Yingwen Laoshi
- 2007-02-15
Hey KJ, don't worry. You got it right the first time. You DID mention "Presentation Zen". I've had a look at it, already, and it's interesting, informative and stimulating. I'm taking it in small doses, because I'm still in holiday mode, and there are still three weeks until the second semester, and I plan to get a lot more tennis, pool and table tennis in before then, not to mention a few more day trips to scenic spots out of town.
I noticed too, the emphasis placed on keeping it simple. I was relieved to hear it. If PowerPoint needs anything too complicated or subtle to pull off, I might as well forget it right now!
Regarding my being strict in class, don't get me wrong: I'm serious about my job but I am friendly and use a fair amount of humour too. I think those things are necessary and yes the students do actually laugh, sometimes.
It's great to get some positive feedback from students who I've taught previously. It makes me feel that my efforts were appreciated and it spurs me on to greater effort. I've enjoyed teaching in every school that I've worked at, but I have particularly fond memories of that old middle school in the West of China. The students were the most poorest, diligent and most appreciative I have taught. I would go back myself, but I know that there is a snowballs chance in hell of my missus agreeing to go back to that small backwater of a town.
I must have had about 600 students at that school so it took quite a time to recall Christina, but her name stands out because she was extremely diligent if I remember correctly, and that type of student always stands out. It's great to hear of her progress.
It's also good to hear about Daniel's progress. I liked him a lot because he was not just a hard-working guy but he also had an extremely good personality too.
You've taken more on at your school? Wow! You'll be the principal soon if you keep it up, and I will have to address you as sir! I wish you well with it. I will shortly e-mail you some details of class activities that I have had particular success with, so look out for those.
P.S. I hope you've got rid of your toothache.
KJ
- 2007-02-15
Hey Yingwen, my last post, and maybe the previous, mentioned the PowerPoint website as being Power Point Zen - actually, it's "Presentation Zen." Anyway I feel pretty lucky to have discovered that website; great stuff.
The most important thing I've learned is about keeping it simple. The whole "less is more" concept. A few well chosen words or pictures can work wonders. A lot of it is about capturing the attention of your audience. When that happens, great things can be achieved.
I can definitely relate to what you said about making your students realize the serious of your endeavor; especially during the first sessions. I'm known around my college as a pretty serious teacher - maybe that's why my attempts at humor usually go over like a lead baloon. But for the most part my students appreciate that seriousness, especially when they realize I'm not there to waste my time or theirs, and that I'm not there to help them waste their parents hard earned money. Moreover, they soon find out that who I am in the classroom is a little different than who I am outside of the classroom. And then there's times when the "shock factor" can come in handy too. Meaning there's times when I completely slip out of character and start juggling my tennis balls, or start tossing them around the class room, or turn on some music etc.
I remember hearing some great things about your teaching style when we taught at the same school. Students always mentioned your humor as well as your ability. Oh by the way, yesterday I got a call from Christina. Remember her? She was one of your students. She's studying in Kunming now and saw Daniel on the bus and he gave her my phone number. Her English is really getting great! I'm thinking I may move back to Yunnan next summer, so I'll definitely look her up.
Daniel is getting on well too. In fact I often use him as an example when I talk about motivation. Never had a formal class in English but getting better all the time. He passed his high school equivalency test and is now taking an online course in business. He's still working for what's her name, but is living in Kunming now and practically running the business himself.
Thanks for the best wishes. My other half went home for the holidays last week, but I'll give her your regards when next we talk on the phone.
Meanwhile I'm just hanging out and takin' it easy and getting ready for next term. I've been given some additional responsibilities with a slight increase in pay that doesn't necessarily match the added work, but oh well..............
Yingwen Laoshi
- 2007-02-14
Hi KJ
Your "Connections" Powerpoint activity sounds like it will have the sort of energy I like to create in the classroom, especially on the first day. I wish you all the best and look forward to hearing how it went.
I'm almost certain that I won't be using Powerpoint in my first week's lessons. I'm not a big one on introductions (except to announce my name, country of origin and purpose for being there). I will ask for the number of the class to make sure I'm in the correct room, though. A good few students have told me in the past that I came across as being very intense and strict in my first class with them. That's exactly how I want it, and I think it does them good. I don't enter the class as a friend but as their teacher, who wants to help them internalise English, by using a serious but friendly approach. By the time the first double lesson of each class has finished I expect my students to know, have a good idea, or realise that they need to know very soon the following:
1. Their reason/s for studying English.
2. The benefits of learning English (In other words why study it)?
3. How they can ENJOY both studying English and using it in their lives (that will be the main theme this semester: Enjoying English).
4. How they can acquire and internalise English
5.Their short-term and long-term goals: both generally and specific to my class.
