Farewell to 52TA
Time flies. And we just can't stop it. Very soon my first term at NTU comes to an end, and so does my first class for English major students. This is just the right time to look back at what happened so that improvements can be made for later courses. Briefly, the course was not as successful as expected; in details, we could look at the syllabus, the school policy, and a self-study project that I implemented in the course.
Firstly, the syllabus, which seemed to be clear at the very beginning, turned out to be out of date. Half way through the course, I got updated from the Training Department that we had to cover like more than 10 topics, not just 5 as indicated in the original document. Basically this mixed up everything: We gotta rush madly through 7 topics in less then 7 classes (2 periods per class). Did you feel the rush, folks?
Secondly, the students were not used to credit-based training. The idea of having 2 hours of self-study for every one hour in class sounded like an UFO to them, particularly when they had just left high school. Personally I still think that giving them too much time is not a good idea, as we all know that idleness is the root of all evil. Go ahead and tell me that I'm old-fashioned, conservative, outdated, and whatever, I still say that giving too many options for someone who cant make a right choice is always the last thing you could do.
Thirdly, my add-on SELA project gained just some basic outcomes. I expected too much, did I? Frankly speaking, the students spent most time on reading the textbook, memorizing the meanings of those idioms, learning by hearts the examples. That's what reflected in the quiz and the presentation. Most of them can understand the meanning, but not many can creatively use them to make sentences, and not many showed improvements in intonation, not to mention their errors in pronuciation while presenting. All right guys, we know that you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. In fact you drank a little, and I hope you will return to this pond when you ever find yourself thirsty of English idioms.
There are, of course, many other things to mention, like the two software for self-study, and an observation class, in which a video clip was shot and saved on youtube. They are all good memories, and I'll gonna miss you. You work hard, folks, I appreciate it, though not hard enough ^^. Remember that teacher just gives you a key, and you must unlock the door and step into the world of knowledge yourself. Farewell, and all the best to you. Yeah, almost forget, Merry Xmas!
Two software for English learning
Technology plays a vital role in almost every aspect of life, and in this lesson today we'll go beyond the books to see how we can learn with the help of technology. In particular, we'll learn to use two software. One of them is Tactics for listening, which is supposed to improve your listening skill, and the other is Pronunciation Power, which helps you in pronouncing English sounds.
I. Presentation: (5 minutes)
What can we do with the two software? Watch a live demonstration from your teacher in class. You'll love it.
II. Preparation: (10 minutes)
II. 1. Map a network drive: (5 ms)
(You don't need to do this if you download the file from the internet)
The files are stored in a shared folder on a SERVER. When you map that folder to your computer, it saves a lot of time to access the files when needed.
Now watch your teacher to see how you can do it. If you miss any part, see the video clip below.
II. 2. Copy your files: (5 ms)
(These ISO files can be better opened with virtual drive program like Daemon tool. The instruction below is only for those who dont know how to use virtual drive)
Actually you WILL copy your files when the lesson is OVER, not NOW. But this session is intended to be here because I wanna make sure that you know how to deal with the files when you go home. Basically, when you go home, you have 2 .ISO files and you probably don't know what to do. There are many ways around this problem, but one simple way is to install a program named WINRAR. This program extracts the zipped iso files into folders so you can read it. Watch live demo, or learn to do it yourself from this video clip.
III. First software: TACTICS FOR LISTENING (40 minutes)
III. 1. How to: (5 ms)
In this session you learn how to install and use this great software for developing your listening skill:
- Open the network drive
- Go to folder "Tactics for listening SB Test Worksheet"
- Run "autorun.exe"
- Follow the instruction to get the software installed on your computer. Make sure you select the option to install the WHOLE software in your computer, else it will ask for a CD. Actually it will take a bundle of time, so imagine that it is done and plz go on to the next step.
- Run the crack "ArianaTactics patch.exe" in folder "Crack" (Oh I'm not teaching pirating soft ware, aren't I?)
- Go to start menu and enjoy the show.
III. 2. Lesson: (30 minutes)
Now we will do a listening lesson. The topic of the day is "Shopping", and you will look at the big screen and follow the instructions by your teacher to do the lesson. Plz be advised that we no longer need individual computers, so just watch the big screen and listen to the big speakers. Notice that you can control the recording, see the tape script, and check the answer key any time you need. Also, the test book is a valuable add-on for you.
III. 3. Questions and answers - Break: (5 ms)
The purpose of the lesson is for you to be able to use the lesson yourself at home. So if you have any difficulty or any question now, plz just ask before we take a short time break.
IV. THE SECOND SOFTWARE: PRONUNCIATION POWER (15 minutes)
VI. 1. How to: (5 ms)
- Open the network drive
- Go to folder "PRONUNCIATION POWER 2"
- Run "pp2.exe". You'll see the program interface. No installation needed.
- Go to "Lessons" menu. If you see a lady's mouth, go to next step. If you have an error "Director Player Error", you properly does not have Quicktime player in your computer. Quit the software, go to "QuickTimeInstaller" inside the folder, and run "QuickTimeInstaller.exe". After you finish, run "pp2.exe" again.
IV. 2. Have a lesson: (10 ms)
I'm not to drive you crazy with a pronunciation lesson but let's see, you will learn with a software, not me, right?
- Why don't you start with the pair /i:/ and /I/? We'll go for /i:/ first
- Here it goes. The "Lessons" menu shows you how to read the sounds, with drawings to demonstrate how things move inside your mouth, and a clip to show how your mouth should look like if you read it correctly (This is why you need a mirror for learning pronunciation).
- The "Exercises" menu offers you a variety of activities for practicing. Your teacher will show you all, or you can find out yourself at home.
- Notice that you can record your voice and playback to compare with the original speech.
V. FEEDBACK: (10 minutes)
What you think about the lesson today? Let me know what you think about any aspect of it. You like it? You dont like it? You want more? You've got enough? What could be done to improve? You like the software? You gonna use the software to enhance your skills?... Please write your ideas in the "Comments" of the post. Wonder how to do it? See the clip below.
Teacher training at NTU 2010
William is an experienced English teacher in HCMC, who is invited, and sponsored by US Consulate, to deliver a TESOL workshop in NTU.
These video clips are shot in a real class of NTU, coded 52TA, in which Wolf William demonstrates how to teach Pronunciation interactively and (so) effectively. This class is actually the third session of the workshop, and in the previous sessions we have discussed several aspects and solutions in English teaching, particularly speaking and pronunciation. Most teachers in the Faculty of Foreign Languages can be seen as observers in the videos, while students of 52TA actively participates in the activities.
PHOTO GALLERY-
All glory comes from daring to begin