Student Vs Teacher Centered Approach

[Rhys]

Alright... What is your version of Student centered vs Teacher Centered teaching/learning approaches.

Why is this a situation in Thailand? Direct methods work.. Even with the memorization factor. Do Thai English teachers really want to give up control as planners of learning? Is this a cultural or teacher's preferred teaching style?

[PeaceBlondie]

As I understand it, teaching in Thailand and other Asian (and Western) countries was almost always top-down. Teacher taught, students silently copied or they responded like parrots, by rote. Some years ago, the Thai Minister-of-Education of the month tried to change that, and real efforts were made to change the teaching methods, to no avail. I think just last month, the MoE reported a survey that methods such as student-centered learning had failed to take hold, after 7 years of attempted implementation.

Old habits die hard. When a Thai ajarn has ten classes of 475 students, it's easier to shovel out the same worthless stuff she shovelled ten years ago. Besides, students generally don't know how to do student centered activities with Thai ajarns. Farang teachers, however, can be the exception to whom the students may respond, if you're lucky.

[Plus+]

I doubt that they can properly evaluate this "student centered" thing.

In the classroom it's all depends on the teacher, not on the method. Shitty teachers will produce shitty lessons no matter what latest method they are told to use, and good teachers will produce good results even if they are doing old fashioned grammar translation.

It is presumed that in child centered approach students are morivated and put in more effort, and progress faster, but it's not always the case.

It all depends on implementation.

[PeaceBlondie]

I doubt that they can properly evaluate this "student centered" thing.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Absolutely correct. There are no statistics in Thailand, and even if they did manage to actually evaluate or measure a proper sample, weighted according to the populations in the provinces, they'd make an improper conclusion, and then the MoE and actual schools wouldn't implement the results of even a good evaluation.

If you get enough Thai teachers and administrators in a frank and candid forum, they'll tell you what the problems are. But it's doubtful that the biggest problems like class size, physical plants, budgets, and teaching methods will be solved in the next 30 years.

[mijan24]

Rhys

It is presumed that in child centered approach students are morivated and put in more effort, and progress faster, but it's not always the case.

From one of your posts "we educators" I assume you are in the teaching field. The paragraph above should be more along the lines of:

For the child centered approach to be effective the teacher employs techniques to ensure the student is self motivated and thirsts for knowledge.

There are a lot of "professional" educators here in Thailand (Professional used in the context of a person who strives to achieve results") and there are also a lot of self proclaimed "experts" (an expert being a drip under pressure) - it's about time some of the latter were moved on as they do more harm than good.

[paulfr]

I thought that top down vs bottom up had more to do with EFL teaching than Thailand in general.

That is that an English student in a country which does not speak English NEEDS to be speaking and 'doing' (reading/writing/speaking/listening) as much as possible since once they leave the class, there will be no opportunity to learn or practice. So the teacher must speak as little as possible and get the students talking and involved ....... completely opposite of the methods used in the West where the teacher lectures for the most part.

Learning how to make this transformation is the key to becoming a decent EFL teacher.

My take anyway .....

[Plus]

mijan24, first you addressed Rhys quoting MY sentence, then you made an awful mess out of it (in blue), in the meantime your avatar is shaking her boobs and you are talking about professionalism. Get off it.

The main problem here is lack of human resources - there aren't enough smart people in education, and even those few are not usually listened to.

Chula, the best uni in Thailand, recently run an ad in the Nation. They offered 17,000 baht to PHD holders, Masters were offered 12,000, and BAs 7,000.

Isan girls can make double that by selling fake LV bags just outside this same university.

[Ijustwannateach]

In the Thai curriculum (which is overly ambitious in most areas) large amounts of material are simply (sometimes literally) thrown at the students. Some teachers have the equivalent of an extra textbook photocopied to hand out. They go over it in a cursory way in class, but the burden is on the student to memorize it. And that's in the good schools.

