Learning English inside the classroom

KWL

KWL is instructional technique used to improve reading comprehension and a student's ability to remember the material. KWL is most often used with expository reading materials such as classroom textbooks. K-W-L (Ogle, 1986) is an instructional reading strategy that is used to guide students through a text. Students begin by brainstorming everything they Know about a topic. This information is recorded in the K column of a K-W-L chart. Students then generate a list of questions about what they Want to Know about the topic. These questions are listed in the W column of the chart. During or after reading, students answer the questions that are in the W column. This new information that they have Learned is recorded in the L column of the K-W-L chart.

The K-W-L strategy serves several purposes: Elicits students’ prior knowledge of the topic of the text. Sets a purpose for reading. Helps students to monitor their comprehension. KWL is intended to be an exercise for a study group or class that can guide you in reading and understanding a text.You can adapt it to working alone, but discussions definitely help.It is composed of only three stages that reflect a worksheet of three columns with the three letters:

K What I know	W What I want to know	L What I learned
Write the information about what the students know in this space.	Write the information about what the students want to know in this space.	After the completion of the lesson or unit, write the information that the students learned in this space.

Source: Ogle, D. (1986). K-W-L: A teaching model that develops active reading of expository text. The Reading Teacher, 38, 564-570.

8 ( Learning English outside the classroom)

The special activities from US. Embassy

On Friday  22^nd August 2014, I am very excited to attend the special activities from US. Embassy. We meet Khun Wendy A. Zaman, Khun Thomas White and Khun Supiengpitch Phornroekngam. They are from U.S. Embassy. They came here in order to create a very special activities improving the English skills(Listening, Speaking, reading and writing)  for my friends and I  at American Corner NSTRU.

Firstly, we were divided in to three groups. There are four main activities. The first activity is speaking by Khun Wendy A. Zaman. She introduced the game called story cube.  We have to tell the story from pictures of dices. We throw the dice and made a story by including the vocabulary of the picture from the dice. All of my friends were very happy and enjoyed speaking with this game. Secondly, the activity for reading skill by Khun Thomas White. He told us to match the headlines and the details of the news together. Then he gave a news and we have to answer these question: who what when where and why. All of us can do this game 100 percent. Thirdly, the activity for listening skill by Supiengpitch Phornroekngam. She told us three tricks to hold listening more effective; 1.Close your eyes when listening 2. Do not translate the hard words. 3. Always repeat the unfamiliar word to remember. Fourth, the activity for writing we have to write the story from the given picture. Lastly, every groups presented the story. The winner was rewarded.

In conclusion, I would like to thanks our lecturer Ajarn Anirut Chumsawat and the US. Embassy to create a very special activities improving the English skills for our us at American Corner NSTRU on Friday 22, August 2014. I wish there will be another interesting activity that you create for us. I enjoyed a lot. I will continued practicing my English.

ุึ7 ( Learning English outside the classroom)

Ice Bucket Challenge

Have You Heard about the "Ice Bucket Challenge?"Once day, my closed friends, Kokkuan and Nisakorn were watching a video. They were smiled while watching the video I wonder what the video was about.  They told me the video is about the football player Mesut Ozil doing Ice Bucket Challenge. I do not know what Ice Bucket Challenge is. I asked them to explain what Ice Bucket Challenge is.

The Ice Bucket Challenge, sometimes called the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is The Ice Bucket Challenge, sometimes called the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, is an activity involving dumping a bucket of ice water on one's head to promote awareness of the disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and encourage donations to research. It went viral throughout social media during mid 2014. In the United Kingdom, people also participate in the challenge for the Motor Neuron Disease Association. The challenge dares nominated participants to be filmed having a bucket of ice water poured on their heads and challenging others to do the same. A common stipulation is that nominated people have 24 hours to comply or forfeit by way of a charitable financial donation. Challenge involves people getting doused with buckets of ice water on video, posting that video to social media, then nominating others to do the same, all in an effort to raise ALS awareness. Those who refuse to take the challenge are asked to make a donation to the ALS charity of their choice.

All in all, I agree with this program to help people from the Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The famous people around the world donate their money to this activity. In Thailand, Abhisit Vejjajiva donates his money five- hundred thousand. Right now, I know what is Ice Bucket Challenge. I wait for someone to nominate me!!

