A Difficult situation

Before winter holidays I asked for some advice to Miss Racker. This year I had a very difficult group.
I started by separating the ones who worked from the ones who didn't. Moreover, I gave engaging activities to the people who were interested in the activities.

Nowadays, the great majority works excellent, and if there are some who bothers the rest, they tell me to continue. In addition, I started using a projector so they don't feel like they have to work with the book all the time.

Luckily, all my effort worked and I can enjoy giving classes to 30 children not feeling frustrated.

So please, never give up and always give your best!
Children know the effort you make for them.

Second Language Acquisition

Hi everyone! How are you?
This entry will be about second language acquisition. During the previous class, we gave a closure to FLA and we started brainstorming about SLA.

It is known that people all over the world acquire language in a natural and unconscious way.
However, SLA is different. People learn a second language by a process in which they accumulate knowledge. This video explains what SLA is, why it is important
, the stages and the theories. 

Second Language Acquisition

Moreover, I wanted to share with you a very interesting video related to a doubt that emerged from bilingual brains.

The benefits of a Bilingual Brain

Hope you enjoy them! 

State Run Schools🏫

Today it would have been my second class at practicum 4. However, it was not possible.
Last Wednesday my classmate and I arrived at the school and there was a sign that said there were not classes because they run out of water.
Today, as soon as I arrived there was another sign. At that time, I knew something was wrong. When I read it, it said that there was a strike today, tomorrow and on Friday.
How can it be possible? How can we do this to children? This is damaging them. I'm not against the teachers but the government. Is it so difficult to pay just a bit more to the teachers of the future society?

We, teachers, are making the change. We are in our rights of making strikes to denounce something. However, we should do something in order to not to deprive children of learning. It is not their fault. 

I'm totally disappointed with this. I think there must be another solution. 
I hope everything can be solved and that these children can have classes again.

Remember that WE are the change! 🌎

Home, Sweet Home 🏡

Almost two weeks ago, I decided to move to a flat alone. It was a difficult decision. I've always wanted to live alone but I was too insecure to do it.
Everything happened thanks to Eva Luna. She sent me a message in which it said that her mother was renting an apartment. I could see my opportunity there. However, my parents didn't want me to leave home.
Some days later, my friends encouraged me to make that great decision. So the following day I payed an advanced payment without telling my parents.
The same day I made the payment, I told my parents about my final decission. Luckily, they accepted it and helped me a lot.
My parents, sister and boyfriend made everything possible to be comfortable at that place.
The picture is about the first night we spend there and had dinner.

FOUR METHODS

Hi everyone!
we've been learning at Sarah Racker's class about the different popular methods teachers use.
However, I'll only be focused on the FOUR METHODS.

📆 WHEN WAS IT DEVELOPED? In the 1970's and 1980's.

📖 WHAT ARE THE FOUR METHODS? They are described as humanistic approaches.

❓ WHY? Because in three out of four cases at least, the designers are primarily concerned to lower the students' affective filters.

🔎WHICH ARE THE FOUR METHODS?

1. COMMUNITIY LANGUAGE LEARNING
2. THE SILENT WAY
3. SUGGESTOPAEDIA
4. TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE

1)COMMUNITY LANGUAGE LEARNING

It is an approach in which students work together to develop what aspects of a language they would like to learn. Here the teacher acts as a counselor and a paraphrase, while the learner acts as a collaborator, although sometimes this role can be changed.

2) THE SILENT WAY

The Silent Way is commonly defined as a teaching method for foreign languages in which the teachers are mostly silent and use rods and charts as their main teaching tools. The method emphasizes the autonomy of the learner; the teacher's role is to monitor the students' efforts, and the students are encouraged to have an active role in learning the language. Pronunciation is seen as fundamental; beginning students start their study with pronunciation, and much time is spent practicing it each lesson. The Silent Way uses a structural syllabus, and structures are constantly reviewed and recycled. The choice of vocabulary is important, with functional and versatile words seen as the best. Translation and rote repetition are avoided and the language is usually practiced in meaningful contexts. Evaluation is carried out by observation, and the teacher may never set a formal test.
Purpose

1.      Students should be able to use the language for self expression
2.      Students need to develop their own inner criteria for correctness by each other or themselves without the dependence of the teacher
3.      Students become independent by relying on themselves

3)SUGGESTOPAEDIA

Suggestopedia is method learning with the different situation, in this method students can learn with colorful room, music, peace, and so on. 

characteristic:

the most conspicuous characteristics of suggestopedia are the decoration, furniture, and arrangement of the classroom, the use of the music, and the authoritative behavior of the teacher.

Approach: theory and learning

Six principal theoritical components through which de-suggestion and suggestion operate and that set up access to reserves.

§  Authority: people remember best and are more influenced by information coming from the authoritative source.

§   Initialization: authority is also used to suggest a teacher –students relation like that of parent to child.

§   Double-plannedness: the learners learn not only from the effect direct instraction but  from the environment in which the instruction takes place.

§   Intonation

§  Rhythm, and

§  Concert Pseudo-passiveness:

4) TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE

Total Physical Response is a teaching technique whereby a learner (usually young learner) responds to language input with body motions. This could be, for example, the acting out a chant, opinion, etc. One of benefit is that TPR allows for low anxiety learning since students don't have the stress of producing language. 'Robot' is an example of a TPR activity, where the teacher commands her robots to do some task in the classroom. Acting out stories and giving imperative commands are common TPR activities. Great for early stages but difficult to teach complex language.

Guiding Principles

1.      Uses psycho-motor systems to teach vocabulary and sentence form

2.      Students not forced to speak until ready

3.      Command forms used to convey information

4.      Builds gradually in complexity

5.      Supports kinesthetic learning style.