I would hope that student-centred (for TEFL and other classes) means a smaller curriculum learned with more hands-on involvement in activities from the class- this requires a sacrifice of breadth for the sake of depth. I won't hold my breath until this happens, though.

"Steven"

[mijan24]

Plus+ appologies to yourself and Rhys a slip of the keyboard - response in blue reflects my thoughts, the boobs took a lot of effort truly "professional" I believe.

Quote[The main problem here is lack of human resources - there aren't enough smart people in education, and even those few are not usually listened to.]Endquote - This is a pretty earthy statement!!

Quote[isan girls can make double that by selling fake LV bags just outside this same university]Endquote - Have you been spurned by a girl from Issan?

Thought for the day:

It's easier to learn many things if you first learn how to learn.

[awarrumbungle]

Can anyone give me some examples or share some experiences of the student-centred approach teaching english in Thailand?

[Plus]

I've seen Thai teachers. Half of them are truly thick. The way education is maneged here also points to lack of intellegence among administrators. This is pretty obvious, I think. They couldn't find an education minister with edication background for the last five years.

In the Nation today there's a letter about teachers having to do lots of paperwork. This is something I've seen first hand, too - they have to create mountains of lesson plans they never get to teach, accompanied by rims of evaluation forms full of advice on methods they didn't teach in the first place. All these paper lessons exist in a prallel universe and never cross into real world of classrooms.

Then the commission shows up for evaluation, they flip through the paperwork, nod, and retire for lunch. Passed. If they drop in on a lesson they leave dumbass remarks on the lesson plan more for the sake of commenting than as a real observation.

That's why I don't belive they are able to truly evaluate any given method.

What's this with me being spurned by Isan girls? I mentioned Isan because they are generally believed to be less educated then Bangkokians, and if they can succeed selling fake LV bags, then what's the point in getting PhD at all?

[mijan24]

I've seen Thai teachers. Half of them are truly thick. The way education is maneged here also points to lack of intellegence among administrators. This is pretty obvious, I think. They couldn't find an education minister with edication background for the last five years.

(1)In the Nation today there's a letter about teachers having to do lots of paperwork. This is something I've seen first hand, too they have to create mountains of lesson plans they never get to teach, accompanied by rims of evaluation forms full of advice on methods they didn't teach in the first place. All these paper lessons exist in a prallel universe and never cross into real world of classrooms.

Then the commission shows up for evaluation, they flip through the paperwork, nod, and retire for lunch. Passed. If they drop in on a lesson they leave dumbass remarks on the lesson plan more for the sake of commenting than as a real observation.

That's why I don't belive they are able to truly evaluate any given method.

What's this with me being spurned by Isan girls? I mentioned Isan because they are generally believed to be less educated then Bangkokians, and if they can succeed selling fake LV bags, then what's the point in getting PhD at all?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Plus from your post (1) you give the impression of being involved in the education field. Lets hope you have nothing to do with Teaching English your spelling is attrocious.

You may also like too clarify the meaning of your final paragraph - in its current form it makes as much sense as trying to sell snow to the Eskimos in fact your post smacks of English not being your native language & normally you would be applauded for having a go, but I am afraid your attempt at satire has fallen far short of the acceptable pass mark - so back to class with those teachers and their volumes of unused lesson plans for you.

[chownah]

In the Thai curriculum (which is overly ambitious in most areas) large amounts of material are simply (sometimes literally) thrown at the students. ............... 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm being a bit picky here but you are saying that someone is throwing things at students....literally....is this what you mean....if so then please share with us just exactly what is being thrown and is it being thrown underhanded or overhanded.

[Plus+]

Mijan, get off my back. I was typing between lessons.

And if you want to correct other people's spelling, then it's aTrocious, not aTTrocious.

That's the second time you put your foot in your mouth in one day in one thread. Got anything to say on the topic? Are you just trolling?

"Student centered" is not exactly a method, like "silent" method or PPP, it's an approach to teaching. There aren't any strict standards that I'm aware of and I haven't met anyone who could give a short, one centence definition of what it is. Thus every publisher/school advertises itself as "student centered approach" compliant now, even if they haven't changed a word in their books.

