Category: 08. pedAgogy and educAtioN

Trying to find a reason to motivate your students to study the language that you are teaching? The Subject Centre for Languages , Linguistics and Area Studies (UK) has published “700 reasons for studying languages“. Though the report is only available to UK postal addresses, you can still get a glimpse of it through this online searchable database.

Guat Kheng found this list of question while clearing some files and shared it with me. It’s a list of questions that can guide our students to think while buidling their learning portfolio. The questions pertain to the choice of artefacts, in that why/how a student decide to choose a piece of artefact to showcase in his/her portfolio.
Here goes:
1. What were the most difficult parts of your artefact, and what gave you the most satisfaction?
2. What are you most proud of, and what would you do differently in the future?
3. How did you use previously learned skills in producing your artefact?
4. How does this artefact demonstrate your skills or knowledge of the competency?
5. How does this artefact demonstrate your growth in this area of learning?
6. Explain why you selected this medium (poem, poster, film, essay, etc.) and how the artefact demonstrates your mastery of the competency.
7. What have you learned from your successes and disappointments?
8. How would you improve this artefact?
9. What advice would you give next year’s students about this competency and demonstration of mastery of it?
10. How will mastery of this competency benefit your life?
11. Explain how your artefact reflects an in creased awareness and knowledge of what is involved in the mastery of the competency.
12. In what ways have you gained greater appreciation and awareness of the connections and relationships between countries and cultures?
13. What personal insights have you gained from this project? Include in your response intellectual, emotional, and/or physical challenges.
14. Describe the artefact you have selected and the process you used to create it.
15. If you were to act as a mentor, what advice would you give future students completing an artefact similar to the one you have selected.
16. How is communication and working with others demonstrated in the completion of this artifact?
17. Why are you proud of this artefact?
18. Describe the artefact you have selected and the process you used to complete it.
19. In the future, how will you be able to use the skills, knowledge, or experience you gained by completing this activity?
20. Describe the purpose of the artifact and explain how it met expectations of the instructor or client.

EL teachers may faint after reading this article, but this is what linguists are saying:

“The Internet is fostering new kinds of creativity through language,” said David Crystal, a historian of language at the University of Wales in the United Kingdom. “It’s the beginning of a new stage in the evolution of the written language and a new motivation for child and adult literacy.”

What’s Net/Webspeak? Just to quote a few:
lol, brb, bfn, ttyl, wb …
For more example, check it out here.
Not meant to encourage or promote the use of netspeak, but throughout history, language is changing and adding/removing elements from itself. This is a natural process brought about by users of the language. There is no way to stop this, try introducing a law that says “We ban the use of this this this and that that word with effect from 1st Apr 2005. Violators will be fined $xyz.” Not meant to be an April’s fool joke, but it simply will not work.
Think of it from another perspective, if there is a ‘need’ to introduce changes to a language, wat does it signify? It only means that the language in its existing form is not effective or efficient to communicate certain ideas! If everyone knows what is “rotfl”, why do I need to say the full form? One may argue that “But I don’t understand”, well, to look at it from one perspective, netspeak is hindering communication, but from another perspective, should one just say “I dont know” and stop there? NO! What’s life-long learning about anyway.
There’s so much to talk about when language/linguistics is concened, until another time bah … 🙂
Spawn this post after reading about this off [slashdot]

This has always been a concern by teachers, whether in students’ work or preparation of teaching resources.
Found this article in Techlearning. It’s a good reading for updating oneself on copyright and fair use, especially in the education setting.

This site provides free elearning modules entitled:
1. After-School Programs – From Vision to Reality
2. Assessment, Evaluation, and Curriculum Redesign
3. Constructivism as a Paradigm for Teaching and Learning
4. Cooperative and Collaborative Learning
5. Inquiry-based Learning
6. Interdisciplinary Learning in Your Classroom
7. Making Family and Community Connections
8. Tapping into Multiple Intelligences
9. WebQuests
10. Why the Net? An Interactive Tool for the Classroom