2007年6月27日水曜日

How to be a successful English teacher

In last ETM3 class,a English teacher came to our class as a guest teacher,from junior high school.I learned a lot of things about junior high school students or teaching English.I want to write teo point that was useful and impressed me.

1. Making the teaching plan
When a teacher have a class,it is important to make the taching plan.I thought that this apply to every teachers. First,tachers have to think what to teach from the textbook.And after choosing that, teacher have to decide teching order. Also, to teach correctly and easiliy for students is important. I think if I teach English, I have to use plainer expressions and explanations, not ambiguous or imcomprehensible.
On that point,Mr.Maruhashi's way of teaching was straightforward and easy to understand(At first,I felt it was a little difficult...). I learned attentions of teaching English from Mr.Maruhashi.

2.Junior High School Students
Mr.Maruhashi asked us images about junior highschool,teachers, and students. I knew that recent student was changing from when we were in junior high school. I have a image that junior high school students are difficult. Looking back days of then, surely, various things happened,during class,club activity,or dairy life. "I want to talk with teacher! Listen to me!"......this was my feeling of junior high school. I think students want to talk to teachers. So, teachers talk more students and should understand each.Through activity, class,or school life, to communicate with them is very important,I thought.



Mr.Maruhashi asked us "What is teacher's role?", at first. My answer was "to bring up students and to cue(きっかけを与える) them to thier dream". But, although I want to be a English teaher, I didn't know what it is. I could express by words but I wondered if what and how it is, actually.
I want to learn by listening to more speech of teachers or experiencing. To be a teacher and to teach students are difficult. I must study many things harder. Mr.Maruhashi's speech was very useful for me.Thank you very much.

2007年6月15日金曜日

The Reflection of Micro Teaching

This time,I taught how to use "because",with Yuichi in last ETM3 class.It was a little difficult for me,but I could enjoy teaching English.This Experience became really helpful for me in thinking to make the English class, from now onward. We thought the class by trial and error, but there are many improvements, I think.I was nervous but Yuichi and everyone helped me.I really thank him and everyone.

Now,I want to write "What we taught" and "The strengths and weaknesses of the lesson".

☆ What we taught

First, I started short conversations which use "because" and "Why". Next, I asked students a content of the conversation, and wanted to elicit answers why Yuichi Sensei couldn't eat tomato sauce.(I wanted the words "なぜなら" and "~だから" in Japanese.)

For that, we repeated a part of conversation using "because". When I got the answer from a student, I write the sentence "I can't eat tomato sauce because I don't like tomato.", and Yuichi Sensei taught how to say and practiced. I explained a meaning and how to use "because" in Japanese.

After that, we practiced how to use and read, using cards.We answered with students when we used first and second cards, and from third card, students thought "why she is happy" and answered it.

Last, we reviewed two ways how to use "because" and repeated after Yuichi Sensei.


☆ The Strengths and Weaknesses

【Strengths】
・We repeated a part of conversation which contained a important part, and get students
to have a consciousness.
・We used some picture cards, and tried to have students understand the situation more easily.
・I explained grammar,simply.

【Weaknesses】
・I wondered if it is a little difficult for some students to read the content of conversation.
⇒Because I heard a voice "difficult...". I should have spoken more slowly and louder voice.
・We used a blackboard a lot, since sentences which we used were a little long and we wanted
students understand structure of sentence.
⇒I should have thought how to use it.Writing each sentence, we took a little time, and students
could only see us.
・In practice;third card, we asked students "Why is she happy?". But it may be hard for some
students to think that and interpret the reason into English.
⇒As improvement, I thought I should have used more easier sentences, or made
handouts, gave some hints of wors, and practiced with pair.


Last, I have some questions.How should or may teachers speak Japanese in English class? ,and how can I communicate more with students in the lesson?
I want to think them from now on.

2007年5月23日水曜日

Methods of Teaching Vocabulary

Today we learned about two approachs for teaching vocabulary:the Teach and Learn Approach and the Learning through Input Approach. You can see a Power Point presentation of the approaches here. I would like to tell you about the strengths and weaknesses of each approach as well as the approach I would use as a Junior High School English Teacher.

1.The Present and Learn Approach

First, I will talk about the strengths and weaknesses of the Present and Learn Approach.

◇Strengthes
・Students listen to explanation of a techer, learn the meaning of the vocabulary and how to use them,and they could understand the vocabularies.
・By the teacher explaning interestingly or using picture, diagram,video and so on, students could study enjoyably.I think visual aids are very useful for English lesson.

◇Weaknesses
・Tacher cannot know that whether every students can understand the lesson, at any time.There may be a case that during the lesson, student couldn't become to understand the contents and give up to learning.
・Student may confuse because there are one-side teaching and many grammars and vocabularies appear.

2.The Learning through Input Approach

Second, I will talk about the strengths and weaknesses of the Learning through Input Approach.

◇Strengths
・Student could learn enjoyably.Teacher using pictures , cards, diagrams and so on,it is easy for student to memorize.
・Students could practice pronounciations of vocabularies together or individually.They pronounce over and over,and memorize them naturally,step by step.