Generally almost any activity can be turned around into child centered to some degree. For example you have a list of words on the board, you shout them out and students run and hit correct words with plastic hammers. To make it student centered you have to let students choose which words to put on the board (and on which topic) and let students shout the words themselves. That will be child centered enough for most Thai teachers.

In reality child centered curriculum should contain far more substantial activities, like projects, where students have more control over what they are doing, and what they have to learn in order to complete the task, and the teacher's role is to oversee the work, and help and encourage students individually, without forcing everyone to color in elephants at the same time, and no one is allowed to do anyting else until the whole class finishes.

"Self access" learning is also very big in CC approach. Usually that means a computer and a few CDRoms, maybe Internet connection.

All that puts enormous pressure on the teacher - to prepare a lesson that should address every Somchai's uniqueness, instead of one lesson for the whole class. Very often the teacher doesn't even have time to discover what is so special about every Somchai, let alone create a dozen tailor made lessons, all delivered in one hour.

Ideally the teacher should devise lessons in such a way that even if every student does something different, they all cover the same material in the end - the teacher should monitor every student's progress and set additional tasks if he feels that the student is missing something.

If students are studying indigenous animals, then they can choose the animals and the sources of information themselves, they can decide if they want to make Power Point presentation or a life size model, but they all should say something on habitat, food chain, extinction threat and so on.

If anyone wants to check my spelling and sentence structure, and, perhaps, rewrite the whole post - you're welcome.

[mijan24]

Plus+ not on your back - if you believe critiquing the spelling of a poster who has the audacity to attack the Thai Education system, the Thai Teachers and also the Thai Teaching Administration is getting on your back - thats your call.

Atrocious - Yes (Attrocious) my error. No excuses offered!!

Student Centered Learning - Isn't the Web a wonderful tool at times like this.

Student Centered Learning

The Core of our Teaching: A Student-Centered Approach

Student centered teaching lies at the core of any effective classroom. Any teaching method, any instructional material, and any activity must be evaluated on its use of student centered principles if we want these methods, materials, and activities to teach students effectively. The core principle of our workshop, then, is that every technique we advocate will lead to a more effective student centered environment. We promote authentic instruction, cooperative learning, active learning, and cognitive apprenticeship not only for their instructional benefits, but also for their ability to put students at the center of their own learning -- for their ability to give students effective control.

What is student centered teaching?

In student centered teaching, we center our planning, our teaching, and our assessment around the needs and abilities of our students. The main idea behind the practice is that learning is most meaningful when topics are relevant to the students’ lives, needs, and interests and when the students themselves are actively engaged in creating, understanding, and connecting to knowledge (McCombs and Whistler 1997). Students will have a higher motivation to learn when they feel they have a real stake in their own learning. Instead of the teacher being the sole, infallible source of information, then, the teacher shares control of the classroom and students are allowed to explore, experiment, and discover on their own. The students are not just memorizing information, but they are allowed to work with and use the information alone or with peers. Their diverse thoughts and perspectives are a necessary input to every class. The students are given choices and are included in the decision-making processes of the classroom. The focus in these classrooms is on options, rather than uniformity (Papalia 1996). Essentially, "learners are treated as co-creators in the learning process, as individuals with ideas and issues that deserve attention and consideration" (McCombs and Whistler 1997).

Why do we want to promote student centered teaching? What are its benefits?

-Student centered teaching helps us design effective instruction for every member of the classroom, no matter what his or her diverse learning needs. By its nature, student centered teaching is adaptable to meet the needs of every student (Stuart 1997). In order to design any lesson, the teacher must first think of the students, rather than the content, and so we are assured that the students’ needs are being considered.

-Student centered teaching has been proven effective in its ability to teach students the material they need to know. McCombs and Whistler (1997), for example, site numerous studies that followed students who were taught in the student centered approach that found that not only does student motivation increase, but actual learning and performance do as well. Students taught in a student centered classroom retain more material for longer periods of time. In order to learn, the brain cannot simply receive information; it must also process the information so that it can be stored and recalled (Silberman 1996). The active nature of the student centered approach helps students actually work with information, and therefore learn it and store it.