Vocabulary	Phonetic Symbol	Meaning
1. awareness (noun)	/ əˈweə.nəs /	knowledge that something exists, or understanding of a situation or subject at the present time based on information or experience ความตระหนัก
2. amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (noun)	/ æ.mi.əʊˌtrɒf.ɪk læt.ər.əl skləˈrəʊ.sɪs /	a disease affecting the nerve cells, especially those in the spinal cord that control muscle movement, and resulting in a reduction in size and strength of the muscles โรงกล้ามเนื้ออ่อนแรง
3. donation (noun)	/ dəʊˈneɪ.ʃən /	money or goods that are given to help a person or organization, or the act of giving them การบริจาค
4. stipulation (noun)	/ ˌstɪp.jʊˈleɪ.ʃən /	a rule that must be followed or something that must be done ข้อตกลง
5. douse (verb)	/ daʊs/	to make something or someone wet by throwing a lot of liquid over it or them สาดน้ำ

Learning English inside the classroom (18/ 08/ 2557)

                        How to create the objective in the lesson plan

Today, my teacher teaches how to create the objective in the lesson plan. Firstly, we have to study curriculum, standard and indicator (communicative competence). There are two kinds of objective that is terminal objective and enabling objective. In each objective we have to include three parts; performance, condition and standard. And we must follow steps of writing lesson plan; 1. search 2. process 3. synthesis 4. evaluate  5. write.

Terminal objective (TOs) is highest level of learning that a student will accomplish after successfully completing the learning process. A  terminal  objective  is  a  specific  statement  of  the  performance expected  from  a  student  as  the  result  of  training.  It  expresses  the  behavior  to  be  exhibited,  the condition(s)  under  which  it  is  to  be  exhibited,  and  the  standard  to  which  it  will  be  performed. TOs directly support the course  mission  statement.

Enabling objective (EOs) : An  enabling  objective  is  a  specific  statement  of  the  behavior  to be exhibited,  condition(s)  under  which  it  is  to  be  exhibited,  and  the  standard  to  which  it  will  be performed.   Enabling   objectives   contain   conditions   and   standards   appropriate   to   the   training environment, including knowledge and skills that support a terminal objective.

Designing the lesson plan we should follow the steps of writing lesson plan. Objectives include three parts; performance, condition and standard. Thanks for our teacher to guide us how to design the objective in the lesson plan correctly. 

ุ6 ( Learning English outside the classroom)

Ebola virus disease

Ebola virus disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is a severe, often fatal illness in humans. Ebola first appeared in 1976 in 2 simultaneous outbreaks, in Nzara, Sudan, and in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of Congo. The latter was in a village situated near the Ebola River, from which the disease takes its name.

Ebola is introduced into the human population through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals. In Africa, infection has been documented through the handling of infected chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines found ill or dead or in the rainforest.

Ebola then spreads in the community through human-to-human transmission, with infection resulting from direct contact (through broken skin or mucous membranes) with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and indirect contact with environments contaminated with such fluids. Burial ceremonies in which mourners have direct contact with the body of the deceased person can also play a role in the transmission of Ebola. Men who have recovered from the disease can still transmit the virus through their semen for up to 7 weeks after recovery from illness.

People are infectious as long as their blood and secretions contain the virus. Ebola virus was isolated from semen 61 days after onset of illness in a man who was infected in a laboratory.

(Adapted from: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs103/en/)

     

Vocabulary	Phonetic Symbol	Meaning
1. haemorrhagic (adjective)	/hem.əˈrædʒ.ɪk/	relating to a haemorrhage (= a large flow of blood from a damaged blood vessel)เลือดออก
2. simultaneous (adjective)	/ˌsɪm.əlˈteɪ.ni.əs/	happening or being done at exactly the same time พร้อมกัน
3. situated  (adjective)	/ˈsɪt.ju.eɪ.tɪd/	in a particular position ที่ตั้งอยู่
4. secretion (noun)	/sɪˈkriː.ʃən/	the process by which an animal or plant produces and releases a liquid, or the liquid produced:
5. fluid (noun)	/ˈfluː.ɪd/	a substance that flows and is not solid ของเหลว
6. contaminate (verb)	/kənˈtæm.ɪ.neɪt/	to make something less pure or make it poisonous ที่ปนเปื้อน
7. laboratory (noun)	/ləˈbɒr.ə.tər.i/	a room or building with scientific equipment for doing scientific tests or for teaching science, or a place where chemicals or medicines are produced ห้องปฏิบัติการ

