Task-Based Language Teaching

Hello, welcome! This week blog is dedicated to expose the Task-Based Language, you can lear more about in the following summarize below.

Hope you like it, enjoy!

Task-Based Language Teaching

Wilkins in 1976, distinguished between two types of syllabi: synthetic syllabi and analytic syllabi. Synthetic syllabi is a sequence from linguistic simplicity ti linguistic complexity, while analytic syllabi is composed by tasks.

Teachers’ main purpose is to facilitate students’ language learning by giving them tasks to have a clear outcome. The teacher analyzed students’ needs to have a proper task assigned considering students’ level and abilities. The class begins with a pre-task during this phase the teacher introduce the students to the language they will need to complete the task. Afterwards students are comfortable performing the tasks given by the teacher, knowing that the task shows possible situations they will overcome in real life. The task has clear outcomes so both students and teachers can tell if the task has been successfully completed. A post-task phase takes place to give feedback and reinforce students learning to solve any problem that may have risen.

Nevertheless it is important to highlight that this method helps and encourage students to use the target language actively and meaningfully. Having this result it is shown how students overcome their fears and feel more comfortable to use the target language in different situations in their lives, even going beyond the classroom.

Lesson Plan

UNIVERSITY OF COSTA RICA

ATLANTIC BRANCH-TURRIALBA CAMPUS

LESSON PLAN

Institution:

Date: May 2^nd, 2014

Group: 9-2

TARGET CONTENT: SPORTS AND LEASURE ACTIVITIES
Linguistic Objectives	Mediation Activities	Evaluation of learning outcomes and strategies	Time Allotted
SWBT: To write phrases and paragraphs  using simple descriptive language To understand the meaning of written information To express ideas and opinions	1. Teacher greets students and tells the topic of the class. (2min) 2. Teacher gives a list of 5 tasks of how people can use to express the sport they like. Ex: Do you like to play…? What kind of _ do you need? Can you play…? Students are asked to read their answers according to the sport they practice. (8min) 3. Teacher asks students to form five groups of five, each group have an specific sport, students have to write a paragraph with the most important characteristics of the sport assigned. Students share the paragraph with the rest of the class. (15min) 4. Teacher provides students a sheet of paper. In the same groups students have to create a stanza of a song related to why it is important to practice sports. At the end students have to perform in front of the class. (15min)	The teacher considers the students level and abilities for the class’ activities. The teacher gives feedback when students when is necessary and students required. Students have to work in groups to solve the tasks assigned. Students have to talk in English during the class, to answered and perform the activities.	40 minutes
Resources: sheets of paper, pencils Chronicle

Gesture & Vocal Expression

Hello welcome! Today's blog consist in gesture and vocal expression. Us as future professors must have to know some key points to improve the learning process in class, so here are some tips.

Enjoy!

 

        

Now here is a video that would explaing some of the key concepts of gesture and facial expression.

Relationship among the video and the Summary of Gesture and Vocal Expression

The use of gestures and the tone of our voices are the key to a better learning process in our students, both students and teachers are benefited. Why? Well as it is shown in the video and in the summary the use of gestures increases the students learning, making them able to remember things better than without gestures, so this makes a time savior. Nevertheless we must take into consideration our gestures and facial expressions, as it is mentioned in the video. We have to be careful in general, but especially in our classroom, we do not want to offend somebody or give the grown message.

It is being proven that gesturing have an impact in words, so it makes what we say more memorable. At the same time, maintaining a proper tone of voice can make students more interested in class, however it cannot be the same all the time, we must put an emphasizes in certain words or certain quotes so the class can be variety and not monotonous.

To summarize gesture and vocal expression are important when we are teaching our students, both students and teachers will be pleasant of having this little changes for a better improvement.

Community Language Learning

Hello, hope your doing fine! 

This blog is dedicate to informe about the Community Language Learning Method (CLL)

You might ask yourself what is the CLL? Well is a method use by teachers in the classroom, where they take into consideration the students feelings and fears. 
By doing this it would help to make students less uncomfortable when they are learning a new language.

Enjoy!

