Either you're part of the solution or you're part of the problem.
-- Eldridge Cleaver, American activist
9.27.2010
Get the help you need.
Juan and I just had an interesting chat about the whole Bolonia treaty. I don't fully understand the ideas and consequences of the treaty, but it promises to change the way university students in Spain are forced to work.
One of the things Juan always mentions: Students in Spain could use a lot of help developing and refining their study skills. As teachers, we always try to offer continuous feedback and improvement. But don't just listen to us. There are lots of useful resources on the internet that can help you study smarter, not just study better. Here's one I found this morning which is positive, upbeat, and has tons of great information.
http://www.studygs.net/
Remember the quote from "The Matrix:" I can show you the door, Neo, but YOU have to walk through it.
One of the things Juan always mentions: Students in Spain could use a lot of help developing and refining their study skills. As teachers, we always try to offer continuous feedback and improvement. But don't just listen to us. There are lots of useful resources on the internet that can help you study smarter, not just study better. Here's one I found this morning which is positive, upbeat, and has tons of great information.
http://www.studygs.net/
Remember the quote from "The Matrix:" I can show you the door, Neo, but YOU have to walk through it.
Thought for the day
"Don't confuse fame with success. Madonna is one; Helen Keller is the other."
-Erma Bombeck, American writer.
-Erma Bombeck, American writer.
9.25.2010
Just because you can...
doesn't mean you should.
One of the reasons why I created this blog was because I wanted to give students a source of information on how to improve their English. What isn't obvious, however, is that improving your English means having a good relationship with your teacher. To have a good relationship with your teacher, it's important to get off on the right foot (=to start well/badly) with that person. (I've touched on this topic before on the blog: http://tinyurl.com/2upr77v)
Here's how you can get off on the wrong foot with a new teacher, and guarantee that you'll be looking for someone new very quickly.
S. calls me on Wednesday and doesn't leave a message. Normally, I don't call people back if they can't be bothered to leave a message, but, for some reason, I do. When we start speaking, it becomes obvious that he doesn't like speaking, so I try to find out as much information as I can. It isn't much. He wants to speak in English. (Don't we all?) We agree to meet the next day to talk about I can help him.
So the next day, I run out of a class to meet S. on the other side of the city. The conversation lasts about ten minutes, and I don't get much more information out of him. He's in a university course that is very grammar- and vocabulary-intensive, but they don't get a lot of chances to speak. OK, I say, so why do you want to hire a teacher? There are a lot of different ways to practice your English for free.... arrange an intercambio or go to a pub night. (The guy is a university student, after all. I'm assuming he's seen the inside of a pub or two in his life.) Shrug. Not sure. I'm not getting a good feeling about this. We arrange to meet the next day for an hour and a half of class.
It turns out that the hour and a half we were supposed to have at lunchtime becomes thirty minutes before dinner. It was painful. I go to his university residence, because he doesn't want to come to the office, and when I get to the (all-male) residence, I have to wait ten minutes for him to come down to get me.
Then he insists on taking me up to his dormitory room, which was disastrous: Clothes all over the place, notebooks, padel ball racquet - and the smell. Oh, dear readers....that smell. If you could put that essence of "teenage boy" odor in a bottle, you could use it as a repellent for small animals. (There were teaching rooms available in the residence, but he didn't want to take one in case someone needed it. It must be a very demanding university, indeed, if they expect a bunch of twenty-something young men to attend classes at 7:20 PM on a Friday night.) I'm not sure which was more difficult, frankly - trying to teach while only breathing in and out of my mouth, or trying to pin S. down to a regular schedule and get some information out of him.
In the end, I'm guessing that S. probably will not have class this coming Friday, either. Students who don't have a clear idea of what they want to do usually don't keep up with classes, and it seems a waste of time to hire someone just because you want to talk.
Please remember that finding a teacher is a lot like finding a husband or a wife. If you want to have a productive, healthy, long-lasting relationship that helps you grow and get better, first impressions are important.
One of the reasons why I created this blog was because I wanted to give students a source of information on how to improve their English. What isn't obvious, however, is that improving your English means having a good relationship with your teacher. To have a good relationship with your teacher, it's important to get off on the right foot (=to start well/badly) with that person. (I've touched on this topic before on the blog: http://tinyurl.com/2upr77v)
Here's how you can get off on the wrong foot with a new teacher, and guarantee that you'll be looking for someone new very quickly.
S. calls me on Wednesday and doesn't leave a message. Normally, I don't call people back if they can't be bothered to leave a message, but, for some reason, I do. When we start speaking, it becomes obvious that he doesn't like speaking, so I try to find out as much information as I can. It isn't much. He wants to speak in English. (Don't we all?) We agree to meet the next day to talk about I can help him.
So the next day, I run out of a class to meet S. on the other side of the city. The conversation lasts about ten minutes, and I don't get much more information out of him. He's in a university course that is very grammar- and vocabulary-intensive, but they don't get a lot of chances to speak. OK, I say, so why do you want to hire a teacher? There are a lot of different ways to practice your English for free.... arrange an intercambio or go to a pub night. (The guy is a university student, after all. I'm assuming he's seen the inside of a pub or two in his life.) Shrug. Not sure. I'm not getting a good feeling about this. We arrange to meet the next day for an hour and a half of class.
It turns out that the hour and a half we were supposed to have at lunchtime becomes thirty minutes before dinner. It was painful. I go to his university residence, because he doesn't want to come to the office, and when I get to the (all-male) residence, I have to wait ten minutes for him to come down to get me.
