Practice with me

Hello,
I miss writing here.
I stopped writing on my blog long ago becasue I had to join some educational courses, which I will discuss the following days or weeks!
During the last two weeks I discovered that in order not to lose my language and motivate my students to practice their language I have to work with them.
Therefore , we started working together on the following site :
http://www.examenglish.com
Frankly, it is one of the best sites for them.
Mariah

Miss You

Dear all,

I will MISS YOU  and I will continue what I started 10 weeks ago.

Mariah

My journey in 10 weeks

I am too happy to accomplish the required tasks and complete the course but it's also too painful to leave this great journey (course) we had during 10 week!!!

I feel it's only 10 days not 10 weeks. I love to call this course a virtual journey because it showed me how to apply the web effectively in my teaching. I changed my methodology based on the tasks we did during the weeks. We created authentic and creative teaching tools in our pace with our webskills that improved a lot.

We experienced up-dated approaches and many web sites resources in accomplishing our final project.  What I loved most was Rubistar, it easy my teaching days.

Finally, I promise that I will keep what I started in this course and my blog will be the mirror of my e-experience in the future.  I hope everybody do the same.

Love,

Mariah

PS. My e-mail is : ma-alansari@yahoo.com                

Week 10: LOTI

Dear all,

During this week we evaluated ourselves based on the Level of Teaching Innovation Framework (LOTI). Frankly, it's the first time I have ever heard about it and found it too important resource for using technology. This resource is based on research-based approach.

It's a very helpful resource. What I loved about LOTI that it has a very clear explanation of each level and how it is applied in the classroom.

Wishes,

Mariah

Week 9: Our Students???

Dear All,

Multiple-Intelligence is one of the most powerful analyses of the human beings personality and understanding this analysis help us get the most effect tool easily so we affect other.

Can you deal with all people the same and have the same experience with everybody as equal as others?

Can all your students become excellent in describing a picture (visual), listening to a song with distinguishing the lyrics (auditory)?

There many of the intelligence our students have but are we able as teachers to discover them and let them be proud of having those intelligence?

I know for sure that understanding my students' learning styles and Multiple Intelligence they have will easy my teaching because these kind of information about whom I am teaching lead me to how I will teach and when shall I use  my teaching strategies or differ my teaching approach.

I think clever teacher are who understand who are their students to get their students needs , what and how they can teach.

Great topics we read this week regarding MI and LS with the power of technology.

Mariah

Week 8: New Journey

Hello,

The great journey we had during this week showed us how powerful are tech-tools in teaching and learning as well.

I had a very fascinating exploration with ANVILL it's a very powerful lab and I am sure all my students will love using it as a new way of learning English. I have never heard about it but I found it great.

The task were asked to do was creating a course site or exercise pushed me do something with Wikispace which I found years ago too helpful in collecting and sharing different resources in teaching English language.

I feel that week8 run too quickly to the end because it was the start for the end of our lovely and effective course.  I noticed also that we had great exchange of the draft which really helped us have great feedback on what we are working on and it gave us the experience of other teachers.

I 'm looking forward for week 9 and we will be asked to do.

Mariah

My Wiki

Hello all,
Visit my wiki here:
http://mariahalansari.wikispaces.com/

Mariah

Week 7: How to use your opportunities and your classroom environment as teaching tools effectively

Dear Teachers,

During this week we had simple and effective experience in analyzing our learners' autonomy and our one-computer lessons. Not to forget the great guest we had in discussion 1 ( Melissa Mendelson ) who presented her experience in teaching round the world.

First of all, I had a good experience in revising what the course members mentioned in the previous weeks to Find a Partner.

As a requirement for joining the discussions we had to read some articles which I found too useful. First, I couldn't believe that the simple readings we had about Learner Autonomy help us guide our students accurately to discover their personality and learners style. Moreover, those readings lead us as teacher to the strategies of preparing our students to be independence and have strong personality.

The second discussion was about one-computer lesson. The articles we read show us the effective strategies in using one computer class effectively. Finally, I found creating  a one computer lesson too interesting because it lead us to discover our classes, teaching tools we had and the opportunities we can utilize to make our lessons students-centered in simple ways.

I look forward to the following weeks.

Thanks,

Mariah

Week 6: New tools and techniques!

Hi everybody,           

During this week we had a variety of techniques and tools of teaching. First, we had great opportunity to meet the Editors who are spending their time creating a new world of valuable pages (English Teaching FORUM) .

There were great reading and discussion on Engaging Students especially in large classes and the new and effective techniques are used for teaching them.

Next there was a very helpful article on creating Interactive PPT show and different techniques were explained on enhancing an Interactive class.

 Of course, after observing the information and techniques we read and discussed, we have to practice them all by creating an interactive PowerPoint show.

I found this week more effective than before. Frankly, each week become more useful than the former week. I felt too relaxed in doing the required task because it is more related to the student- centered more and more.

Thanks for making our lesson interactive and let us understand using technology as tool of letting the audience interact and learn.

Mariah

Week5: Rubistar!!! Great ! I can't believe it!

Hi teachers,
 

Wow! Great tool , great details about different skills. I found Rubistar a valuable website to create Rubrics easily.

The most important reason I will start using it that it saves my time and energy. Thus, starting from know I will not think a lot about the details I have to consider in creating a rubric. In addition, it saves my energy and let me think more in other creative methods of teaching and preparing visual aids or activities for my students.

