"_______ is a fantastic teacher. He's always moving around the room, brining in interesting things. I love the idea that I am in charge of my learning. It's fun to interrupt."
"I want to come back and learn with ________. His classes are so much fun. He makes me speak more than I would in a class."
"The best part of the class was when ______ brought in some speakers. It was great! We learned so much from the artist who answers too many questions."
Listen to Pink Floyd
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mz4JNTsgSvo
We don't need no
education
We dont need no thought
control
No dark sarcasm in the
classroom
Teachers leave them kids
alone
Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids
alone!
All in all it's just another brick in
the wall.
All in all you're just another brick
in the wall. I never let school get in the way of my education. -- Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) Yes, the pendulum swings back and forth. Sometimes the schooling system is too controlled and sometimes the system is too lenient. The Visual and Active Method can adjust to the conditions of the students. The more mature the student, the less guidance is needed. If the student needs direction or says, "I don't know what I will be doing five years from now," that's okay. The teacher asks, "What do you do when you have free time?" The idea is to find the passion, as explained in the National Public Radio interview with Dennis Littky. | Our Methods
These comments lead us to believe that something powerful takes place when the CELTA method is implemented. The Certificate of English Language Teaching to Adults can apply to any grade level (with suitable amendments). The principles are:
1/ use real objects
2/ focus on one thing at a time
3/ provide time for the students to speak, not just passively listen to the teacher.
4/ create a safe place to make mistakes.
5/ Allow students to check their understanding
6/ Make corrections AFTER the student finishes a story. Write down the errors and ask the class to fix the errors.
7/ Don't say, "Do you understand?" because either answer does not give you information that you need.
Example
Teacher: This is a chair. Do you understand?
Student: Yes, I understand. well, what do you understand?
Student: a chair is something you sit on.
Teacher: Is a stool a chair?
Studernt: No, ia stool has 3 legs and no back.
Teacher: Oh, so what is a chair?
Student: It has four legs and a back to lean on.
Student: No, I don't understand. Well, what is it that you don't understand? (the teacher has to ask additional questions, losing time)
BETTER: What is a chair? Tell me what a chair is.
What is the difference between this and that? (showing a chair and a stool)
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8/ We believe that teaching is "professing, lecturing, presenting information, dictators."
9/ We encourage teachers to become FACILITATORS -- people who make things easier to learn. We create opportunities
10/ The primary directive of the Visual and Active mehtod is: Teach what the student wants to learn. This means we need to ask the students to write their GOAL for 5 years and the short-term goal this week that will move him closer to the 5-year target.
Then we adapt the curriculum to the needs of each student. This is called "Follow Their Passion" -- Create an Individual Education Plan for each student
11/ We also advoate spoken tests (exhibitions)
12/ We want students to build a portfolio of their work, including examples of their work in class.
13/ Our homework is rarely "busy work" or tedious drills to reinforce what was done in class. Our homework includes "write a letter to your loved one and send me a copy so I can gheck the grammar." We believe in classwork that is real work, so we encourage students to work or volunteer outside the school.
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