Then he insists on taking me up to his dormitory room, which was disastrous: Clothes all over the place, notebooks, padel ball racquet - and the smell. Oh, dear readers....that smell. If you could put that essence of "teenage boy" odor in a bottle, you could use it as a repellent for small animals. (There were teaching rooms available in the residence, but he didn't want to take one in case someone needed it. It must be a very demanding university, indeed, if they expect a bunch of twenty-something young men to attend classes at 7:20 PM on a Friday night.) I'm not sure which was more difficult, frankly - trying to teach while only breathing in and out of my mouth, or trying to pin S. down to a regular schedule and get some information out of him.
In the end, I'm guessing that S. probably will not have class this coming Friday, either. Students who don't have a clear idea of what they want to do usually don't keep up with classes, and it seems a waste of time to hire someone just because you want to talk.
Please remember that finding a teacher is a lot like finding a husband or a wife. If you want to have a productive, healthy, long-lasting relationship that helps you grow and get better, first impressions are important.
It's hurricane season...
Ever wonder how hurricanes and tropical storms get their names? There's an excellent description here on the US National Hurrican Center website:
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutnames.shtml
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutnames.shtml
9.23.2010
Don't let Paper 3 of the First Certificate freak you out.
Most of my students don't really like the Use of English paper (Paper 3) of the First Certificate exam. But I'm surprised at how many people really, really loathe it. They find it frustrating because they don't know how to manage the new words they learn, and they can't always remember why one words is more appropriate than another word in a specific context.
Remember this: 50% of the words in the Multiple Choice Cloze are not possible for technical reasons. It could be for several reasons: maybe they've given you an adverb form when you need an adjective; maybe that adjective needs a dependent preposition that isn't in the body of the text; maybe it's a word that we use in relation to people, not ideas. Or maybe it's a false friend. Whatever.
If you're doing practice exercises to help you with this part of the exam, try this:
a) Print out the "Right Word, Wrong Word" worksheet and write the name of the exercise at the top of the first page, along with a brief description of the topic of the text. You can find the worksheet here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/37990867/RightWordWrongWord-1
b) Your first job is to look at the options and if you know that there are one or two words that aren't possible, get rid of them.
c ) Now you're down to the remaining 50% - two - options, but you don't know which one is the right one.
- Get out your English-only dictionary. (A translating dictionary will not always provide the information that you need to do this properly.) Look up the word, then look at the structure of the sentence, and look at the ways in which you can use the word (or phrase).
- What does the dictionary say? Look at the possibilities and use the one that fits with the information the dictionary tells you.
- Once you're done, don't second-guess and don't change your answer if you're not sure. Nine times out of ten, your first reaction will be the correct one.
- If, after all this, you're still not sure....guess. Really. You have a 50% chance of being right and the examiners won't take points away for any wrong answers you have.
d) When you're done, check your answers and DO NOT ERASE ANY WRONG ANSWERS. Instead, write down the explanation next to the wrong answer and make a mental note to practice the word/phrase most often.
Good luck!
Remember this: 50% of the words in the Multiple Choice Cloze are not possible for technical reasons. It could be for several reasons: maybe they've given you an adverb form when you need an adjective; maybe that adjective needs a dependent preposition that isn't in the body of the text; maybe it's a word that we use in relation to people, not ideas. Or maybe it's a false friend. Whatever.
If you're doing practice exercises to help you with this part of the exam, try this:
a) Print out the "Right Word, Wrong Word" worksheet and write the name of the exercise at the top of the first page, along with a brief description of the topic of the text. You can find the worksheet here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/37990867/RightWordWrongWord-1
b) Your first job is to look at the options and if you know that there are one or two words that aren't possible, get rid of them.
c ) Now you're down to the remaining 50% - two - options, but you don't know which one is the right one.
- Get out your English-only dictionary. (A translating dictionary will not always provide the information that you need to do this properly.) Look up the word, then look at the structure of the sentence, and look at the ways in which you can use the word (or phrase).
- What does the dictionary say? Look at the possibilities and use the one that fits with the information the dictionary tells you.
- Once you're done, don't second-guess and don't change your answer if you're not sure. Nine times out of ten, your first reaction will be the correct one.
- If, after all this, you're still not sure....guess. Really. You have a 50% chance of being right and the examiners won't take points away for any wrong answers you have.
d) When you're done, check your answers and DO NOT ERASE ANY WRONG ANSWERS. Instead, write down the explanation next to the wrong answer and make a mental note to practice the word/phrase most often.
Good luck!
9.22.2010
And one more before bedtime....
This is my all-time favourite poem, written by Sheenagh Pugh. I first saw it on a poster in the Underground in London in 1989 and it's stayed with me since.
http://www.biancaday.com/sometimes.htm
Good night, everyone!
http://www.biancaday.com/sometimes.htm
Good night, everyone!
But what does it MEAN?
If you think you've got it rough, speaking English at work, spare a thought for the United Nations interpreters who have to translate politicians...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11377609
It's another great article from the BBC World Service!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11377609
It's another great article from the BBC World Service!
9.21.2010
(Not entirely original) Thought of the Day:
"Don't be scared - just be prepared."
Thanks to the Canadian Hurricane Centre for that one!
http://tinyurl.com/pcny7v
Thanks to the Canadian Hurricane Centre for that one!
http://tinyurl.com/pcny7v
9.20.2010
Phrasal Verb Thought of the Day
If you don't stand up for something, you'll fall for anything.
What do the phrasal verbs "stand up" and "fall for" mean?
What do the phrasal verbs "stand up" and "fall for" mean?
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