Learning to learn cooperatively - Anne Hammond Byrd

In this text, the author goes through the importance and benefits from goup work. The practice of group work has increased a lot, says the author, and she mentions some benefits it brings to the students, which include increased students’ interest and production.

Apart from the benefits, there are some factors which can influence on the tasks. These factors are: culture, expectations, familiarity with the norms, and interaction.

When the group task has principles, the environment becomes better, and students can learn more. It is important that students are conscious of the value of working cooperatively.

Besides the traditional ways of making students work cooperatively, teachers can vary, by using nonacademic games, like jigsaw puzzles. Each student could be responsible for completing a part of the game. Then the group get together and see the result. It can also be used to show them how important it is that each and every member of the group work.

The author suggests that the teacher change the culture of the classroom. Doing so, they will have the opportunity to practice the skills of cooperation, tolerance, ideas and multiparty group communication. The teacher has to establish rules, respecting students limits and expectations.

More about learner autonomy...

As I just talked about learner autonomy, I found this interesting article at Nova Escola magazine and I decided to write something about it here. It is the cover article, and as I received the magazine at home, I realized it connected to the previous article.

It is about homework and how it can raise students’ autonomy. The name of the article is A hora de estudar sozinho e ver o que aprendeu, written by Elisângela Fernandes.

The author says that homework is a good way to raise students’ autonomy, because this is the moment that students, alone, will take their time for that, come up with questions, read, research, and, by doing so, become more independent.

The homework also brings benefits to the teacher, who will evaluate the learners’ progress.

Although it is a really good source to develop learner autonomy, nor the students or the teachers value it a lot. The author says that the homework doesn’t need only to be done, but to be well planned by the teacher while preparing the class.

It is really important to guide students and their parents about the homework, because it can be a problem. There are some parents who do the activities for their children, or those who correct everything, and there are also those who don’t care if their children do the homework or not. So, by guiding them, maybe it is possible for the teacher to have less problems like these.

Elisângela suggests that teachers assign homework with clear objectives about the content taught in class. If it is too challenging for the students, the teacher has to take some minutes of the class and explain it clearly.

It is vital that homework is corrected on the next class. If it is not, students might not feel motivated to do it again.

To conclude, homework is an important step in developing learner autonomy, as they have to read, try, search, use the dictionary or the internet in order to accomplish the task, and it is important that teachers are conscious and careful by choosing what to assign and how to do it.

Learner Autonomy

I read two very interesting articles about raising learner autonomy so that I could write this article. The articles are: Learner Autonomy: Bird-in-the-hand or bord-in-the-bush? (By Samuel P-H Sheu) and What is learner autonomy and how can it be fostered? (By Dimitrios Thanasoulas).

Learner autonomy, as the name says, depends much more on the teacher than on the student, but the teachers play an important role on this process. As Holmes and Ramos say: “In order to assume greater control over their own learning, it is important to help them to become aware of and identify the strategies that they already use or could potentially use.”

Samuel P-H Sheu suggests that teachers use different kinds of activities in order to motivate students and they feel like looking for more so that they can develop their autonomy. But by saying so, he also said that teachers from regular schools and language schools cannot be so flexible due to the fact that they have a schedule, and they have to cover all the content in the schedule within a determined period.

All in all, I think that we, teachers, no matter who we teach, should motivate our students to be autonomous. Even if we teach in regular schools or language schools, it is sometimes possible to bring some different activities, raise their curiosity or simply show them the way so that they become autonomous learners.

Learning a Language is Like... - Dede Wilson

By reading the article, the author confirmed a beliefe of mine: that we should know our students' interests.
To my way of thinking, if we know at least a little about our students, it is, somehow, easier to lead with them, because then we could focus on their needs and interests.
In big groups, it is not easy to please all the students at once, but the teacher can vary, bringing different activities sometimes in order to please some of them each time.
The author describes an activity she usually gives to her students from all levels in order to know them better. The name of the activity is "Learning a language is like...", and her students have to complete this sentences by using some prompts she gives them.
She says that students have to use the language they learnt, be imaginative and express opinions, apart from being personal, what motivates them a lot.
For the teacher, it is also motivating, because she will be able to evaluate the students' linguistic abilities, apart from getting to know the students better.

Ten Characteristics of a Good Teacher - Patricia Miller

“That which is essential cannot be seen with the eye. Only with the heart can one know it rightly” (Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince) – This quote was made by the author in the article, and I decided to begin my writing using it because I think it is the truth. Also because the author decided to put herself in the students’ shoes in order to understand them and their needs better.

As I “stopped” being a student only a few years ago, by reading the article, I could remember many things from when I was a student, and, in my opinion, everything she says is really true.

As a student, I appreciated my teachers, especially the ones who showed they were there because they loved their job and they knew the content by heart – I don’t know why… Maybe because I’d become a teacher someday! (lol) – and those who were patient and showed some kind of interest in my personal life and that I could count on them anytime I needed (both in my personal life and in my learning process)? Oh.. This made me appreciate them even more! It was also interesting when the teacher shared some things about his/her personal life, but forgetting the problems they, for sure, had.

I also used to estimate the teacher who, at the same time, was able to keep the control of the class and have a good relationship with the students and treated the students the same way, who took different activities to class, and the one who used to challenge me.

To my way of thinking, each teacher has its own style, and it may be difficult to have all the characteristics I’ve mentioned before, but I think it is important to have our students’ needs in mind and always try to be a better teacher.

Reading Log 1 - Confidence Tricks - Malcolm Griffiths

In order to see our students' progress, we have to provide them with confidence. But if we want to make someone feel more confident, we, teachers, must feel confident beforehand. That is why some teachers simply give up their profession: they lack confidence. All teachers may face the same challenges, but only the confident ones will be able to get over it and keep on.
It is normal that young teachers lack confidence in front of their groups for a while, specially in front of a new group, but, in my opinion, they shouldn't show this to to students, even because it is a temporary situation.
If the teacher has someone he / she can count, as coordinators or more experienced teachers, things get easier, but those who don't have anyone to help them, may find on the internet some help, just like other teacher's blogs.
All in all, teachers may have a good relationship with the students, motivating them and making them feel confident. Doing so, the teacher will feel confident enough to make a good job.