And We are back!

Hi there! How are you? It’s been ages since we spoke. I enjoyed my holidays a lot. It's good to be back, though. If you are new here hello and thanks for joining. My name is Special teacher Claudio from Escobar who learned all his snooping skills by watching the movie Escobar and the hit TV show Escobar, now in its thrilling second season.

This is exciting, isn’t? Now, let me get you up to speed. Previously in my life, I proved that teaching to adults can be genuine fun. Lots of them want to learn pronunciation and that’s something that I really love teaching.

This post is going to be about how to teach pronunciation.

Let’s be honest as teachers we teach a lot of things, mostly grammar, and we tend to forget about pronunciation. Last year, I decided I was going to dedicate at least 30 minutes (sometimes more) of each class to teach only pronunciation. I used a lot of what my teachers taught me at the prof. I realized that teaching phonemes is a great way to start. 

This year, I have a lot of students who are going to learn not only the phonemes but also the manner of articulation (I already did but not in detail). Last week, one of my student from Técnica School asked me about, and I quote his words, “the difference between the plosive B and the fricative V in other languages.” I mean, he used the words “plosive” and “fricative.” 

That means he remembered what we learned last year. I realized that most of my students love learning pronunciation. For example, we are reading “Pirates of the Caribbean” with my students from second year, and they really try to make the correct sounds for each letter.

In 5^th and 6^th year, we are working with the book

“How Now Brown Cow.” Students love reading dialogues and copying the pronunciation from the audios. They even performed for me some of the dialogues.

I know, two hours a week is not enough. That’s why I decided to create a blog for my students (Thanks, Miss Racker). In the blog, I can upload books, audios, and also videos in order to practice the sounds.

According to the article I read, these are some of the things you can do in order to practice more pronunciation with your students:

1. Drill, drill, drill.

Students love being drilled – it is fun, energetic and really useful. There are three basic drills:

• Group: everyone repeats together.
• Individual / Scatter: teacher randomly chooses people to repeat.
• Individual / Order: teacher goes round the group in one direction (EG left to right)

2. The Big 3s for Consonants, Vowels, Stress & Intonation

The four key topics in pronunciation (consonants, vowels, stress, and intonation) can be taught through a simple three fork approach as follows:

• CONSONANT SOUNDS – Place, Type, Voicing (a bi-labial, voiceless, plosive is /p/).
• VOWEL SOUNDS – Jaw, Lips, Tongue (an open, spread, front vowel is /æ/)
• STRESS – pitch, volume, length (a stressed syllable is higher, louder and longer)
• INTONATION – fall, fall-rise, rise

From a teaching perspective these explanations are invaluable as they give a nice simple structure to a topic that can be very confusing.

3. IPA is your friend

Most students find IPA a wonderful tool for improving their pronunciation and most can learn it very quickly provided it is presented logically. If the teacher starts with the whole chart it can seem overwhelming, so a nice way to order it is as follows:

VOWELS – Schwa – Long Vowels – Short Vowels – Diphthong Vowels
CONSONANTS – Fricative Consonants – Plosive Consonants – Approximant Consonants – Nasal Consonants

Once students know the IPA system, you can have endless fun with games, crosswords and transcriptions which are challenging, interesting and highly rewarding classroom activities.

4. Learn your stuff

There is no getting away from the fact that English pronunciation is a huge topic, so in order to teach it well and to be able to answer questions that arise in class, it really pays to know the topic well. An excellent book that makes the whole topic very accessible and enjoyable is Roach’s ‘English Phonetics & Phonology’. A more advanced read would be Gimson’s ‘Pronunciation of English’.

5. Think (and teach) in connected speech

A lot of teachers when they first start teaching pronunciation, start to think in separate syllables, explaining that the word ‘about’ would be pronounced ‘æ’ then ‘baʊt’ therefore ignoring the weak form /ə/ at the beginning. This is not helpful for students who need to speak and hear the language in connected speech. Teach joining and weak/strong structures so that students start to experience English as a native speaker does. The best place to start is always with the schwa /ə/ sound within words and sentences.

These then, are the basics – any English teacher with teaching levels from pre-intermediate upwards can add a bit of pronunciation to spice up their classes and give students something they really want.

