or HTML versions whenever you like, without an Internet connection.  Thirdly, you can use the Copy and Paste functions (like in Microsoft Word) to save only the parts of the web page that you want to save.  This way you can save only the relevant information as well as save paper by not printing.  To do this, highlight the text on the web page that you want to save. Then press the Control key and then also the C key at the same time.  Then open a new document in Microsoft Word and click on the Paste icon.  You can now change the text as you like and save by clicking on the File menu and then Save.  This way, you can build your own resources either on paper by printing or saved on the computer and on disks.

Activity Internet Challenge

As we had said in our computer discussion, using a scavenger hunt is a beneficial way to get to know a topic or a location.  So, let’s hunt for information and get to know the Internet. 

Participants have 30 minutes to find the following information.  Where answers are found should be noted. 

1.  Where can you find a street map of Kyiv?

                2.  What is the official exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Russian ruble?

               

                3. Where did bananas originally come from?

                4.  What is the main export of the Philippines?

                5.  How many bones are in the human body?

                6.  Who is the current prime minister of Italy?

                7.  What is the average year-round temperature of Beijing, China?

                8.  What is the phone number of an organization that deals with the issue of HIV/AIDS?

                9.  Can you find a photograph of the singer Ruslana?

                10.  Where can you find out about educational exchanges to the United States?

                11.  When was World Health Day this year?

                12.  Where can you find a picture of the planet Mercury?

                13.  Where can I buy a modem on the Internet?

                14.  What is the address of the Ukrainian embassy in Washington, D.C.?

                15.  What is the phone number for the San Diego Zoo?

                16.  How much is a subscription to the Kyiv Post?

                17.  What is the address of the Morshinska Water company? 

                18.  When is Michael Jackson’s birthday?

 

                19.   What day of the week does the New York City subway not operate?

                20.  Who is the author of the book, Finding Francis?

Teaching English Using the Web

The problem:

Please, what are the teaching/learning strategies that an ESL teacher can apply while he/she is using the Internet with students?

Contents

Introduction
While browsing the forum in search of an idea I felt I could comment on, I stumbled upon this question, which had gone unanswered for quite some time:
Please, what are the teaching/learning strategies that an ESL teacher can apply while he/she is using the Internet with students?

As a result, and due to my feelings and experience on the subject, the following article attempts to address the question posted, by focussing on one specific area of Internet based learning.

What to do?
With the increase of computer and Internet availability in language schools on the rise, many teachers, with little or no training or experience in this medium as a language learning tool, have surely asked themselves this question once or twice when faced with the prospect of getting out of the comfortable (for teacher) textbook, and onto the Internet with their classes.

I would like to direct the reader to one particularly engaging and wide-ranging option available using the Internet, which is both learner-centred and teacher active. It is an option, which potentially involves learners in practice of all skills and systems in English, while at the same time promoting learner independence and collaboration. In language teaching circles, this is known as a WebQuest.

What is a WebQuest?
A WebQuest is in essence a mini-project using authentic language and carefully staged steps, which, as learners work through them, reach pre-set goals and work towards the production of original output, which is finally cemented of a presentation of some kind. This, the participants will have arrived at by means of navigating the Web, while involved in a variety of skill enhancing activities.

To paraphrase Philip Benz (2001), a WebQuest is a constructivist approach to learning, where with the proper guidance and “scaffolding” students can accomplish far more actual learning than in traditional transmission-of-knowledge situations.

With this lofty goal in mind, let’s take a brief look at just what exactly is involved.

In Webquests in the Language Classroom, Dudeney (2002) outlines four main components of a well-built WebQuest.

·         The first is an introductory phase, which like the lead-in to any good lesson, will engage learners in the overall theme of the project, deal with any key vocabulary or concepts necessary to deal successfully with the upcoming tasks, and set the overall context.

·         Next will come a series of tasks which will be explained clearly so that learners will know exactly what is expected of them as they proceed through the project.

·         Following the clear task guidelines, “the process stage of a WebQuest guides the learners through a set of activities and research tasks, using a set of pre-defined resources, usually presented in the form of a web link...the process stage will usually have one or more products which the learners are expected to present at the end.”

·         From the eventual ‘products’, an evaluation stage, which involves both self-evaluation as well as teacher evaluation, will round out the project and allow for feedback on both language performance and language learning based outcomes.

Why use the Internet for a project?
The ultimate goal of such a project is, to my mind, language acquisition. Additionally, learners can exercise a substantially high degree of independence, (as well as interdependence as they collaborate with their classmates), which in turn promotes development of learner autonomy and creativity (Benz 2001). As well, and this is an integral component of such a project, participants will have the opportunity to employ and develop critical ‘higher-level’ thinking skills, as they not only meet and grapple with large amounts of authentic, real-world language, but are also motivated to reach an understanding of it in order to transform this given information into something new, something of their own, and something that can be reacted to by others. (Marzano 1992)

The upshot of this is that not only are learners motivated to use and develop skills such as analysing, synthesising and evaluating, collating and organizing information, and interpreting language for meaning, to name a few, but are also involved in practising collaborative oral skills as they negotiate their way through the various tasks with their classmates (Brabbs 2002).