-For foreign language students, especially, the student-centered method has

special benefits. When students use the language, they retain it more than if they would simply hear it. They get practice in actively producing meaningful conversation and they take a more direct route to fluency than they would take, for example, if they filled out worksheets with sentences created by the teacher (Benson and Voller 1997).

-The creativity inherent in student-centered activities adds an element of surprise to each class, and foreign language students tend to bore less often. As a result, even through foreign language learning can be frustrating and intimidating the students stay engaged and willing to learn (Tudor 1996).

-Even beyond learning what they need to know, students benefit from a less academic side effect of student centered teaching -- they learn how to feel good about themselves. As they take on new responsibilities and succeed with these responsibilities, they come to gain confidence in themselves as competent problem-solvers (Aaronsohn 1996). Even more, research shows that students have higher achievement when they have confidence in themselves and when they attribute success to their own abilities and not to luck or help (North Central Regional Educational Laboratory, 2000). In a student centered approach, it is the students themselves who are responsible for the success of a lesson and therefore they tend to feel more responsible for the success of their own learning.

How can we create student centered teaching?

In order to allow students to gain this power in the class, teachers cannot simply lecture and let students take a passive role. They must design activities that let students take initiative and that let students discover meaningful information for their own lives. They must also get to know the kids on an individual basis so that they can better respond to the individual needs and interests of the students. In general, teachers need to focus on the student’s needs, abilities, and interests -- they need to "look at how kids learn, rather than at what there is to teach" (Aaronsohn 1996).

How do authentic learning, active learning, cooperative learning, and cognitive apprenticeship promote a student centered environment?

These approaches all, in one way or another, let the students’ needs and interests determine what they will learn. Even more, these approaches let the students themselves decide how they will learn this material.

-Cooperative learning lets kids work off of each other’s abilities and knowledge. Here, the emphasis is placed on the kids rather than on the teacher.

-Active learning hinges on the student’s participation in the learning process in order for it to be effective.

-Authentic learning ensures that lessons are directly applicable to the students’ own lives -- to their needs and their desires.

-Cognitive apprenticeship puts students in control of the direction of their learning. They are guided by a coach who can help them meet their own goals.

How is thematic instruction student centered?

At the heart of our thematic approach lies the students’ interests. We arrange our instruction on what the students, themselves, have told us they want to learn.

An example of student centered approach:

We start any unit by asking the students what they want to learn about in that unit. If they want to learn about golf, for example, we would create a foreign language unit based on the various aspects of golf. We would take their suggestions about the different vocabulary they think they would need to know, and we would also let them do a lot of the work in planning how they want to learn in the unit (if they want to be responsible for presenting information, for example, or if they want to take a field trip to a golf course). Within the unit, we will also be sure to incorporate all of the material that we must cover according to state and district standards (we can include "-er" verb conjugations in a French class, for example, when we study the verbs that we need to use when playing golf). The kids, in this unit, will be learning the material they need to know in a way that is relevant to their own interests. Even more, they are motivated to learn because they have a stake in designing and planning their own learning.

Why do we need to teach student centered principles in a workshop for teachers?

Studies have shown that although many more methods classes for beginning teachers are teaching about the student centered process, many new teachers still tend to use traditional techniques despite the more progressive views they may have adapted in college. They are overwhelmed by the rigor of the job, and they tend to feel vulnerable, so they retreat to the more familiar form of lecture (Aaronsohn 1996). If student teachers come to learn not only the philosophical theory, but also learn explicitly how to implement the theory in practice, however, the method becomes more comfortable, natural, and nearly second nature (Aaronsohn 1996).