Last but not least, try to have fun teaching pronunciation. Students love when we make our lessons more interesting.

So, as Miranda Hart says: “Life's stressful enough. Fun it up.”

Ok, see you next time in another, what I call, post.

Have a nice week.

My teachers

Hi, boys and girls! 

Claudio here. Live and in stereo.  For those of you reading this, it’s been a tough couple of days for me here, my computer died. I’m fine. Thank you for your prayers. I bought a new computer, so I’m back.

Today’s post is going to be a little bit different from what I usually do here. I want to talk with you about something personal.

Today, I want to talk about my teachers… from the prof. I’m going to be a graduated teacher soon, and I start thinking about all the teachers I had. Sometimes I’m teaching, and it’s like I can see myself as one of my teachers.

I think I had great teachers along my teacher training. I remember one of those teachers told me something really important. She told me, “You are going to learn how to be a good teacher from other teachers, but you can also learn how to be a bad teacher from other teachers.” I was like…

But this is my last year in the prof, and I feel those words now. Sometimes I reflect on everything I learned from my teachers. Each teacher is different, and they have different styles, and I love that. I truly believe that I have a part of each teacher in me. I’m like their Frankenstein or something.

I remember, the same teacher saying, “I’m going to be dead, and buried but I’m going to live in you.” So, are we a bunch of horcruxes, now?

There are teachers from which I learned nothing. Well, yes, I learned how not to give feedbacks. I learned that if I don’t like my job, I should find something else to do for a living. I learned that if I don’t plan my lesson in advance, my students will notice.

What I’m going to say now is going to be a sock for you. There was a teacher who betrayed me. There was a teacher who lied to me, and to all my classmates. At the end of the year, she gave me a passing mark I didn’t deserve. I was so angry with her, and from that moment on, she lost all my respect. It is sad to say this, but I don’t want to be like her. I learned nothing at all in a subject that was so important for me as a teacher. I really wanted to learn, and I was disappointed. Having a ten in your report card is great, but I am here because I really want to learn, don’t make me waste my time.

But, I also had, and I still have, great teachers who I will remember with love and affection. Teachers who encouraged me to be better, and to realize that learning is a process that never ends. They still teach me that, and more, with their example, and dedication. And for that, I will always be grateful to them.

So, you see? Today’s post was quite different.

Have a great weekend everybody!

Primeval

Hi, guys! How are you doing? I have a lot of things to do, but I promised I was going to write something for my blog, so here I am. Today’s post is going to be different. Yesterday, I was talking with this girl from the Korean course, and we started talking about dangerous animals. Let me ask you something, do you enjoy massages? Well, in Indonesia you can have one with snakes. Let me explain it to you. You enter the room, lay in a bed, and an Indonesian girl throws snakes at your back. I don’t know about you, I wouldn’t be able to relax with a 6- foot python in my back. But, I guess people wanted to relieve stress so badly that they would try anything.

 Look, I love animals, but I love my life a little more. So...

Long time ago I read an article about some dangerous animals in Australia. It is as if Australia was the most dangerous country in the world. Still, I will like to visit it. I would share some of the pictures from the article with you. If you like to continue reading the article, I will let the link at the end of the post.

Snakes

According to the article, snakes eat whatever they found. They also are extremely strong. They can even lift big animals from the water. Snakes also eat a whole crocodile. I think the most shocking thing is that they can be in your bathroom. Now that’s scary. But what if I tell you that you can even find a snake on a plane.

Crocodiles

I love crocodiles. You already know that I love dinosaurs. Crocodiles are the most ancient, and beautiful creatures on earth. But in Australia, you can find them in your backyard.

Spiders

Do you like spiders? Well, in Australia you are going to find lots of it. Imagine you entered your house, you turn on the light, and find a bunch of spiders on the floor.

Sharks

I thought this picture was fake when I first saw it. But it is completely true, and I am glad that I don’t like golf.

Water

I think this sign summarize this issue pretty good.

Nevertheless, Australia is on my list of countries to visit. So, I don't care how many creatures tried to kill me, I would still like this beautiful country. 

That's all folk! Have a great week and... 

