The document proposes a debate activity for an English class consisting of 6 steps: students research and debate controversial topics in groups, write argumentative essays, provide feedback, and the best essays are published in a school magazine. The activity aims to make debates more realistic and engaging for students by setting them up like a TV talk show with groups for and against issues, using video recordings, and publishing student work. It is suggested this type of debate activity would improve students' language and critical thinking skills through an integrated approach.
Teaching in cultures averse to uncertaintybob_ashcroft
Our culture of origin provides us with a program for behaviour which we carry with us all our lives. In the modern global age, people from different cultural backgrounds increasingly come into contact with each other. On such occsssions, a lack of awareness of cultural differences can lead to misunderstanding and a breakdown in communication.The foreign language classroom is an obvious example of one such inter-cultural interface. Indeed, different cultural backgrounds can be the source of divergent teacher and student expectations about classroom roles and procedures (Richards and Lockhart 1996). It would therefore be helpful for teachers to be aware of these differences, to understand the potential problems associated with them, and to know how to adapt to get the best results. Although many will be familiar with more widely-known cultural variables such as the individualism/collectivism paradigm, another influential characteristic is how comfortable people of a given culture are with the unfamiliar, which Hofstede (1980) labels “Uncertainty Avoidance” (UA). The Japanese typically have higher levels of UA, tending to seek structure and predictability, and often maintaining formalised codes of conduct. The presenter will offer detailed advice and examples to help teachers from cultures with lower UA, such as Britain, Canada and the United States, to adjust their teaching methodology in order to compliment Japanese university students' preferences. For example, the presenter will demonstrate how instructional scaffolding techniques provide support and direction for Japanese students, thereby improving their confidence and performance during production stages.
Dr Steven S. Sexton
University of Otago
Dunedin, New Zealand
Education, Research & Development
6th International Conference
4–8 September 2015
Elenite Holiday Village, Bulgaria
www.sciencebg.net
Teaching in cultures averse to uncertaintybob_ashcroft
Our culture of origin provides us with a program for behaviour which we carry with us all our lives. In the modern global age, people from different cultural backgrounds increasingly come into contact with each other. On such occsssions, a lack of awareness of cultural differences can lead to misunderstanding and a breakdown in communication.The foreign language classroom is an obvious example of one such inter-cultural interface. Indeed, different cultural backgrounds can be the source of divergent teacher and student expectations about classroom roles and procedures (Richards and Lockhart 1996). It would therefore be helpful for teachers to be aware of these differences, to understand the potential problems associated with them, and to know how to adapt to get the best results. Although many will be familiar with more widely-known cultural variables such as the individualism/collectivism paradigm, another influential characteristic is how comfortable people of a given culture are with the unfamiliar, which Hofstede (1980) labels “Uncertainty Avoidance” (UA). The Japanese typically have higher levels of UA, tending to seek structure and predictability, and often maintaining formalised codes of conduct. The presenter will offer detailed advice and examples to help teachers from cultures with lower UA, such as Britain, Canada and the United States, to adjust their teaching methodology in order to compliment Japanese university students' preferences. For example, the presenter will demonstrate how instructional scaffolding techniques provide support and direction for Japanese students, thereby improving their confidence and performance during production stages.
Dr Steven S. Sexton
University of Otago
Dunedin, New Zealand
Education, Research & Development
6th International Conference
4–8 September 2015
Elenite Holiday Village, Bulgaria
www.sciencebg.net
Department of Nursing Science: Writing Week January 2022debbieholley1
Our Faculty have three writing weeks each year, when we focus on our writing. In our department, we facilitate the week with a mix of writing slots, expert sessions and a daily short writing sprint, based on the work of Peter Elbow on freewriting. This presentation has the daily writing 'sprint' tasks - please feel free to re-use and share - just credit where appropriate (all credits at end of slidedeck)
CMC3 South Spring 2016 Active Learning and Social MediaFred Feldon
How to incorporate technology, social media, flipping, and other tips and tricks to increase face-to-face and online student interaction, participation, and whole-class discussion of higher-level concepts, which profoundly change the teaching/learning process.