6. Why they are in my class and exactly what is expected of them as regards commitment, participation, and behaviour (they will all get a copy of the syllabus, that will include the exam format and rules of the classroom and syllabus).
Similar to what you said about the answers being in the questions, KJ, the answer of one question should give them the answer to each subsequent question. I will also perform the "Vision" activity that I mentioned in a previous post where students must look out of the window as far as they can see.
Later the writing students will have a writing assignment where they will split into groups, line up in front of the blackboard and basically put stuff on the board, from which each student can choose prompts to help them generate ideas for a story, and of course generate enthusiasm. Nothing too intensive writing wise, as it's the first lesson and they are freshman.
The oral English classes will in the meantime be given something interesting to discuss in groups first and then as a class, and will be encouraged by use of a game to use ENGLISH only. The idea is that they know straight away that I'm there to teach them English and that they're there to study. I intend to "set their pants on fire" and then later "keep that fire burning " until the end of the semester, when they will go out in a blaze of glory firing English accurately from the hip.
My four basic aims are to motivate, stimulate, challenge, and inspire the students to acquire and internalise English. I almost feel sorry for them. I know that most students in China expect college to be a holiday after middle and high school. 
Sorry KJ, I think I might have got a bit carried away with myself. Thanks again for the encouragement to use Powerpoint. I do intend to use it at some point this semester, but I'm sure it's going to take me quite some time to get an adequate enough understanding of it so as to be confident enough to use it in class.
Keep those ideas flowing, buddy. All the best to yourself and yours.
Yingwen
KJ
- 2007-02-13
Yeah definitely Yingwen; I wouldn't consider using PowerPoint as the main thrust of my classes - only one aspect. Fortunately, it's an aspect that keeps both the students and me engaged.
I think one of the greatest bits of info I found on "Powerpoint Zen" that definitely applies to ESL/EFL classes is to limit your presentation to no more than 10 slides; in addition, he makes a great point, often reiterrated - so he really believes this - that one must be careful not to make powerpoint the where-all and end-all of your presentation. That is, be sure to have handouts that go along with the presentations. And of course it's important to remember that as EFL teachers we need to keep lecture time to a minimum.
I'm still trying to balance it out myself, so any feedback will definitely be appreciated. Right now I'm working on an opening day powerpoint for a new class for third year students I've been asked to teach. The whole thing is in my hands, even the name of the class, "Western Film and Media." In this case it will be more of a lecture type class with 75 students in a fully supported lecture hall.
Of course I want opening day to be pretty dynamic. I only get them for two class sessions a week. Basically, that's an 80 minute block once a week. My current plan for the first day is to give them a handout as they come through the door. I'll ask them not to open it though - only to look at the cover page. The cover page will simply say "Connections!" Then for the next 80 minutes, interspersed with introductions and that sort of thing, we will discuss and I will introduce the whole concept of connections. "How do we connect to music, art, film , etc.?" "What does it mean to connect?" "And of course there will be some talk about "connecting" to one's culture." Lot's of questions, but few answers. Or as a college prof of mine use to say, "The question is the answer."
At any rate, powerpoint will be a pivotal part of my intro, but not necessarily the meat and potatoes - maybe just the gravy. Even still, I want it to be dynamic and I want it to stir their emotions. I finally figured out had to add music from my own files. If you want to give that a try, go to "insert" on the PowerPoint tool bar and you'll find it there.
Okay, keep me posted my friend. All input is highly appreciated.
And oh yeah, that chalk you're using is highly toxic - be careful not to breathe it in. And to be fair there are dangers with PowerPoint to: DO NOT look into the projector! Very bad for the eyes.
Yingwen Laoshi
- 2007-02-13
Thanks KJ.
Yes, we've got the facilities here, apparently, so I guess it would be a waste to not take the opportunity , and have a go. Spontaneous? Me? On a few occasions I've had to fall back on a "plan b", but without a "plan b", my first thoughts are often panic-stricken until I tell myself to calm down and then I will normally find some way to adapt the lesson to the class' needs.
You're correct, I have plenty of time that could be put to good use, and I've actually been perusing one or two Powerpoint sites. After I've sent this post of I'll be investigating "Presentation Zen" too, it sounds dynamic. Yes, it's a great feeling when you sense the students shifting in anticipation of a certain activity. Those are win-win situations because as the activity goes on the teacher and the student are both feeding of each other, and encouraging each other onto greater effort. I call it a kind of "class utopia".
