REFLECTION: WHAT TEACHERS MAKE ...

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, “What’s a kid going to learn from someone who decided the best option in life was to become a teacher?”

He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers: “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.”

To stress his point he said to another guest: “You’re a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest, what do you make?”

Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness, replied: “You want to know what I make?” She paused for a second, then began…

“Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I make a 6.0 feel like the Congressional Medal of Honour. I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can’t make them sit for 5 without an ipod, Game Cube or movie rental…

You want to know what I make?” She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table.

“I make kids wonder. I make them question. I make them criticize, I make them apologize and mean it. I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions. I teach them to write and then I make them write. I make them read, read, read. I make them show all their work in maths. I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know in English while preserving their unique cultural identity. I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe. I make my students stand to sing the Mexican National Anthem, because we live in Mexico. Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life.”

Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.

“Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant. You want to know what I make? I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do you make?”

IT'S A WRAP!!

Good morning All!

Today is the last session of your three week, 60 hour, Teacher Development Course that it has been a pleasure to share with you. To keep us on track for today's events, I am posting a 'rough' agenda for the day:

4 to 5pm: Participants finish off thier presentations
5 to 6pm: Presentations Part One
6 to 6:15pm: Coffee and Cookies courtesy of the UVM MTY
6:15 to 7:15pm: Presentations Part Two
7:15 to end: Conclusions, Reflections and ... Goodbyes!

Congratulations to all of you who successfully finish the course.

SCAFFOLDING: The questions and www's

1.What does ZPD stand for? (Meaning, main ideas)
http://www.fno.org/dec99/scaffold.html
http://www.west.net/~ger/vygotsky.html
2.The four stage process of ZPD (describe each stage)
http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/articles/vygotsky_zpd/index.htm
3.Strategies for scaffolding instruction
http://k6educators.about.com/od/helpfornewteachers/a/scaffoldingtech.htm

2ND ATTEMPT AT 2ND EXAM IN THE MEC

Please check the messages in the MEC. I have reposted the 2nd exam again and titled it: "2nd attempt" for those who wish to do it again. Good luck!

AUTONOMOUS LEARNING PRACTICE

Visit the following 3 web sites and add what you learn there to what you already know about CLIL.
www.clil-axis.net
www.clilconsortium.jyu.fi
www.isabelperez.com/

KEY TERMS OF CLIL

•Additional Language Increasingly used instead of terms such as foreign, second or minority language, to refer to any language other than the first language
•Bilingual Environment An environment in which two languages are used
•Exposure to ...The proportion of CLIL teaching experienced by a learner in a school year
• Low - about 5-15% of teaching time
• Medium - about 15-50% of teaching time
• High - over 50% of teaching time
•Foreign Language A language which is not usually used in the surrounding social environment
•First Language User A person who considers the target language to be his/her first language
•School Profile The public image of a school, its reputation
•Second Language Used to describe a language widely used in the surrounding environment
•Target Language The language used for CLIL
•Immersion Method One specific form of CLIL usually involving extensive exposure and very specific linguistic conditions in the environment
•Language Awareness Sensitivity to the similarities and differences between languages
•Language Shower Used to describe very short, but often continuous, exposure to CLIL
•Learning Styles An individuals preferences for approaches to learning
•Learning Strategies The ways in which individuals learn
•Mother Tongue This is generally used to refer to the first language a child acquires and
uses, but in some cases children will be fully bilingual and thus may not
actually have one first language, but perhaps two or more first
languages

ONLINE COURSE ASSESSMENT QUESTIONNAIRE

Dear all,

In order to maintain as greater degree of quality control on your course as possible, Rednova are requesting your participation in an online Course Assessment Questionnaire.

Please find below the instructions to access the Assessment Course online:

Access the link on http://www.rednovaconsultants.com/index.asp
Go to “Special Sections” and click on the “UVM” icon
Enter complete information: full name, campus, email
Answer each of the questions in the questionnaire
Once you have completed the questionnaire, click on “Submit”

This link will only be open today, Tuesday and tomorrow Wednesday, so please be quick!

Regards,

Steve