Link: https://www.buzzfeed.com/simoncrerar/pictures-that-prove-australia-is-the-craziest

Our amazing brain

Hi, guys and girls! Sorry for not posting, but I had a lot of things to do. I had a very difficult exam to sit for, and I started a new job, so I've been very busy. I have good news! My favorite singer, Joss Stone, is coming to Argentina. So, I'm really looking forward to it. By the way, I want to invite you to the next BA Celebra.

In today's post, I want to talk about a video Miss Racker sent me about neuroplasticity. I think that is very important for us, as teacher, to know these kind of things. But before starting, we have to define what neuroplasticity means. Basically, the word “Neuro” has to do with the brain, and “Plastic” has to do with something that can be changed.

The lecturer of this TED talk is Lara Boyd. She is a brain researcher at the University of British Columbia.  

In 2006, she was recruited by the University of British Columbia to become the Canada Research Chair in Neurobiology and Motor Learning. Since that time she has established the Brain Behaviour Lab, recruited and trained over 40 graduate students, published more than 80 papers and been awarded over $5 million in funding.

According to Lara Boyd, we can shape the brain, we want to have. She says that every time we learn a new skill, we change our brain. She also says that these changes are not limited by our age. What's more, your brain can change in three ways to support learning; chemical (related to short-term memory), by altering its structure (related to long-term memory), and by altering its function. According to Boyd, all these processes take place in concert, and together they support learning.  She also says that the best driver of neuroplastic change in our brain is our behavior. And sorry guys, there is no neuroplasticity drug we can take. The more you practice, the more you learn.  Boyd also says that our brain is shaped by everything we do, but also by everything we don't do. She says something that for me is very important, “the uniqueness of your brain will affect you both as learner and also as a teacher.” And she wonderfully ends the talk by encouraging the audience to build the brain they want.

This TED talk gave me a great idea for my lessons. I’m not going to give too much information about this idea, but in my next post, I will tell you everything about it.

I hope you have a great week! Btw, thank you, Miss Racker for the video.

Never stop learning

안녕하세요? 어떻게 지내셨어요? 저는 그저 그래요. How was your week? I’m going to prepare a cup of tea for me. I found writing more relaxing if I have a nice cup of tea.

Well, last week, I went to the “Magic Meeting,” and it was amazing. I had a great time, and I bought some things for my niece, Ambar. On Sunday, I couldn’t attend Ambar’s birthday, so I bought a gift for her.

She loved it. She already has a Harry Potter pillow that I bought for her last year. She is going to be a Potterhead, or she won’t inherit all my fortune.

Today, I started the second level in the Korean course. I was sad because only eight people passed from level 1B to second. In the second level, there are thirty-seven people. Most of them are from level 1ª, and there are some students who are taking the course again. Re-taking the course will not be possible from now on. Only 20 students will pass to the third level.  Welcome to the Hunger Games everybody!

This week, I also passed one of my two finals (August finals). Oral 4 is now part of my past. I really had fun preparing that final. I had to read some tales and passages, but I also had the opportunity to talk about something I really love: English and its teaching.

If you know me really well, you are aware of my love for that subject. It’s the only subject I really enjoyed during my time in the prof. “English and its teaching” was the only reason I didn’t drop the prof years ago. I connected with this subject on another level.

You are going to say that I am a selfish person. And I’m not going to apologize for that. I’m not going to talk about how this subject helped me to understand my students. That’s why I’m not going to talk about methods and approaches. I hate learning about methods, and all that stuff. I know it’s necessary, but it’s boring.  

EAIT helped me to realize how my brain works, when I’m learning another language. Now, that I’m learning Korean, I’m aware of the stages, and functions Willis, Pinker, Krashen, and Chomsky talked about. Sometimes, I found myself correcting a sentence and I say, “Oh, transfer.”

Now, I am a more responsible student, because I know about these concepts. I can even anticipate some errors, when I’m writing in Korean. It’s amazing to know about overgeneralization, misinformation, and transfer. It is also important to know about the silent period, the effect plateau, and the critical period hypothesis.  

You have no idea how much knowing all this has helped me to become a better student. It’s not that I didn’t know this subject was important, but studying another language really puts the things into perspective.

I think it’s nice to reflect on the things we have learned. I truly believe that if you really want to spread the love for another language, you have to feel it first. You have to go deeper into the language and keep on learning.