GREAT TECHNOLOGY!  I won't go back to the old ways of setting rubrics.

Love,

Mariah

  

Week 5: PBL ??? What and How?

Hi all,

I have never heard about this strategy before, but I applied it a lot during the previous years. The reason lead me to apply it was that my students have the enthusiasm to do a project rather than write an assignment so that I asked them to prepare projects on the global issues or what interest them of the issues mentioned in their text books.

After reading the article titled " Less Teaching and More Learning" by Susan Gaer about Project-based Learning I understood the method I used and become more aware of the principles and procedures of this Strategy.

PBL is the powerful method of involving students in learning new visions more than set and listen to their teachers.

Finally one of the largest and influential website that apply PBL effectively is iEARN :  http://www.iearn.org/    visit it once and you will discover the importance of PBL in learning and improving student- centered environment.

Love,

Mariah

Week5: Still Correct Papers!!!

Hello everybody,


What is the acurrate tool you use to assess your students' performance?
Do they have to asnwer questions to pass the course or graduate?
After reading the article about Alternative Assessment I found that we can invoke real world applications to provide self assessment opportunities for students.


Students can show their real personality and experience through their performance. Teachers must judge the students' performance in different ways and don't believe in the answers on papers. Everybody can memorise and write down what he/ she studied but it is difficult to apply what you studied in the real performance.


I read about the experience of Telok Kurau Primary School in Singapore on using Alternative Assessment in assessing Math Test and Science Test and found it a remarkable experience that must be applied in our schools.
The website of the school is :  http://www.telokkuraupri.moe.edu.sg
follow the followings: (School programmes, Alternative Assessment Mode)

Best,
Mariah

Week 4 : Reflection

Hello Teachers,

I felt too happy doing the tasks because they were related to students and our efforts to be better teachers. What a great and rich week I had. First I read one of the loveliest article about how to use web sites as teaching aids and in teaching writing . It is a very useful article. I hope I find more articles about the same issue and in the proper and useful way of teaching other skills. Moreover, I had a great opportunity to search for useful web sites to enhance my lesson.

The second great opportunity I had during this week was writing a lesson plan with technology after reading a great piece of writing from the University of Tennessee on our course website. I found this task simple and refreshing because it's writing a lesson plan and this what we still do.

Finally, I identify a problem, concern and issue that could be addressed with the incorporation of a NEW technology. Frankly, the last task helped me have clear focus on what my students suffer of so I would do my best to help them solve it by applying the different strategies we studied so far.

I enjoyed this week a lot and hope you enjoyed it too.

Mariah

Week3- Reflection

Hello all,

This week is a little bit harder than before because of the different tasks we had to finish in such a short time as we have. Even though, I loved the experience I had this week more than the ones I had in the previous two weeks.

We started our week with great and delicious live by creating our delicious accounts. Wow! what a great link to have. I have never thought that I can keep my precious websites save and organised as I have them now in my delicious account. It's really declicious and you don't know how to stop adding your bookmarks! Wow!

The second lovely task I did was reading one of the articles, were published on WebSkills website,  about CALL for listening , speaking and pronunciation. Honestly, I couldn't  hold myself of  reading all the articles to get the experience of those who obtained the experience of others and summarizes in an interesting articles. In addition, To absorb the use of CALL in teaching we were asked have a look at the lesson attached to the article. I chose reading " New Perspectives in Teaching Pronunciation" written by Maria Grazia Buzá. I found it too helpful in presenting some of the useful tools and approaches in teaching Pronunciation. The link for Pronunciation Tips from the BBCl were too helpful in my classes (Remedial classes).

Finally, our teacher Donna gave us another gift of knowledge by presenting some of the Final projects were done by the teachers who enrolled this course last year. Frankly, I found it too interesting to examine and evaluate our plan for the final project based on the previous projects. I read the one about developing the writing skills and found it helpful for my final project.

Wish everyone got benefit and look forward for week 4 as I do,

Love ,

Mariah

My Reflection on Week 2

Dear all,
During this week Ifelt to happy to revise writing objectives  and searching the net for some of the useful websites for our project and to help our students improving their language and experiencing their words through the web.

Wish get more experience during the second half of the week,
MaRiAh

KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

HAVING GREAT COUNTRY AS I HAVE MAKES ME PROUD OF PRESENTING SIMPLE INFORMATION ABOUT IT.

HIS MAJESTY THE KING HAMAD BIN ISA AL KHALIFA

THIS IS OUR FLAG ON A ROSE

http://www.bahraintourism.com/

http://www.bahrain.bh/

Welcome to the new Longman online catalogue.

DON'T MISS IT IT'S USEFUL
http://eltcatalogue.pearsoned-ema.com/

How to Use Google Translate to Teach English

WHAT A LOVELY ARTICLE
http://esl.about.com/od/modernteachingtechniques/a/teach_english_google_translate.htm

Week 1: Reflections

   It's too confusing and difficult to do things for the first time , even though I felt happy for accomplishing the first steps and tasks during my busy week.

     Frankly, I discovered new world of dealing with others. What a great world! The week started with fruitful discussions about the lovely e-course  and its regualtions and I get benefit of all and really am inspired to follow their steps in discovering more about webskills.