Lockdowns and Internet and People and Health

Facebook connected to me to many- so this website suffered; little formal updating for a couple of years! But there are still solid resources to be find on my Learning with Alison (Ali) site – and this WordPress site gave me a few years of friendly connections.  Now Facebook is requesting a website- so linking many to my online spaces-

FYI: Thanks to the many who connect via WordPress, Facebook. Twitter, direct email, Skype, Pinterest, Google- and best of all say Hello in person! Especially as many more are experiencing the feeling of being confined, contained, and sometimes literally “taken out of context”; can’t help but feel this is a way to catalogue or do a Global census- as each keystroke announces we do exist!  However- as someone deeply missing social contact being a hands on- experiential explorer of knowledge am also Grateful for the limited connections the Internet does provide.  As for teaching over the internet- distance learning was something I participated in way back through an organization that asked for online tutors and offered computer plus office as a Volunteer position.  We followed a set program, connected to a select group, and by means of then supplying graded materials to a central office, students received credit.  Today’s new form of “scramble to put something from the curriculum in front of the kids” is very different! Parents and students and teachers are finding that even with open SKYPE or Zoom or simply recording and allowing students to access via a channel, no one ought to be expected to put in a six hour set of lessons and then with their own families in need of support – mark or score that amount of material. Do please do what you can if with Junior High and younger to make learning less formal- more experiential and about how creative and curious to learn more you and the children can be.  And for High School age students, have them consider what technology as tools have meant to society- this cell phone or lap top or which ever device- connecting us across the miles but still being distanced from neighbours- a bizarre situation at best that demands comic relief- for which the Night Time Talk Show Hosts have been preparing their monologues and wonderful Political Satire and are now sharing their families, their  home life and still connecting us to their guests- that we might feel a little less cooped up, a little more at one with the Universe!

To Everyone’s Health Good Wishes being sent across the miles!

#COVIDTEACHING  #onlinelearning   #experientiallearning  #Postsecondarytraining

#K-12classes

will be doing a live webinar – a simple reading of a story to demonstrate the K-12 application and how to stay engaged- waving HI and See YOU!

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaGUr6wzyT8 As a single mom of two children this song has always resonated; though in fairness- we always phoned first! Have been on Facebook instead of posting on WordPress for a while- was hacked! Good wishes! Thanks for reading over the years; to shared good times, and a great school year!

Communicative Skills Based Lessons

Lots of discussions regarding accents or pronunciation or if person is not “English first language” will the lessons differ- First of all- OF COURSE! every experience each of us has makes its way into the lessons…Second of all- yesterday had the following encounter:

 

Waiting in a line patiently my number stated #43 or forty-three and a woman approached me questioning #40? repeatedly- “forty” – now as these are two different numbers and the woman was heavily accented I questioned with a “pardon me” to hear once again #40!!! Fine then and continued to wait when suddenly- “where is number #43” was heard (by another speaker), and of course – I stepped forward to receive service in a pleasant manner- but the woman who either had misread, or misheard the numbers she was expected to look for, created confusion! In such a way I have heard EFL and ESL teachers also add to confusing classroom situations- and though in this instance the heavy accent may have covered the woman’s mistake, (she wasn’t staff, but was apparently in a hurry and trying to disrupt the process) it wasn’t accent but actual error that caused the trouble!

So now… back to that question of teachers and classroom practices. Training in ESL or EFL is often heavily grammar based and test focused- and minus the most basic of elements for clear communications- listening and speaking skills! An accent isn’t the issue- clarity of vocabulary, and ability to question before either repetition or drilling is, however, essential; many countries’ original processing of classroom techniques ignore the basic practice of questioning.

  #EFL  #ESL  #TEACHERTRAINING #Studentinquiry  #INQUIRYBASEDTEACHING

Classrooms Thrive When Students???

TRUST is my “KEY”

How would you define the concept?

Consider all aspects of Communication: 

Poetry, Spoken Word, Movement, Dance, Song, Images and Text

Suggest the Anagram-

And offer the Students a chance to Design their own Classroom Walls-

  T

   R

   U

    S

    T

 

Then Practice the IDEAL!

 

 

 

 

S

 

U

 

 

 

 

Lasting Stories

So the kids are in the car, the trunk is overflowing and it is off to…

Where ever the family is heading, together or separately, Summer is a time for oral traditions and story telling: campfires and ghost stories, backyards and maybe family memories, trips to a local park and a chance to see who can share a yarn and with much literature about the so called “summer loss” there are easy ways to not only encourage the retelling of a story but also to enhance the thinking process without turning “vacation” into classroom- even when by now- we do know that experiences are educational and informal experiences help the learning process to change and grow!

a Sample and the TBAR structure is optional: a “classic tale” shared:

Why do you think Goldilocks shouldn’t have eaten the porridge?  But she was hungry! So okay-

                                                   T       

        Door was open                            Not her house

        Bears live in dens (no doors)    maybe story is giving a message?