5 ( Learning English outside the classroom)

Thinking Hats

“Thinking Hats” is a technique that helps students practice  solving problems in a different perspective. Students are encouraged to think in ways that differ from traditional ideas or their own familiar styles, Presented  by Edward De Bono (1976) , this idea shows that people tend to think when trying to solve a problem with their own traditional , thus predictable methods . De Bono believes that in order to be a good thinker, a new habit of thinking should be initiated. There are basically six “Thinking Hats”. Each hat represents a different idea. Questions that come with the idea represented by each hat are as follows.

White Hat – Information Seeking “What do we know about this already?  ” “What do we need to know”  “What questions do we need to ask?“Red Hat – Emotional response “How do I feel about this right now?” Emotions-intuition – feeling – hunches. There is no need to justify feelings. Yellow Hat- Positive Response “The good things about this.” Positive-goood-benefits. “why and how this can be done?” Black Hat- Negative Response
 “ The bad things about this.”Negative-Weaknesses-caution-wrong.“Why not possible or practical?” Green Hat- creative response New ideas- different things-alternatives-variations. “Are there some different ideas/alternative things we can do?” Innovation ways we can approach this. Blue Hat- Metacognition “What are we here for?”  What is the end goal? Is our thinking about this matter clear and complete?

Thinking Hats has been widely used in different practices. There are a number of teachers using this idea to create awareness for the students to look at problems in another dimension or perspective.

สุมิตรา อังวัฒนกุล และคณะ. 2537. ชุดฝึกอบรมภาษาอังกฤษ ระดับมัธยมศึกษาตอนปลาย. กรุงเทพมหานคร:
                โรงพิมพ์แห่งจุฬาลงกรณ์มหาวิทยาลัย.

4 ( Learning English outside the classroom)

My Presentation Script of English Speaking Class
4R for Reading game

Well, shall we start? Good morning everyone, May I introduce myself. My name is Nunthiya Garasri, the 4^th year student in English Major of Naknon Si Thammarat Rajabhat University. Today I’m going to talk about 4R for Reading game.  My presentation consists of three parts. The first part is about what is 4R stand for? The second part, I would like to mention about what you need to play this game and the final is how to play. My presentation will last ten minutes. If you have any question, please save to the end.

Firstly, I will tell you “what is 4R stand for?” 4R stand for Run, Read, Remember and Re-tell. Secondly, I’m going to talk about “What you need to play this game” Playing 4R for Reading game you must have short story with some missing information, the same short story with complete information cut it into four or five horizontal lines two or three sentences each and  pop songs. Finally, I would like to say how to play this game. There are nine steps as the following ; First, divide students into group of three or four. Second, give every group the incomplete story. Third, the groups have to elect 1 runner, 1 writer and 1 or 2 standbyers. Fourth, teacher plays the music and tells students she will give the timing by playing 2 songs. Fifth, the runner searches for the missing information, read and remember every line, run back to his/her group, re-tell what she/he has read. Sixth, the writer listens carefully, asks for spelling if necessary, and fills the gaps. Next, the runner sits down and gives the turn to a standbuyer. When the 2 songs finish, all groups submit the paper. Then, teacher checks every group stories. Last, the group with the most correct answer wins. To summaries, I will run through my three points. First point, I would like to emphasise one more time what is 4R stand for. Second point, I would like to bring your attention to all you need to play this game. Last point, we should know how to play.

In conclusion, I would like to leave you with the idea that 4R for reading is one of the teaching techniques for reading. You can use this game with  grade 6 to grade 9 students. Your student will be happy to learn more. Thank you very much for your attention. If you have any questions, I will be happy to answer them now.  