It’s like Brian Herbert says, “The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice.”

That’s all folks!

 See you next week.

Wizarding Weekend

Hello, mates! How are you doing? Are you enjoying your winter holidays? Tell me everything about it. I hope you are having a great time. I started a new book called “Nos4a2” written by Joe Hill. It’s a horror book about a vampire. It’s funny because Joe is Stephen King’s son. My first book of Stephen King was “Salem’s Lot,” and it was about vampires, too. It’s a 700- page book, but I like it. I don’t usually read long books during the holidays, because I have a lot of things to do, but I wanted to read something related to horror. I have to admit, I love Joe’s writing style, because it’s quite different from Stephen’s style.

I am also anxious because a week from now, I will be attending the “Magic Meeting.” If you are a truly Harry Potter fan, you must go. The event will take place in San José School (Azcuénaga 158 C.A.BA). Have you ever dream about taking lessons in Hogwarts?

You can learn a lot about defense about against the dark arts, potions, herbology and even arithmancy. Take a class or two and help your house to win The House Cup. You only have to answer questions in the class you are attending, and your house will immediately receive the points.

If you don’t have a house, the Sorting Hat will assign one for you. Mind you! If you don’t like the house the Hat chose for you, you can change it.

Are you a vegan or a vegetarian wizard? No problem. You will be able to find vegan and vegetarian food. You will also find cakes, cupcakes, and sweets to eat at the event.

Do you want to take a picture with Dobby or Buckbeak? Go to the second floor, and you will find them waiting to take a picture with you.

If you are like me and want to buy original merchandising of Harry Potter, you will be able to do so. Prepare your muggle money because you are likely to spend a lot of it.

If you are a muggle, or a muggle decides to come with you, there is a special room for them. This room is for muggles to rest from all the magic.

You can also play Quidditch, magic chess, and try to find the deathly hallows. 

You can also get married here.

But be very careful, the Dark Lord will be wandering around the school seeking for new victims.

So, if you want to come, I will let the link to buy the tickets for this amazing and magical event at the end of this post.

Well, I hope you enjoy the rest of the winter break and have an amazing week.

See you, mates!

가자!

Hello, my friends! Well, we are not exactly friends, but you know what I mean. Because in order to be friends we should have each other numbers. Some of you have my number, though. But, we are more like acquaintances, I would say. You have those friends you speak every single day. It can´t go a day without talking to them. But you also have those friends who you only see once in a while and when you bump into them is like you have to remember who that person is. It´s funny because you try to remember the name of that person, who is talking to you, while you pretend to remember everything about that person. It happened to all of us.

But this post is not about friendship. Today’s post is about something more relative. Before you stop reading thinking I’m going to talk about science let me tell you that science rock! And today’s post is going to be about what makes us happy: happiness and achieving our goals.

First of all, I have to tell you that I passed my Korean exam. There were sixty people at the beginning of the year, and the teacher told us that only twenty five students were going to pass. No pressure. The week of the exam, I was so nervous.

The oral part was the worst section of all. I started like a champ. When I had to say how much a cake cost, I couldn’t remember how to say twenty-five million. Of course, I panicked, and when the teacher told me to relax, and to close my eyes, the words came out of my mouth. After the big party organized by the institute, the teacher asked if we wanted to be part of another course to sit for an international exam. This exam is like the First Certificate but in Korean. I refused the invitation, because I just want to focus all my attention on the next level of the course. My brain is at its capacity at this time of the year.

I must admit I thought I was going to fail the exam. When the teacher handed in the exams, I freaked out. I went to look for my exam, and she gave me a handshake and told me I passed to the next level. I was like…

I couldn’t believe it. I mean, I studied a lot, but I thought it wasn’t enough. I was so happy, because in a short period of time, I learned a lot, and I’m proud of myself. I truly believe, we can do wonderful things, when we are engaged and motivated. I think that while we have the opportunity to learn new, and amazing things, we should totally do it.

We have one month to relax, and in August we will start with the second level. The teacher has already told us that in the second level only 15 people will pass. No pressure!

For now, I will enjoy my victory, and I will watch a Korean drama or two.  

Happy winter holidays! See ya :)