        Too hot too cold                          just right

        Extremes                                      kids know how to connect

        Adults – argue (parents)            Goldilocks went for a walk?

         Porridge?                                     Do bears eat people food?

        Why do so many children’s tales have animals instead of people as characters? What messages do we pick up more subtly from a story or a tale than from a direct lecture? Could children- or as adults do we believe that children may even be faster at sensing situations than adults because they are not yet thoroughly conditioned to IGNORE their senses!  What as adults do we “learn” about social situations; how might these lessons sometimes be working against developing inter cultural respect (change Bear to monster – how many modern fables in recent years have kids playing with the “monsters” and how many have kids learning that they aren’t even monsters after all! ) And when in the classroom or at home or anywhere the story is interactively shared or retold, and the kids get to “roar,” “Somebody has been “eating my porridge, sitting in my chair, sleeping in my bed,”…etc. the kids laugh and laugh at –roaring, at being the big and rough and tough dad voice, at being the milder but still annoyed mom’s voice and then – and this is the funniest of all- making their own voices squeaky and younger sounding when being Goldilocks herself! So that the story has literally “universal appeal” because it is not only translated into multiple languages but because it is experienced by the story tellers, the listeners, the community and the global curiousity we all have to learn about one another and to discover same/different and to recognize that ‘humanity” exists- even part of the “natural world” where bears or monsters, and kids as people can connect in spite of adult ignorance and in spite of adults’ demarcations regarding who is acceptable and who might not be!

Maturity and reflections: kids absorb the message; adults recall the story; reflecting on any deeper suggestions takes thought and often experience and education in addition to time!  Summer- the word itself evokes- LEISURE- and when children and adults are granted time to play- “Magic” can happen!

Enjoy the magic!

 

And how are you spending this Summer?

and my goals include:  

 

Summer 2017 &Brain Enhancers!

A little different exercise for practicing “read alouds” – all levels, all ages- Begin with a basic sentence, (example ) “Today is a clear, warm, sunny day.”  Now place the word “only” in front of each word separately to make new sentences and speak the new sentence out loud:  1) “Only- today is a clear, warm, sunny day.”  2) “Today only is a clear, warm, sunny day.” 3) “Today is only a clear, warm, sunny day.”  4) “Today is a clear, only warm, sunny day.”  5) “Today is a clear, warm, only sunny, day.” 6) Today is a clear, warm, sunny, day…only…”  Now imagine the speakers – and have students or kids on a car ride or at the beach- come up with their own samples… #English #ESL #EnglishRead&Write  #SummerLearning2017

Posted on my Facebook page as well-plus other stuff- do visit!

And wishing everyone a summer filled with Growth and Good Memories   -@ www.facebook.com/ali.togetheracademics

and/or Twitter  @mytutoringspace

See you!

Summer and Schooling

With Summer School starting and as someone who loved summer time classes both as a student and when teaching at three well respected Universities my wish to all taking summer classes is that the paperwork which may precede you into the programs be placed aside and each of you win points on your participation and on your own merit! And students- don’t “struggle in silence”- for we as Educators can not help the students who leave us “uninformed.” 

#Summerschool2017  #Teachingtact #ESL  #EFL  #ENGLISHK-12  #reflectiveteaching

Input Welcome

A note regarding “point of view”

Do you recall the excitement of being anywhere different? The heightened expectation of “the new,” along with the slight concern about all the expectations others may have for how and where and what you may now experience?

Learning a new language can be filled with all of the above for the individual learner even without the extra pressures which travel (perhaps miles away from home) can impose.

And we, as Educators must become aware that our students have the ability to open up our points of view as well.

They – the students- will share with us, the confusion and the missed communications and the real distress over grammar, structure, vocabulary choice and test preparation most of which we both expect and may even plan for but… points of view are the sparks in a classroom that not only surprise with shared insight but which also ought to challenge each of us to reflect and consider how, globally, perspective is challenged via the environment, the politics, the arts appreciation, the science and technology a region had not only available but also “taken for granted.”

A quote from a poet who began his life in one country before moving to America and suggesting how important the new language became and why even more so to him than to his classmates at University who took their reading of English texts “for granted.”

“My knowledge of this subject is qualitatively different. It is an active knowledge, the knowledge of someone for whom all these texts are precious. More precious …because my life-to say nothing of my world view-was changed by these texts… and American students as a rule never come across that kind of approach to literature.” Joseph Brodsky on the difficult art of not only acquiring “proficiency” in a subject but to become engaged in the depth of the variety of points of views on the subject and how to then share, using language, actual human feelings that others may enter into someone else’s point of view.

We share words, divided into levels; teach first the single paragraph then the simple short point of view spoken and written that a student may exclaim, ” I am ready, bring on the “TOEFL” or any other accepted formal exam process for qualifying the student for the next level of participation. But we may not make the time, the so precious time, to offer our students opportunity to demonstrate how and where and when and why their original points of view about “anything” were challenged if not actually changed-What may have became “precious” for them? How did learning a new language challenge their points of view? Did this newly acquired “tool” allow for communication about ideas and ideals, or did it remain the necessary “thing” for purely academic and employment advancement?