In my experience, this approach is ideal preparation for learners who may be hoping to study in an English language University, and helps those who hope to use English in their work to develop vital higher-level skills in the language, which will likely be required in the workplace. This kind of online project, however, is by no means limited to this profile of an English language learner. As with all ELT teaching materials, it is much more about grading the task and setting clear language learning objectives than excluding learners from dealing with potentially complex authentic language because of a preconceived level of learner proficiency on the part of the teacher. WebQuests are for everyone.

 What does the teacher do?
The teacher maintains an essential role in this process as not only the one who would normally select or set up the WebQuest, but who also plays an important role as facilitator - providing support, feeding in language as necessary, monitoring and eventually, taking on a role in an evaluating capacity. In my experience, it is important to strike a delicate balance between helping students make their way through the project, and trespassing on their autonomy. Remember that it is such autonomy which is likely to boost learner self-confidence and motivation. There is also the implication that, as much of the project work takes place on the Internet, the teacher must ensure that all participants are sufficiently versed in basic navigation skills. This might even provide an opportunity for student teaching, as there will surely be some in your groups who can impart this kind of information and design some light practice activities.

Will my students be motivated?
Motivation is a key issue here, and in my own classes I have witnessed otherwise shy students come to life within a project of this kind as they not only have an opportunity to use their computer savvy (or learn a great deal as they go), but with the combination of clear goals and tasks enabling them to function more as a user of English, and not simply a bottomless pit needing to be filled up with isolated language items, motivation often soars. In addition, due to the level of learner autonomy, the impact of working with real-world English, and the flexibility inherent in the level of output as the project develops, and in the various production phases, even the more confident learner will be challenged.
 

What is the outcome?
As described above, learners will be asked to create one or more projects, which are directly linked to the success of their task completion in the process stage. This is the tangible outcome of all their hard work and is the part which is subject to evaluation. This is an essential ingredient to a WebQuest, or any other project for that matter, and the criteria of this should be made clear and available to the students from the start. Clear teacher-learner evaluation criteria is a must, as it gives clear guidelines as to what is expected from the learner throughout the project as well as what learning outcomes are desirable (Dudeney 2002). These guidelines can, and should be modified to distinguish between, and allow for both oral presentation and written work.

Typically, a well designed WebQuest will include an opportunity for learners to undertake self-evaluation as well, which may be guided by thought- provoking questions geared towards both what the student feels they have learned in the realm of language, as well as asking them to look at the type of experience they have just undertaken and how that relates to their progress as a whole. They might also be asked what they see as the advantages or otherwise using the Internet compared to a more traditional, classroom and printed materials approach. (see appendix one)

Where do WebQuests come from?
Ok, now that the teaching and learning strategies are reasonably clear - how do you go about building your own WebQuest? Well, luckily, there are plenty of them which have already been carefully thought out and are available for all to use, so it isn’t necessary to re-invent the wheel each time you embark on a project of this nature. Of course ideally, you want something that fits in with both your learners’ needs and interests, and keeping in mind any time (or other) restraints you may have as well. Below are links to a number of excellent EFL-teacher-made examples for different levels and each with a different focus. If you find that you would much rather build one yourself, you will also find information leading you to that possibility on the same page.

http://www.theconsultants-e.com/webquests/

For a different focus, and a more thorough look at an across the curriculum approach, the following link to San Diego University where it all began, is probably one of the best places to start.
http://webquest.sdsu.edu/

Don’t forget! Or, some practical considerations
Some reminders when deciding to give it a try with your own class: of course, go through the whole thing yourself to be sure that everything is what it appears to be. Often times, on WebQuests that were made some time ago, links can go dead, so be sure to check them all and be ready with an alternative one if necessary. Check your computer equipment at your school to be sure your hook-up is fast enough to download the necessary web sites. Nothing can be more frustrating than waiting for a very long time in front of a computer screen. In reality, many computer facilities at schools will be a bit slower than your high-powered laptop at home, so it may be worth alerting students to that fact and staging your project accordingly. (Or have them bring in their own laptops instead!).

The wrap up
WebQuests are motivating, fun, reflect real-world roles and tasks, invite collaboration, promote and exercise ‘higher-level’ thinking process and practice skills inherent to any language learning project, such as reading for main ideas and detail, negotiating meaning through spoken and written communication, incorporate listening skills, peer teaching and interaction, as has been observed,

“learners are not able to simply regurgitate information they find, but are guided towards a transformation of that information in order to achieve a given task.” (Marzano 1992)

Students are involved in creating and producing something of their own, with peer and teacher support and not only receive valuable feedback from their teacher, but are involved in reflecting on their work and engage in self-evaluation as well.

Well, what more could you want?

Bibliography/ Webliography

Benz, P. (2001). ‘Webquests, a Constructivist Approach’.
http://www.ardecol.ac-grenoble.fr/english/tice/enwebquests.htm

Brabbs, P. (2002). ‘Webquests’ English Teaching Professional, issue 24: 39-41

Dudeney, G. (2002) ‘Webquests in the language Classroom’. Net Languages, Barcelona. http://www.dudeney.com/downloads/webquests.pdf (note this link is direct to a PDF. You may also be interested in Gavin Dudeney's site http://www.theconsultants-e.com/: this is a commercial site offering online training.) 

