Week 10: Integrating skills

As TESOL professionals, we are sometimes asked to teach classes which focus on a particular skill, but, as we discussed in class, this does not mean that we ignore the other skills completely.  Think back to your first mini-lesson.  You likely targeted one or two skills in particular, but I want you to think about how you might integrate all the skills into that lesson. 

In responding to this blog assignment, you should post your response as a comment to this post.  First, review your mini lesson briefly, outlining the ways in which you targeted some particular skill or skills.  Then discuss in detail how you might integrate other skills into your lesson, and how this skills integration would improve the original plan.   Note that your response should be a minimum of two paragraphs in length, and should provide sufficient detail that we can (1) remember your lesson and what you did, and (2) imagine with you how the additional skills targeting would enhance the lesson.

Week 9: classroom management

This week, I want us all to think even more about different classroom management techniques, remembering that "Classroom management is a planned effort on the part of the teacher to make the classroom a comfortable place for students to learn" (Wesner 1999).   In adult classrooms, what we do and how we handle different situations is likely to be quite different from how we'd handle things with younger learners.  In this blog assignment, you'll have the opportunity to think specifically about classroom management with adults learners.

You will have two different aspects to your post:
First, go here to read about adults as learners. 

Second, go here to look at some tips on how to handle a number of different difficult situations in a classroom. 

Choose one of the situations from the second link that is relevant for you and your own teaching, and discuss (a) an additional way to handle such things, (b) an enlightening suggestion that the page gives, or (c) a similar situation in which one of those techniques worked (or didn't work).  Make sure to answer in light of what you read about adult learners, and include discussion of how possible techniques may not be appropriate for some age levels, cultural situations, etc. 

Your answer should be posted as a comment to this post, and should be at least 2 paragraphs long.

Part 2 of Blog Assignment

In the previous post, I had you list some online resources that you find to be particularly helpful.   Take a look at the different ones that other students in the class have posted.  Find one that you yourself have not checked out before and take a look at it.  On this post comment on what you think of that particular site.  What makes it a good resource and what advantages does it have?  What disadvantages does it have?  If possible, find an activity on that site that you think would be a good choice to use for a communicative activity in an ESL classroom (any age or proficiency level is fine, but you'd be smart to focus on your target group for your final project).  Post a link to that activity and tell why it is appealing to you.  Print out the activity, make at least 4 copies of it (for a total of 5), and bring it to class with you on Monday, March 7.

Note:  If you cannot find a good activity on the site new to you, you may return to one of your own favorite sites and find an activity there.  You will still need to bring 5 copies of that activity to class with you on Monday for our use in class.