If the former- then we as “teachers” increased dialogue that may one day help make those bridges that do connect people not only places to be traversed. But if the latter, then we merely offered a box- ticking off for ourselves which slot to file the learner into-passed or not, ready or not- but for what? Real world experiences? More than a smattering of language levels is necessary for both higher level academics and employment and friendships- Connections count.

The current and upcoming American inauguration is sparking much public and private debate. Points of views are continuously being challenged – dare we open discussions to our International Students? My point of view is we must. What is your point of view on how to best remain as neutral as possible that we may listen to learn other perspectives, while also encouraging these voices to not merely participate within classroom discussion but also in coffee shops and private/public spaces – and thereby broaden each other’s points of view. Is a panoramic point of view with respect for differences possible?

Welcoming your perspective.

A Blog posting…

A Rant about “Labels”

“Fresh before” does help us grocery shop- we can buy with ease products that we believe will stay fresh on our shelves or in our cupboards until consumed.  And when we understand about such labels that products may still be both tasty and healthful even after the stamped date- we can buy the products often on discount and not only save money on the goods, but also contribute to the environment via causing less waste and with the current public awareness of “less than perfect” produce being equally tasty and good, awareness is changing the way we shop for food-

Labels, and awareness of how they may be positive and negative at the same time is essential for all connected to Education. For every sign that used to be posted on a clasroom and which read “Failure is not an option” the counter (or opposite) sign in a Science lab might show Edison and his maxim about trying to find the right formula at least a thousand times.  What then is the “ideal sign” for a classroom wall?  WELCOME! and in here there will be no labels.  

For children learn quickly what is considered their own ability and their own strength in relation to the others in the classroom.  Affixing additional labels may help administration in using computers to slot the children into various groups- it doesn’t however help the students themselves.  Most labels in Education have to do with funding- how a school, or a district, or class, or individual students may receive “extra,”- and when the entire school district receives funding, the neighbourhood benefits- however, when a student is mislabeled the student may be removed from one group of peers and placed instead within a community of “misfits” to then on struggle to not only make sense of “Schooling” which becomes a place where little learning is happening, but to, if actually graduating – to graduate with the label of “problem, trouble, slow, applied, special needs, remedial,” and then either reject what schooling offered, or challenge this same system anyhow by going for a future that those labels couldn’t have predicted! In particular the concept of “Special needs” ranges from highly gifted and talented to students with multiple exceptionalities- who may also be gifted-and students who are mis identified as hyper or attention deficit when their inquiry or their attitude or their foundational knowledge base or their background makes the particular class and teacher student interaction one of challenge versus “empty vessel to be filled.”

In so many ways though, that concept of children as “empty vessels” must be overturned in favour of children as learners- period.  And children must challenge, everything and nearly everyone in order to grow- new ideas will not come unless children and adults are both thinking, and both actively willing to be “imperfect,”  to make, create or build something that might not in the completed project match the original vision, but then to question how to improve upon the construction.  Classrooms where inquiry is respected have students who challenge themselves, and who bring extra information to the benefit of the group- like in the workforce where cultures aimed towards growth will find employees participating beyond clocked hours in contemplating how and where to focus energy on improving, and no one is saying or groaning “homework” because the problem solving is the challenge and the actions to be taken provide a stimulation for brain and body- healthy challenges that permit contradictions and design thinking.

We speak of “design” as if it were a simple process, when in fact design is a holistic attitude towards the combination of use (function) and form.  And then in schools we over crowd, underpay, and underfund the neediest of school districts, whose students may even later be sent as “overflow” to higher income neigbourhood schools and once again relabelled; how to “use” as in place these extra students? with the goal often of continuing to claim “setting standards” which may translate to keeping the formal test results up and proving on paper that learning took place.  Integration?  Diversity? Ministry tests as goals or as cumbersome to the whole concept of education?

Labels matter- we all are aware of this – and even the popular “you matter” becomes another slogan when much needed time per pupil, per person, per individual is shortened to mandated minutes, and a stopwatch always clicking off minutes prevents the actual interactions – creating encounters instead of communication.  Young, youngish, older, and seasoned Educators can agree that statistics do not capture commmunity, that labels, even the so called positive ones, may mask the personality of the person and that as human beings, each of us recognizes almost instinctively when in fact we do matter- and when we simply do not or have not “fit in.”

The produce table is now selling “less than perfect” vegetables; and in many elementary schools the notion of wearing “less than perfect” hats continues to catch on- almost like a movement spread from teacher to teacher, and community to community, this new ideal of accepting “not perfect” doesn’t mean “discard” but instead encourages taking a chance- try the produce – try the exercise- try and try again.

For 2017- do “try” until the right combination of people and place and actions allow for the almost unexpected exclamation “perfect!” till we begin- again.  Best wishes…