Challenge Yourself

         

   This week proved that even teaching large classes can be fun. I am so satisfied this week cause all I wanted I got it. Teaching large class I never thought that it will be fun, now I have week off first time I can’t wait to start teaching in college my (66 students) again, teaching this huge number in such a difficult environment must be challenge for me this is why I named my title Challenge Yourself. Due to all  ideas I got from reading  and my colleagues as well, helped me to realized that there will never be something impossible.

       From "Teaching Large Classes" and "Enhancing Learning by Engaging Students" I learned a lot of ideas such us how to group students effectively and what activities can be given. Variety, Individualization, Setting Up Routines and Speaking Style are very significant points teachers should take in consideration because the impression that teacher gives the students from the beginning is very important. This way teacher will be able to engage students successfully and won’t be worry all the time. In addition to that, PowerPoint Presentations are very useful for the teacher especially teaching EFL students. Teacher can avoid mother tongue by showing some pictures in the PowerPoint slides. Moreover grammar, games vocabulary and writing exercises can be all used by PowerPoint to motivate students and build their critical thinking as well.

         From these two points I realized that teaching can be with use of technology as well as without technology. Teacher should be aware of WHAT is he / she using ,HOW and WHY? So I am going to print paper for each week showing my students the assignment needed besides, I will group them each week to make those assignments in groups . That will help students to cooperate with each other and make a better environment between them as long as the environment in the class is very difficult, due to the old classes and broken windows and the door is broken too. There is noise from outside so it is difficult to listen and to concentrate as well. But hopefully things will change and I will go early to be able to talk with some students more personally. Another think I will do is that I will give them sheet about interviews then let them do their own interviews and recording each other from thier cellphones this is an idea I got from my classmate  Hulya. In my opinion this idea will be very attentive for my class.


         To sum up, successful teachers always like to learn new things and challenge themseves to    be better. They should always tell themselves there is nothing impossible they should be motivated and patient as well.

Rubric and Alternative Assessment

As a teacher we are always worried about, how to motivate students? How to grade them? Do we give each student what he/she deserve. And usually grades are the most students concern. Why I got this mark or how much will I get or receive. So the rubric was my hero. Rubrics is very important for teachers to be reasonable about the marks and it is important how to write the rubric too. Such as :What things to focus on according to the subject and students level you teach. Therefore, this week I have learned a lot. Assessing Learning (Alternative Assessment) helped me to concentrate more about students strength and encourage them in  a good way but that doesn’t have to make me engorge students mistakes no. It means to tell the students in a good way that doesn’t give them negative impression.  So these ways I hope students will be more comfortable and more organized

And I keep telling myself to be relax  : As long as  I could do this course, my students can do it as well..

           There we go with week 4 it means we have finished a month studying this course so things become more organized becouse I am following everything in a good way. However, I am still concern and worried because the day for the final project is closer now.

            Week 3 we studied about listening and speaking skill, now in week 4 we study about other skills like reading and writing. So, it is great how step by step we are learning to connect the teaching with internet. For me that was challenge to learn and teach reading, writing and vocabulary with technology. In addition to that writing my students usually get bored from writing exercises, therefore wordle.net helped me to overcome this problem and students were ready to write and find out how their writing will look after they put it in wordle and compare it with others they were very motivated and they enjoyed it. I have also found many other useful sites that my classmates recommended such us: http://stickyball.net/  and  http://www.bookrags.com/ than I can use with my students.  

Making a lesson plan was my concern I was quite lost at the beginning because it is new for me writing it in that way.  So, always new things are quite hard but it doesn't mean we should give up.