An Experiment Using Teacher Centered Instruction versus Student Centered Instruction as a Means of Teaching

Introduction

"There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things", stated the French philosopher Jacques Rousseau. There is no better way to describe the difficulty of implementing non-traditional teaching methods. One of the hardest things for administrators and teachers to accept is the idea of change, though the mandate to reform public education has become a high profile, highly politicized, widely accepted inevitability. Indeed, increasing student’s test scores and decreasing classroom discipline problems will require new approaches.

The purpose of this study is to identify the effectiveness of non-traditional instruction in two high school social studies classes. Students’ academic achievement will be measured and compared after receiving non-traditional instruction and traditional instruction. In the classroom of one hundred years ago, the teacher established order, presented the rules and lectured. The students sat in straight rows listening and perhaps taking notes on their slates. In the new paradigm, student seating is adaptable, students are expected to move around and get "hands on" experience, while the teacher acts more as a guide and less as the sole authority.

Literature Review

Unfortunately, although we are well into of the 21st century and the rest of the world has changed, the present-day classroom has remained remarkably similar to that of 1900. Students no longer write notes on slates, and they often sit in moveable desks, yet many teachers still use the "I lecture; you listen and write" method of teaching. Despite the proliferation of electronic media and alternative methods of instruction, lecture is often the instructional tool of choice, forcing students to take notes and to listen carefully (O’Hara and O’Hara, 1998). A more contemporary approach to teaching is to adopt classroom practices or learning activities that align with the findings of research.

A study funded by the Rockefeller Foundation listed the following as suggested classroom practices: parental involvement, graded homework, direct teaching, aligned time on task, tutoring, cooperative learning, mastery learning, and teaching of learning strategies (Cawelti, 1999). There is a long history of research on non-traditional, cooperative, and student-centered instruction. The research indicates that cooperative learning may result in (a) higher student achievement and greater productivity, ( more caring, supportive, and committed relationships among students, and © greater psychological health, social competence, and self-esteem. Johnson and Johnson (1989) have amassed a large body of evidence that suggests that cooperative learning can be one of the most effective tools teachers have.

However, many teachers feel more comfortable with the traditional "chalk and talk" techniques that deliver information in a pre-digestible format. By its very nature, cooperative learning can create philosophic difficulties for the traditional teacher who follows a prescribed curriculum. According to Sullivan (1996), one of the most successful cooperative learning programs is in the Greenwich, Connecticut School system. The Greenwich school system has been providing teacher training in cooperative learning since 1983. The program has been successful for two reasons. First, the teachers volunteer to commit to a cooperative approach. The program is not a required district plan. Secondly, training procedures are introduced in segments over the regular school year, and each segment is practiced and critiqued.

Goor (1993) finds that cooperative learning has been effective in meeting the needs of culturally diverse learners, students with disabilities in the general education classroom, and regular education students. Cooperative learning helps students make progress in terms of academics, social skills, and acceptance of diversity. In elementary school classrooms students are typically engaged in active learning; however, as students progress into middle and high school, their teachers use less activity-based instruction and more "intellectual" classroom methods. Yet, active learning would seem to increase motivation, develop valuable skills, and enhance learning in students of all ability levels and grade levels. Most modern researchers contend that teachers at the middle and high school levels need to incorporate more active learning into their classes (Siler, 1998).

Siler states that the key to active learning is "spatial dynamics". Spatial dynamics is an instructional strategy that teachers use to capture the student’s interest by allowing them to participate in learning. Spatial dynamics activities also demonstrate a teacher’s enthusiasm and commitment to the subject, which further motivates students and yields higher, level cognitive thinking.

Teachers who use only one teaching style day after day may limit students who may learn more effectively through a variety of teaching approaches. The common perception is that, over time, lecturers become stale and boring to students. Siler emphasizes that spatial dynamics enhance student learning in ways that traditional classroom instruction does not.

Unfortunately, many students are unable to master social studies because of difficulties in understanding and grasping the vast body of knowledge. Social studies teachers have traditionally relied on large group instruction, independent seat work and objective tests as their principal methods of instruction. Hendrix (1999) found that students in social studies classes learn better through active involvement, small group activities, and cooperative learning.