◇Weaknesses
There may be students who could not catch up with the pace of the lesson.And when teacher ask the student how to ponounce the vocabulary, he/she would be not able to answer it.
・The English understanding levels of students are each different,so learning speeds are different,too.


Lastly as a junior high school English teacher I would favor a Hybrid.I think that by only the one of two methods,to make teaching is a little difficult.So I favor to keep balances of two methods.

2007年5月16日水曜日

Review of the Communicative Activity

I am going to review two of the communicative activities presented in ETM3. These communicative activities are typical in Japanese junior high school. AndI have ideas about Interview and Find someone.

Interview
There are some conversations on handout. They are...
A:What wee you doing at ' lst night?
B:I was eating dinner.

I think when we start conversations,we need greeting. Not asking a question sudddenly, but if we start.....
A:Hello,○○!How are you?
B:Hello,△△! I'm fine.
A:What were you doing at ' last night?
B:I was eating dinner.
A:Oh,you were eating dinner!
Student could repeat ~ing sentences and practice conversation longer.

Next I am going to review about Find someone.

Find someone...
This activity is that students look for someone who apply his/her question.There are some items, and this starts.....
A:Do you want to work in Tokyo after graduating?
B:Yes, I do.

First, after B answer the question of A, B repeats sentences one more time.
For example...
B:Yes, I do.I want to work in Tokyo after graduating.

I think it is one of the important way to pronounce English sentences.

And this idea may be a little difficult, if students learn this conversation, it is good that students make "Find some who..." sentences and ask someone.

2007年5月7日月曜日

My Family and Hometown

I went back to my hometown during this successive holidays.It was a so short stay, but good stay for me.After a long separation,I was glad to see my parents, grandfather,and so on.My family hadn'd changed,and they were fine.

Actually, I was worrying about different things,about daily life,myself or future.Besids recently I caught a cold, I was out of blood.When I went back to my hometown at night, my mother was waiting for me at the station.And we arriving at my home,there were dinner my mother made.
Talking many things with my family, I relaxed vey much.

I am only child and have grown up being supported by my familiy or many people. My hometown is a country and rice fields expands. As long as I can remember,I had seen the rural scene,so I like the scene very much.When I felt down, my hometown heals me.When I have lived in hometown, they are natural to talk wih family,that they support me,or that there is rural scene and so on.But now I think they are very valuable and precious things for me.I learn many things in this university,and next I want to support.I really thank them.

Things that don't change...my family and my hometown.They are my important things.

2007年4月23日月曜日

My Stories of Studing English in Secondary School☆

Hello,everyone(^□^)♪
This time,I want to write about my story of studying English in secondary school.

Since I started studying English, mm...,10 years have passed(゜Å゜)!! I am impressed that I was studying English for a long time. I think I have learned many English grammar, words, phrases,and haow to speak...etc, in this 10 year.Ф(.. )

For 9 years in 10 yaers, I studied at school, junior high school, high school, and university. When I started studying English, I liked English very much. Because,until then, I could only speak Japanese, but I learned foreign language and I feel like that I cuold communicate with forigner. I was very glad(*'∀'*)♪〃

As I liked English, I studied English very hard in junior high school and high school(-~-;) The most enjoyable thing is when ALT came to class. I think ALT always entertained us. In retrospect, their preparations of the lesson were grate. My ALT made a picture-story show, devise games, and sometimes showed videotape of her hometown. I also remembered walking around in the school during the class or being taught how to pronounce English words.
By using eyes and ears or miving body, student looked very enjoyed!!

And, this is my own way. I often listening music, watching foreign dramas or movies. I learn how to express English, conversation, and sometimes grammars from them. I could study interestingly, so this is valueable way for me('ⅴ')☆

While, the least enjoyable thing was entirely reciting sentences of textbook and repeat it(-Å-;) One day, there was a test. That was memorizing very LONG sentences PERFECTLY, reading it aloud. I copied sentences to my notebook , read it over and over and tried to memorize them desperately, but ultimately I couldn't and very tiered_(-□-_;)

No student achived this, and I didn't see what this test meant. I think this method is the most unvaluable. To begin with nobody was not interested, secondly it is a little impossible for junior high school student to memorize the long sentences (;_; )

So, I think, after all, mutual communication of teacher and student is very important.

This 10 years, there was when I liked English but likewise there was when I dislike English. When English study become obligatory, for example, for exam or when I have to get many many knowledges ( phrases or words), I become to dislike English. But when I study of my own motion, I think I like English very much (´∀`*)☆

What to do to please students..., this question is a littele diffcult for me(' ';) Some students like English, the others may not. I have to consider the way students could study interestingly, when I come to teach.

A little long sentence...(- -;)
Thank you for reading my blog☆ This is my story of studying English.
See you on next class(^□^)/"

2007年4月19日木曜日

Hello! My name is Satona.
I'm studying Elementary School Education and English Education.
I like playing tennis and watching foreign dramas. And I also like travel.
I want to learn not only English but many languages, and want to go abroad.
Nice to meet you!!