Learning a new language

There is no doubt that learning a new language has its difficulties, especially when students are not feeling comfortable with the class, the professor, their classmates and even himself. The main purpose of the Community Language Learning method it is to consider students as a whole person, taking into consideration not only students’ intellect but at the same time its feelings and desire to learn.

Once in a while students tend to feel threatened by the teacher which makes it difficult once they are trying to teach the class. CLL considers the teacher not as a facilitator of knowledge, but as a counselors which it means that is someone who is capable of understand the students’ fears and makes them able to communicate during the class putting a side those negative feelings and help them to be capable of interact.

One of the main characteristics of the Community Language Learning method it is not only consider students as whole person and make them feel comfortable during the class, CLL contemplates students most common fears which is speaking out loud and interact with the classmates and teacher, however teacher cannot expected students to talk in the target language in their first class. That’s why CLL is known for the use of the students’ native language to break the barriers between the known and unknown.  After been more adapt to the class, teacher or counselors will try to make students familiarized with the target language, making the students to create a simple sentence like “How are you?” afterwards the teacher will translated from the native language to the target language, as we know students do not a single word of the target language, that why the teacher will translate each word in chuncks, making the student able to process and understand the new information.

Finally after each activity the teacher will ask their students how they feel about it, and how can it be an improvement to make them feel less uncomfortable and overcome their fears.

University of Costa Rica

Atlantic Branch, Turrialba Campus

LESSON PLAN

Institution

Date

Group: 7-1

Target Content: IDENTIFICATION OF ONESELF TO OTHERS
Linguistic Objectives	Mediation Activities	Evaluation of learning outcomes and strategies	Time allowed
SWBT To produce short pieces of writing To use appropriate forms for personal address	1.Teacher greets students and tells the topic and activities of the class. (3 min) 2.Teacher gives students a sheet of paper and tells them to write their most important information such as: name, address, where they live, etc. Then he students will provide theirs answers. (12min) 3.Teacher provides students a sheet of paper with the appropriate forms to introduce oneself and gives and explanation of it. (10min) 4.Teacher asks students to make groups of 3 people, then students have to create a dialogue with the appropriate form when they are introducing theirselves. After they will go to the front of the class and read it. (16min)	Teacher explains the activities to a better understanding of the class Teacher tolerates students errors, and help to correct them Student would be able to express their answers. Students would be able to interact with each other’s, while they are working.	40 minutes
Resources: sheets of paper, pencils Chronicle:

Body Language

Hello! Hope you are doing good.

This blog is dedicated to informed and analize the body language. Some of you might not know this, but we can talk with our body too, and it is part of life. 
Through a series of post you will found charateristic of the body language and how we can improve some of these areas.

Enjoy!

Now here is a video that would help you to understand things a little bit better!

Hope you like and enjoy it! 

Relationship among Faye de Muyshondt’s Video and the Summary of Body Language.

In the video we are able to see some of the key concepts in our summary of body language. In the video it is demonstrated the Body Language DO & DON’TS. What of the most important things said in the video is that our body speaks much more loudly than your word speaks.

Faye de Muyshondt describes some of the most important movements we should be careful when we are interacting with someone or in a near future with our students. It is explain how are posture can have repercussions in our interaction with people whether we our showing ourselves as a confident person or insecure or low self-esteem.  Also in the video it is mention the importance of the place and movement of our hand while we are having a conversation, be careful of not exaggerate the moves and at the same time be aware of not playing with them. Constantly touching your hair or playing with your watch can shows your anxious, nervous or just not interested in the conversation.

Furthermore, both Muyshondt and the summary emphasize how the position and movements of our feet can talk by itself. You might ask yourself; how can my feet say if I am comfortable or not?  Well the constant moving around, lifting up your knee, moving your feet back for can show people you are just not comfortable as you should be. Or giving the impression of been nervous or insecure, people might not know this, but these constant action can distract the person you are interacting with or even yourself.  In addition a good posture and keeping your feet stationary will help you remained concentrate and give a good impression.

  Finally, people should take all these key concepts into consideration, our body language speaks for itself and giving a good impression can beneficiate us in different aspects. In the case of teachers having their students’ attention will help having a deeper approachment in class.