A popular non-traditional instructional approach is constructivism. A constructivist supports an environment where teachers and students learn together and share knowledge. Constructivist principles include discovery learning and "real world" classroom tasks, where the teacher serves as a facilitator and resource provider (Kaplan, 1999). William Glasser states, "we learn 80 percent of what we experience personally." Yet traditional education methods would seem to bear smaller yields than personal experience (Harvey, Sirna, and Houlihan, 1999).

Hands-on learning is another technique that constitutes a non-traditional approach. The "hands-on" curriculum centers on experiments, group activities, and real-life applications. Real-life applications of subject matter focus upon why students need to learn what they are learning. Schools where hands-on teaching and learning are the order of the day tend to be a little noisier, a little more active than traditional schools. Schools that teach the hands-on approach are more likely to be using an integrated curriculum. A thematic, integrated curriculum is where several teachers share the role as facilitator with students in a particular unit. The teachers focus on a particular theme and ensure that students become immersed in two or more subjects.

[awarrumbungle]

Ah ha Mijan24 thankyou for your nice cut and paste work.

I guess when I asked for shared experiences or examples I could have been referring to studies done in France by other people.

Sorry, excuse my bitchiness.

Can anyone give me any actual examples you may have used? How do you get around the problem of lack of resources and large classes with this?

[mbkudu]

Can anyone give me any actual examples you may have used? How do you get around the problem of lack of resources and large classes with this?

Maybe a microphone isn't cutting it; get yourself a bullhorn?

[mijan24]

Ah ha Mijan24 thankyou for your nice cut and paste work.

I guess when I asked for shared experiences or examples I could have been referring to studies done in France by other people.

Sorry, excuse my bitchiness. 

Can anyone give me any actual examples you may have used? How do you get around the problem of lack of resources and large classes with this?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Awarrumbungle - No bitchiness percieved, My cut and paste was introduced by " Isn't the web a wonderful tool at times like this" so no hidden agenda.

The OP Rhys asked for personal experiences and everyone was setting their own agendas (including myself) I considered a cut and paste from a couple of web sites may generate comment on personal experiences in Thailand.

It's interesting to note the PM is a major driving force behind "student centered learning" along the same lines there are several Monterossi Schools in Thailand yet still no personal " student centered" experiences being posted?

Please Note: Montessori is not a system for training children in academic studies; nor is it a label to be put on educational materials. It is a revolutionary method of observing and supporting the natural development of children.

[Ijustwannateach]

In the Thai curriculum (which is overly ambitious in most areas) large amounts of material are simply (sometimes literally) thrown at the students. ............... 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm being a bit picky here but you are saying that someone is throwing things at students....literally....is this what you mean....if so then please share with us just exactly what is being thrown and is it being thrown underhanded or overhanded.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

As in "literally thrown on their desks" and that's all the class time the material gets.

Clear enough?

"Steven"

[Rhys]

Well I must say M-24.. your quite Written... What are your thoughts on the "hidden curriculum" of the student learning approach.. As English teachers, we also introduce, even in Thailand, the concepts, procedures, and customs of learning in the language of instruction.

Do not teach children anymore..

Do agree with an earlier post... the current flavor of MOE MP, seems to be of the high tech low touch approach.. but that produces more EXPERT Raganok players. A good sound lab is nice.. but it does seem low tech high and KISS IT.. Keep is simple S ________ ( the word that rhymes with cupid) is a good approach.

That avatar.. ROCKS.. BUT you really should do the village THANG.. for a better perspective.

YES, do agree also the Thais are great for writing plans, commisioning reports. as a switch and bait approach.. And "some" of those Western trained Thai English teachers, wish to remain... back in the west...and the ones here.. are at a log jam with the MOE and the THAI WAY....

At times, it is like the Ph.D dissertation... A REQUIRED EXERCISE.. that sits on the shelf. Carry on

[mijan24]

I doubt that they can properly evaluate this "student centered" thing.

