Leo’s teaching confessions

     This week was the eighth one in my oral English classes. The semester is almost over and it is time to draw some conclusions about the methodology that was implemented during these lessons.       In previous posts I said that four pieces of technology were going to be implemented in order to enhance students’ speaking skills in each class, to know: voice recording, Edmodo (Virtual Learning Environment), making videos and PowerPoint Presentations (PPP).      Even though each class is unique and has its own challenges; this post attempts to share an experience about Chinese university students using PowerPoint Presentation (PPP) in public speaking to enhance their public speaking and oral English skills. At the same time, this entry will provide information about the benefits and possible pitfalls of PPP implementation in an oral English class. Student doing a public speaking presentation with PowerPoint.      Speaking activities inside a classroom are the

This post discusses the importance of collaboration and cooperation between students and teachers when engaging in talks, chats or debates in online resources such as emails, online discussion boards, wikis, virtual learning environments, or blogs. task posted on Edmodo In the last post of this blog it was stated that one of the objectives of applying digital technologies is to promote learning responsibility, independence and encourage students to become good learners. Students should be willing to listen, to experiment, to ask questions and to think about how to learn. From my point of view these characteristics describe good learners not only inside but also outside the classroom.   students posting their video (link)  From my experience I can say that these Chinese students, who have been in my oral English classes, not only lack of motivation for studying English but also have a mindset of traditional students, meaning that they do not develop effective l

  As I mentioned on my second post, most of Chinese students are not even interested in learning their major and they are at the university studying what they do not like because their parents forced them to do so . Like many Asians parents, they push their children to choose careers that permit them obtain high salaries jobs in order to provide for their families. Due to the lack of interest in studying , some students are playing online games (online gaming is becoming such a serious problem in China that it is considered like "electronic heroin". There are even boot camps for teenagers to treat this kind of addiction), chatting with their friends on their phones or even sleeping during classes. As it can be perceived, motivating Chinese students to be involved during English classes is a real challenge . Harmer, J (1998) says that “Teacher are not, however, ultimately responsible for their students’ motivation. They can only encourage by word and deed

The other day I was listening to the radio, when I heard the news about Einstein giving two advice-filled notes to a bellboy as a tip because Albert was short on cash. One of the notes says “a calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness” the other one says “ where there’s a will there’s a way .” Those sentences have been in my head for weeks, especially the second one. If a person is willing to do something, that person will try their best to make it work. If a student is motivated, feels the need to learn, he or she will seek the means. With this in mind, I consider that motivation is a key factor that influences students’ disposition to work inside the classroom. As Drexler (2010) states “ A student’s success depended upon his or her motivation but also greatly on the strategic guidance of the teacher .”        Honestly, I really never realized how much I motivate my students , I probably do it most of