You mention your dislike of chalk, but don't you find the black markers even messier?, although they are admittedly less toxic (or are they?. Who knows what chemicals they add to them). Personally I like the rawness and earthiness of using chalk and blackboard. Also I find it's much easier to build a rapport with the students, because a third party (media equipment) can often be a distraction, especially if you're as clumsy as me in using it. I often find it's an interesting challenge to fire the students up without media equipment and it often forces them to be more creative and imaginative without having to rely on sights and sounds for stimulation.
Mind you, despite being a bit of a minimalist, I certainly can't see any harm in using stuff like Powerpoint occasionly, to give the students and myself a change. I don't want to sound like the guy who thinks " I can't work out how to use it well, so I'll criticize it, and say it's of no use!" At the same time though, if I really can't work my head around using it, and the students don't get much out of it, I would have to have a rethink, but not blame the technology and accept my own shortcomings.
I haven't used MS word, but I remember using a projecter a couple of times in a middle school with pretty poor results because the students could hardly make out the text. I'm not sure if it was my own incompetence or if the equipment was faulty (probably the former, from what you mentioned). It may take a bit more time using the traditional blackboard but I think in the long term things tend to run more smoothly. Maybe I'm a bit more old-fashioned than you but I tend to like the more traditional chalk and blackboard, because it leaves everything to the imagination. I think I''ll have to give up the mortar board and cape, though (I look too much like Batman), and the cane doesn't go down too well with students in China today, either! Maybe like yourself I'll change my anti-tech stance in the future, KJ, and "get more with the program". Those vocabulary charts etc. sound good.
Thanks a lot KJ. Very encouraging. Despite my misgivings I will give it a go, and I'll be sure to tell you how it works out. If you hear any loud explosions coming from the Jiangnan area of China in the next month or two, you should be able to work out what's happened.
By the way I loved the pic. Very clourful and vivid. If that's the sort of stuff you can use on Powerpoint then I may be a believer very soon.
All the best.
Yingwen
Yes Yingwen, now that you have a classroom where you could use power point I would definitely recommend it. The possibilities are endless. The only negatives I can think of are those that Fish already mentioned. And in the case of breakdowns with the technology, it's always an opportunity to flex your spontaneous creative muscles.
It takes a little time to get creative with it, but hey you're on vacation now so what the hell - why not? The help section is pretty good and there are tutorials on the web to help you also. There's also a good website I just discovered recently called "presentation zen." Very interesting stuff with lots of links and recommendations for good presentations.
Some reasons I like power point so much, not necessarily in order of importance:
1. When I decide to do a power point presentation, the creative juices start flowing.
2. Students like it. When they see me pull out my flash disc, a sort of hush falls and a kind of anticipation builds. As any good teacher knows, anticipation is great, it starts the synapses snapping.
3. It's clean: I hate the toxic, Chinese chalk. It gets in my lungs and on my hands and clothes. My hands are always dry for days if I use it. Wish they'd use more whiteboards here.
4. Your graphic choices are nearly unlimited. Clip art of course, but also your own photos or photos from the web. I'll try to attach one here from a pay website - just one of their samples. But as you'll see in "presentation zen" there are many free sites with pictures you could use. And of course there's pictures all over the web.
5. The more experienced I get with power point, the quicker I get at designing a lesson plan that moves quickly and engages students. This is something that Fish pointed out that is definitely necessary - keepin' things moving, and I definitely agree with him on that point. By the way, I choose one student from each class to have the computer up and running before I get there, and to be my "tech adviser" should I run into any problems. Turning on the power point projector and lowering the screen only takes a minute and I can choose someone else to do it if I'm otherwise engaged with students. I think that Fish referenced needing a laptop, but if your university has it together, they probably have a computer in your classroom - so you're good to go.
6. Power point presentations can be very active and interactive.You can also add sounds and music, although, I can't do that on this computer because, naturally, I don't have a legal copy of XP and the stuff that comes with it. (amazing how even the most prestigious universities won't spring for the legal stuff)
I've also found that using MS Word in class can be useful. Why bother with the messy old blackboard? You can enlarge the font for those with eye problems - seems to be lots of those, and you can use color options for highlighting. Underlining, bold, italics etc. are all features that can be put to good use.
I kind of laugh at myself sometimes though. I use to be pretty anti-tech, and I still believe in the personal touch when possible; albeit, I can't escape the practicality and usefulness of it. And oh well, life is about change eh?
On another note, I used to teach MS Word to immigrants in America. It was amazing how they took to it and used it as a learning tool. Now I like to remind my university students of the more practical applications in MS Word. Several students presented me with excellent end of term vocabulary charts last month - complete with tables, borders and the excellent use of delineating colors. And of course there's the aspect of spell check and the thesaurus that I see as valuable aids also.
Well, give it a try Yingwen, I'd like to hear about your progress and would love to share ideas with you.
Take care and my best to ***.