In the classroom it's all depends on the teacher, not on the method. Shitty teachers will produce shitty lessons no matter what latest method they are told to use, and good teachers will produce good results even if they are doing old fashioned grammar translation.

It is presumed that in child centered approach students are morivated and put in more effort, and progress faster, but it's not always the case.

It all depends on implementation.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

mijan24, first you addressed Rhys quoting MY sentence, then you made an awful mess out of it (in blue), in the meantime your avatar is shaking her boobs and you are talking about professionalism. Get off it.

The main problem here is lack of human resources - there aren't enough smart people in education, and even those few are not usually listened to.

Chula, the best uni in Thailand, recently run an ad in the Nation. They offered 17,000 baht to PHD holders, Masters were offered 12,000, and BAs 7,000.

Isan girls can make double that by selling fake LV bags just outside this same university.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Plus Yesterday, 2005-09-26 01:50:31 Post #7

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Group: Members

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Joined: 2005-03-29

Member No.: 17,897

Plus

I must admit to being confused by your response " mijan24, first you addressed Rhys quoting MY sentence" It is presumed that in child centered approach students are morivated and put in more effort, and progress faster, but it's not always the case."

My confusion stems from the fact that the sentence you are talking about was posted by:

Plus+

Plus+ 2005-09-23 11:51:18 Post #3

Senior Member

Group: Members

Posts: 205

Joined: 2005-03-29

Member No.: 17,898

You had the gall to chide me about "professionalism" I suggest it's time for you to look inwardly and question your motives - some other prolific posters on this thread often lecture on "trolls" maybe it's also time for them to look past the hue of friendship.

[mijan24]

Rhys considering the awesome influence that the hidden curriculum has on young lives it's sometime uncomprehensible that there is not more discussion about this unplanned curriculum.

I use unplanned in the sense of it not necessarily being part of the 3 R's, a teachers actions/thoughts/personal traits in my opinion have more influence in the "student centered environment".

For example; if you tell/accept racist jokes or sexist comments, you are teaching

your students that this is ok.

An unplanned event, such as a visit to the car park - expansion of life skills - what is contained in the boot of a car ( spare wheel, jack, wheel brace) - generating an interest over and above the norm can result in some very positive results.

(before the knockers step in " how old were you when you learnt of such things?)

In the "student centered" environment this type of activity can be a domino in the building of creative (self) thinking individuals.

Rhys thats my take on "Hidden Curriculum" now back to things I understand

[awarrumbungle]

Still hunting for examples of student-centred withing the englsih field with few resources....

[mijan24]

Rhys A lovely little tale...borrowed from Jokes Totster

This is a quick story about the bond formed between a little girl and a

group of building workers. It's allegedly true and makes you want to

believe in the goodness of people and that there is hope for the human

race.

A young family moved into a house next door to a vacant building plot..

One day a gang of building workers turned up to start building a house

on the empty plot. The young family's 5-year-old daughter naturally took

an interest in all the activity going on next door and started talking

with the workers. She hung around and eventually the builders, all with

hearts of gold, more or less adopted the little girl as a sort of

project mascot. They chatted with her, let her sit with them while they

had tea and lunch breaks, and gave her little jobs to do here and there

to make her feel important. They even gave her very own hard hat and

gloves.

At the end of the first week they presented her with a pay envelope

containing two pounds in 10p coins. The little girl took her 'pay' home

to her mother who suggested that they take the money she had received to the bank the next day to start a savings account.

When they got to the bank the cashier was tickled pink listening to the

little girl telling her about her 'work' on the building site and the

fact she had a 'pay packet'.

"You must have worked very hard to earn all this" said the bank cashier.

The little girl proudly replied, "I worked all last week with the men

building a big house."

"My goodness gracious," said the cashier, "Will you be working on the

house again this week, as well?"

The little girl thought for a moment and said, "I think so, provided

those c*nts at Jewson deliver the f*cking bricks!