Teaching one to-one: advantages, expectations and challengesBruna Caltabiano
One-to-one classes have become a growing trend. There are a lot of advantages to this kind of instruction, such as more flexibility and customization, among others. However, there are challenges to be met: the student is often required to participate, which might be stressful; there is no comparison of progress with other students; and less variety of interaction, to name but a few. As a result, it might be more difficult to teach a dynamic and varied class, and to keep students motivated.
In this workshop, we aim at discussing teaching tools, environment, the roles of the teacher and how to design and plan the course in a way it meets the expectations and needs of the students and is aligned with the best teaching practices.
A general overview of persuasive writing. This presentation identifies the purpose of persuasive writing and lists its components. This is an introductory slideshow.
Department of Nursing Science: Writing Week January 2022debbieholley1
Our Faculty have three writing weeks each year, when we focus on our writing. In our department, we facilitate the week with a mix of writing slots, expert sessions and a daily short writing sprint, based on the work of Peter Elbow on freewriting. This presentation has the daily writing 'sprint' tasks - please feel free to re-use and share - just credit where appropriate (all credits at end of slidedeck)
CMC3 South Spring 2016 Active Learning and Social MediaFred Feldon
How to incorporate technology, social media, flipping, and other tips and tricks to increase face-to-face and online student interaction, participation, and whole-class discussion of higher-level concepts, which profoundly change the teaching/learning process.
Teaching one to-one: advantages, expectations and challengesBruna Caltabiano
One-to-one classes have become a growing trend. There are a lot of advantages to this kind of instruction, such as more flexibility and customization, among others. However, there are challenges to be met: the student is often required to participate, which might be stressful; there is no comparison of progress with other students; and less variety of interaction, to name but a few. As a result, it might be more difficult to teach a dynamic and varied class, and to keep students motivated.
In this workshop, we aim at discussing teaching tools, environment, the roles of the teacher and how to design and plan the course in a way it meets the expectations and needs of the students and is aligned with the best teaching practices.
A general overview of persuasive writing. This presentation identifies the purpose of persuasive writing and lists its components. This is an introductory slideshow.
Time management for students + How to study, useful tipsLea Mentlíková
Yeah, this is my favourite topic, no wonder it's topic of my thesis, too. I read a lot of stuff so I could choose the basic that you have to keep in your mind! My most favourite rule, the slide with sandglass, could tell you, that everything you want to do and do begins with awareness of your own death. Imagine your own funeral - what do you want to your family member, your friend and your co-worker say about you?
Time Management for College Students v2 (PDF)Michael Gowin
Presentation given to a group of college freshmen on the rationale for better effectiveness, life planning, and practical tips for managing tasks. This is a revised version of a presentation I delivered a few years ago.
Organization And Time Management For Students & Parentssmagat
Overview of how to keep your kids organized in their daily lives. Children can be on the road to success if they know how to manage their schedules and chores
My students usually feel difficulty in adjusting to the changing learning demands of University studies. I have prepared this slideshow to deliver on orientation session.
A short slideshow on transforming college syllabi to address invisibilities, under-representations, and inequalities. The slides generally focus on gender but also apply to race, sexuality, disability, and other forms of identity and inequality.
1. Inspired by “Shaping the way we teach English”
OUR CLASS IN THE FUTURE
(OUR VISION)
Presented by:
Joelle Khoury - Karen Gholam - Mira Teeny
Mireille Allam - Nadine Dib
2. In our presentation, we propose a “debate activity” in
which students debate over controversial issues such as
divorce, nationalism and plastic surgery.
We have all participated in such debate activities, whether in
school or in university. However, how does our proposed
activity differ from the ones we’re accustomed to?
What changes or novelties are we going to suggest?
The answer to this question will be clear towards the end of
our presentation.
3. DEBATE ACTIVITY: a Simulation to a TV
Talk Show
The activity that we propose may be applied in schools as well
as in universities. The activity consists of SIX STEPS:
1 - Choosing a topic
2 - Researching the topic
3 - Debating in the classroom
4 - Writing an Argumentative Essay
5 - Feedback (on students oral and written performances)
6 - Publishing of the best essays in the school’s or
university’s yearly magazine
5. STEP 1: Choosing a Topic
• The teacher explains the rules of the
activity.