Marzano, R.J. (1992). ‘A different kind of class’: Teaching with dimensions of learning.

Alexandria VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. In Dudeney, G.(2002) ‘Webquests in the language Classroom’ http://www.dudeney.com/downloads/webquests.pdf

 New York WebQuest

http://www.onestopenglish.com/Culture/Web-Quest/3) Web information hunt  - 3)%20Web%20informat

Teacher's notes (PDF) http://www.onestopenglish.com/Culture/Web-Quest/elt-webquest-pdf/newyorkteach.pdf

1) Brainstorming - New York, New York!

What do you think when you see the words ‘New York’? In two minutes write down all the words and phrases you can think of. Now check out the following websites and see if your words and phrases are mentioned.

http://encarta.msn.co.uk/find/Concise.asp?z=1&pg=2&ti=761576416 
http://www.1911encyclopedia.org  

2) Introductory quiz

Your teacher will put you in pairs or small groups. Use the websites below to find the answers to these eight questions about New York City.

1.Who was the first European to visit the area of New York?
2.Which two Native American groups inhabited the area?
3.What is the name of the river in New York? Who was it named after?
4.What was the original name of New York?
5.How many people lived in New York when George Washington became  president?
6.When was the Brooklyn Bridge opened?
7.Where were the first skyscrapers built?
8.Who was the first African American mayor of New York?

http://www.encarta.msn.co.uk/find/Concise.asp?z=1&pg=2&ti=761576416#s4 
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/north_america/new_york_city/history.htm

3) Web information hunt 

a) Your teacher will give you a letter. Look at your website and write down five interesting pieces of information. After ten minutes work in a new group and exchange the information you have found out.    

If you are Q look at Queens   http://uk.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761568452/Queens.html
If you are B look at Brooklyn  http://uk.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761570387/Brooklyn.html
If you are S look at Staten Island  http://uk.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761558223/Staten_Island.html
If you are X look at  Bronx  http://uk.encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761564928/Bronx_The.html
If you are M look at Manhattan  http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761569999/Manhattan.html

b) Now, using the same website, see if you can answer the following questions about boroughs in New York. You will need to read the information on each borough in order to find the answers:

1.Which borough has the largest population?
2.In which borough is Wall Street?
3.In which borough is the Yankee Stadium?
4.In which borough are the two main airports?
5.Which is the only borough (of the five) on the mainland?
6.How would people travel from Staten Island to Manhattan?

http://uk.encarta.msn.com 

4) Group planning - a day in NYC!

Work in small groups (between two and four). Use the website below to help you plan a day in New York. Consider the following questions:

1. Who will you go to New York with?
2. Which places will you visit?
3. How long will you need to spend in each place?
4. How much will the day cost? (Include transport, cost of tickets and entry fees, food and anything else you will buy.)

http://www.ny.com 

5) Listening - Tom's Diner 

Suzanne Vega is a New York songwriter. Her most famous song to date is called Tom’s Diner. Suzanne Vega’s songs often reflect life in her hometown of New York. One song, Tom’s Diner, was actually written in Tom’s restaurant at 2880 Broadway, New York.

Use the following website to listen to different versions of the song Tom’s Diner. You can also access the song lyrics from this website. Click on ‘music’ then ‘MP3s A-Z’ then Tom’s Diner.

http://www.suzannevega.com/

6) Grammar - present continuous and present simple

The song Tom’s Diner is full of actions and uses the present continuous to describe what is happening. Do you know when to use the present continuous and when to use the present simple?

Choose the correct sentence from each pair:

1.
a) I am sit in the diner.
b) I am sitting in the diner.

2.
a) She is pulling up her stockings.
b) She pulling up her stockings.

3.
a) I like listening to music.
b) I am liking listening to music.

4.
a) It is always nice to seeing you.
b) It is always nice to see you.

5.
a) It is time to catch the train.
b) It is time to catching the train.

7) Extra websites

Tours
http://expedia.msn.com/daily/slideshow/NewYork/PTT.asp 
Take a look at this interesting slide show – pictures and information about six of Manhattan’s most fascinating museums.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/newyork/hidden/index.html 
Click on ‘enter’ and find out about the real New York.

News
http://www.nytimes.com 
Up-to-date news from the New York Times. If you want to read the news
in-depth then you’ll need to create an account (but it’s free).

Essential NY
http://www.essentialbigapple.com 
Bright and brash, this web site reflects many peoples’ image of New York. Lots of information, including an excellent section under ‘Tourist attractions menu’.

History
http://www2.thingstodo.com/states/NY/history.htm 
Nice simple history page which also includes a timeline.

Suzanne Vega
Find out more about this song.
http://www.suzannevega.com

Music
http://www.vigilcd.org/index.htm 
A selection of songs written and played by New York songwriters (led by Suzanne Vega) focusing on the events of 09/11/201.