Testing and Authentic Assessment big challenge!!!

I think it is possible to implement them , but it is a big challenge ‘cause, it involves to change or re-design the material we already have from the editorials which sometimes make us our job a little "bit easy", such as the text book that we usually have in our classrooms, the material design that we just take from the teacher’s book …so, it is possible, just we have to change our mind according to our pedagogical practices which involves think about the approaches we are going to set in our English classes, have clear the purpose of English learning and explain to the school’s administrators the changes we as an English teachers have to face and also we need time ‘cause that kind of job needs so much time for producing appropriately tests for each one of our students since they all are different, and think about authentic assessment to carry on in our classes.
Think about testing involves changing the idea it is the end result of the process, on the contrary it is part of the assessment process which imply an active learning. Here, the student is able to recognize its weaknesses and strengths and find strategies to improve them. For the teachers, testing and authentic assessment let have a clear picture of each one of the students. For the students is an objective way to see them in their whole process.
It would be great to set both testing and authentic assessment!!!!

Adressing competences in my pre-school group!

First at all, I want to say that after reading all materials I've had the opportunity to read these days, I realized that the way I am teaching English trying to attend the Linguistic, sociolinguistic and pragmatic competence but not in a deep way,then, It is possible to strengthen them in the classroom despite Preschool does not have a referent on CEF, since it's considered from first level to third.
So, I'm going to start working on sociolinguistic a little bit more teaching different expressions or ways to answer simple common questions and also, to teach about familiar topics.
On the other hand, I'll do listening activities, music, fairy tales more often than usually I do with my kids, and trying to speak English the whole class to let my kids like and enjoying the English as a communicative need.
Also I'll try to use technological materials taking advantage of the good sources the school have.

So, It is a challenge....I have to work on.

INSPIRE TEACHERS!!..WHAT A GREAT REMEMBERS!

Teachers...yes they are three.I going to start remembering my Spanish teacher from high school, she made me love the books specially the literature. She was dynamic, and a good poetry reader,that's why I enjoy reading Borges and Bennedetti. She was always showing her interest for reading about colombian autors, but the specially way to make students involve in reading activities was throught acting the stories roles, the only bad thing was I had classes with her the last year of my high school, It would be great to have a long process learning or enjoying literature at this way.The others two teacher were from Univalle one of them is still teaching there, he has an excellent way to teach American literature, he makes students like writting 'cause he enjoies reading and writting about every single book he has read, so through this example students learn and catching this actitude, also he applies a communicative way in his classes, so everybody participates and talk about the book teacher's homework, some times he does debates, plenary,expositions, or just shows a movie about the book. I think He is one of the best teacher I HAVE HAD EVER together to another who is not at the university now, I really don't know anything about him, just I want to express even he was an older man, he showed an a positive energy during the English classes, he always took to the classroom a guitar for singing songs, I remembered "yesterday" by Beathles. he did different funny activities each class and not just one, many activities such as puzzles, vocabulary competition on the board, role plays, etc..which we enjoyed a lot and the time went so fast every friday night... you know Friday night at Univalle while I was studying was music and beer... at the beggining of the English 6 or 7level,we didn't want to go to the class, however at the end of the semester we did't want to finish.....what a great class or what a great way to enjoy English lerning, so even if you're teaching for adolescents you can apply funny activities in the classes. My three inspire teachers...Nancy Peña Spanish teacher from Normal Dptal School, Timothy Keplee and Frank Rutter both from Univalle.
8 de septiembre de 2007 16:28

Ummm STANDARES CURRICULARES!!!

Standares Curriculares!!!ehmmm.....
Good topic to understand one more time that the Colombian goverment is interested to make many different projects in order to show they are doing something for Colombian people, however they don't give enough tools for public teaching English teachers in the way the goverment planning to reach the B1 level when students finish the high school, then the great idea would be to have licenciados in languages for teaching English from Pre-school and first grade with at least 4 hours per week to involve the kids in English learning, then the process could have a good results,and on the other hand, we see that universities and specially Univalle is preparing students, I mean licenciados in foreign languages to teach for wealthy people that means to help GROWING UP the economical system which goes everytime taking negative advantage of poor people.I mention Univalle 'cause it's suppose one of the best Colombian PUBLIC university, it should have projects for helping people who are no able to pay a lot money for private education where kids could have many opportnities to learn no just English but Spanish, Math, Science,investigation and so much things useful for their lifes. At that way, we could have a hope!!!
8 de septiembre de 2007 15:06

English, present and future!

Hi dear friends!

I started to study again in USB, we shared in class an article about present and future of English. It was great to hear other people talking about English, specially If do we have to be worry about it?
According to that question I think we'll have time to continue teaching English because the globalisation is asking for learning English to everybody, that's why Biligual Colombia and some other programs around the world. However in about 10 or 15 years beign an English teacher won't be a great job, because everybody will be able to communicate with other people in English, then, the most important so far is improving the English abilities and try to teach in a didactic way to make the students like the English, besides this to start learning other language as much as we can.