   

Reflect: All six groups’ presentation

English, being a global language, enhances the economic competitiveness of a country, improves its global reach and enables it to better maintain its political security and interests. A multilingual citizen can better appreciate cultural differences and be more insightful. As the English teacher in the future, we much keen on 4 macro skills of teaching English.  Form group work presentation of my classmate,  there are consist of six group six topic that is; teaching speaking, teaching with technology, assessing and testing, teaching listening, teaching reading and teaching writing. I think English is becoming more and more important today. That's why before starting teaching we must know all about it.

Speaking is "the process of building and sharing meaning through the use of verbal and non-verbal symbols, in a variety of contexts" (Chaney, 1998, p. 13). Speaking is a crucial part of second language learning and teaching. Today's world requires that the goal of teaching speaking should improve students' communicative skills. From the presentation Teaching Speaking by my classmates group one, I learnt what is speaking, principle for teaching, speaking fluency and accuracy, provide opportunities for student, plan speaking tasks, design classroom activities, classroom techniques and tasks and the teacher’s roles in speaking activities.

Technology plays an important role in our life. Technology is an increasingly important aspect of modern school life and has dramatically changed the way teachers and students go about their daily activities. So, teaching technology is very important to know and understand. My classmates group two presented Teaching with technology as the following topics. What is IWB or smart board, advantages of IWB, flip charts, overhead projector (OHP), Computer or tablet computer, software, how to teach making recordings and presenting online, using picture, cards and strips of paper, using realia and other devices, mobile learning. Teaching with technology can deepen student learning by supporting instructional objectives. However, it can be challenging to select the “best” tech tools while not loosing sight of your goals for student learning.

Assessing and testing is also important for English teacher. We should know and understand type of assessment, designing and making test, type of test item, rubric. There are eight type of assessment that is; formative, summative, informal, diagnostic, placement, progress, achievement and proficiency. Moreover, These are the steps of designing and making test. First, decide on the balance of items in a test. Second, have to be extremely careful to write “Rubric”. Third, give them to colleague to try out. Fourth, decide on our assessment criteria. Fifth, test need to have validity. Sixth, list exactly what it is we want to measure. Besides, there are two types or test item direct test and indirect test. Furthermore, rubric is a multi –purpose scoring guide for assessing student products and performance. A rubric involves four components; task description, scale, dimensions and description of the dimensions.

Teaching listening skills presents a series of challenges. It is perhaps the most ephemeral of language skills, hard to understand, teach, and assess. Following are a number of listening skills, most of which not only benefit the ESL student but also the native speaker;  Basics: Pay Attention, Practice Active Listening, Pay Attention to Structure, Listen for Key Words, Key Phrases or Markers. This group is also presented strategies of listening; top-down strategies and bottom-up strategies. As language teachers, we need to think of how we can incorporate listening into our teaching and provide opportunities both inside and outside the classroom for our students to be exposed to significant listening input.

Teaching reading is one of the topics that teachers must know. This group presented; extensive reading, intensive reading, reading activities and reading technique.  Extensive reading is reading as much as possible, for your own pleasure, at a difficulty level at which you can read smoothly and quickly without looking up words or translating to English as you go. Otherwise, Intensive reading involves learners reading in detail with specific learning aims and tasks. It can be compared with extensive reading, which involves learners reading texts for enjoyment and to develop general reading skills.

Teaching writing is very interesting for some students but most of students feel bored to learn writing. My group presented three main topic; being accurate, encouraging writing and producing a finished product. Firstly, teacher should teach “nuts and bolts” of writing - teach to use hand writing for the children. By, training in letter formation by using specially lined paper to help students imitate typical writing. Then, learn to use punctuation features in writing. Being accurate, teacher should teach the process of writing as the following steps; prewriting /planning , drafting, editing, revising and publishing. Second points, encouraging writing; make students comfortable and enjoy to write, spontaneous writing : ask students to writing instantly ( without worrying too much). Moreover, there are folding story, music and writing and picture and writing. Last, producing a finished product by using portfolio writing, writing journals, blog and wikis.

Conclusion, I learn a lot from the class presentations; teaching speaking, teaching with technology, assessing and testing, teaching listening, teaching reading and teaching writing. This is a good idea to share our idea in the classroom. We will learn something new from friend and the comment from our teacher. I will adapt all of this in my teaching in the future. Lastly, thanks for all to provide how to teach English form different skills.