The downside of "Hidden (unplanned curriculum) Curriculum"

[Plus]

Mijan, what do you want from me? You are a half wit on a mission or something?

I told you you addressed Rhys quoting my sentence, why did you have to look up my profile and my post history and then state the obvious - that it was my sentence? Rhys is not Plus, not even Plus+.

Sometimes incomprehensible is not "sometime uncomprehensible", you little spelling gendarme.

Awarrumbungle, here's an example of student centered activity gone bad - the teacher downloads tons of text off the Internet and tells his students to read it through, find out how it relates to their lives, and make personal comments. 90% of students can't force themselves into reading pages and pages of endless drool and sign off to another project.

[mijan24]

Mijan, what do you want from me? You are a half wit on a mission or something?

I told you you addressed Rhys quoting my sentence, why did you have to look up my profile and my post history and then state the obvious - that it was my sentence? Rhys is not Plus, not even Plus+.

Sometimes incomprehensible is not "sometime uncomprehensible", you little spelling gendarme.

Awarrumbungle, here's an example of student centered activity gone bad - the teacher downloads tons of text off the Internet and tells his students to read it through, find out how it relates to their lives, and make personal comments. 90% of students can't force themselves into reading pages and pages of endless drool and sign off to another project.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Plus or Plus+ whatever nick you are using I did not look up your profile. If you had half a brain you could have deduced that for yourself.

Plus+ 2005-09-23 11:51:18 Post #3

Senior Member

Group: Members

Posts: 205

Joined: 2005-03-29

Member No.: 17,898

Plus Yesterday, 2005-09-26 01:50:31 Post #7

Member

Group: Members

Posts: 26

Joined: 2005-03-29

Member No.: 17,897

To answer your question "What do I want from you" Nothing, absolutely Nothing!!

As for "You are a halfwit on a mission or something?" Do you teach grammar too or was the grammatical masteriece above penned during another break?

Plus & Plus+ bye bye

[Plus]

Now it's "grammatical masteriece".

Are you suffering from some form of paranoya? Why are you obsessed with correcting my posts?

You filled up two pages chasing me without saying anything on the topic (copy-paste doesn't count).

If it was MY thread I'd have asked you to leave long time ago. If I was reading and posting here regularly, I'd have reported you to moderators for irrational behaviour and stalking.

I just hope I'll never run into another lunatic like you.

[chownah]

Still hunting for examples of student-centred withing the englsih field with few resources....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's a very simple concept...get to know your students well enough to know what is fun and interesting to them...if they like Mickey Mouse then have them draw some cartoons and make up a dialogue...or you make up half of it and have them do the other half. If they like music then have them learn some lyrics...sing them, write them, speak them....then change some of the words to build vocabulary and make it funny....if they like gossiping then have them make up some fake gossip about some imaginary people and have them practice conversations with this...if they like football then have them write a running commentary or you provide a tape recording of a commentary and have them transcribe it.................get to know your students and then use your imagination....try to involve them in deciding what to do...ask them what they like...tell them if they have some good ideas then you'll try them out....get them involved in choosing the course they will follow and they will be happier following it....the idea is to get them to buy into their education.

[mijan24]

Now it's "grammatical masteriece".

Are you suffering from some form of paranoya? Why are you obsessed with correcting my posts?

You filled up two pages chasing me without saying anything on the topic (copy-paste doesn't count).

If it was MY thread I'd have asked you to leave long time ago. If I was reading and posting here regularly, I'd have reported you to moderators for irrational behaviour and stalking.

I just hope I'll never run into another lunatic like you.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Plus I do not suffer from paranoia. If you were reading and posting here on a regular basis would you be using Plus or Plus+ You would not have to bother reporting me I am sure they (Admin/Mods) would ask the obvious question "Why do you have two nicks" it's against forum rules. once again Bye Bye

[kenkannif]

Come on chaps pwease keep it really real and play nice.

I have my paddle/cane to hand.

A little dig here and there is okay, the odd arguing post is okay, but please lets keep the thread on topic (hypocrite that I am).

Thanks!