• He/she selects the topics for the students
and displays them on the board.
• The teacher draws the names of the
students from a “hat”; then students, one
after the other, walk to the board and write
their names under the topic of their choice.
• They need to choose whether they are
“with” or “against” that subject; if the topic
and position of their choice is taken, they
need to choose another one.
6. STEP 2: Researching the Topic
• The students in group A and B
work collaboratively to construct
and support their arguments.
• They have one week to prepare
for the debate.
7. STEP 4: Writing an Argumentative Essay
Group A and B:
• Each student in both groups A and B writes an argumentative essay in
which he/she:
▫ Rebuts the views of the opposing group (based on the notes they have
taken in class during the debate)
▫ Presents his/her arguments
▫ Illustrates with photos or drawings
• The students have one week to present their essays
Group C:
• Students from the audience present each a short essay (1 page) in which
they state which group convinced them more and why. They may also
agree or disagree with both groups A and B, but they have to justify their
views.
• The students have one week to present their essays.
8. STEP 5: Feedback
Written performances
• The teacher corrects the essays and writes his/her feedback on the
papers. He/she hands them back to the students a week later.
Oral performances
• The teacher watches the videotape and notes down the major
“errors”.
• The teacher may divide a “correction lesson” based on the major
oral and written errors, errors that will be of use to the whole
class.
GRADING: 40% on classroom debate; 40% on argumentative essays;
20% on short evaluative essays.
9. STEP 6: Publishing the Essays
• The teacher selects the two best
essays from group A and B as well as
the three best essays from
group C.
• When all the essays are collected
towards the end of the year, they
are published in the annual school’s
magazine (with the photos or
drawings that the students
used/drew).
10. SCHEDULE
• In a class of 32 students, four “debate activities”/themes are
presented throughout the year; thus, twenty essays will be
published at the end of the year.
• Each debate activity takes three weeks: one week for the research
and debate, one week for the written essays, one week for the
corrections and the feedback.
• Each debate in the classroom takes about forty minutes: 5 min for
the preparation of the setting, 20min for the debate, 10min for the
questions, and 5min for putting things back to the way they were.
The rest of the session is consecrated for a feedback for the
previous debate activity.
11. SKILLS & ABILITIES USED/DEVELOPED
What skills are used and developed in this activity and are they
integrated?
The students work with more than one skill and the skills are inter-connected:
• The primary skills - Reading (during the research), Listening (during the
debate), Speaking (during debate), and Writing - are all integrated.
• The learners psychomotor, affective and cognitive abilities are employed
and developed.
▫ Cognitive abilities: e.g. analyzing, evaluating, and CREATIVE/CRITICAL
THINKING.
▫ Affective abilities: valuing, receiving and responding to phenomena, internalizing
and organizing values
• In this activity, the learners ability to communicate in the TL for meaningful
purposes, is also developed.
The students learn to work both individually and in groups, they learn by
doing (student-centered), and they develop successful “learning strategies”
(meta-cognitive, cognitive and socio-affective) with the aid of the teacher.
12. CHANGES/NOVELTIES
How does our proposed activity differ from the ones we’re
accustomed to? How will the changes that we have suggested
affect the learners?
In “Our Class in the Future (Our Vision)”:
• The topics for debate are highly motivating and related to
the students’ lives:
▫ Examples of such topics are: (1) pre-marital cohabitation; (2) friends
from the opposite sex; (3) homosexuality; (4) leaving your parental
house at the age of 23; (5) pre-marital sex; (6) married women
working; (7) divorce
• The activity is made more realistic through:
▫ The setting; that is, the classroom and tasks division
▫ The media elements: the video camera and the magazine
Such conditions increase learning and expose students
to real life situations.
13. DABATE ACTIVITY: Debating in the Classroom
Application:
Are you WITH or AGAINST leaving
your parental house at the age of 23?
14. Inspired by “Shaping the way we teach English”
OUR VISION OF THE IDEAL
DEBATE ACTIVITY
Questions to the audience while group A and B brainstorm:
As a student, would you like to participate
in such an activity?
As a teacher, would you consider applying this activity?