Teaching journal: still on adoption

Learning goals: student will be aware of basic vocabulary about adoption. Pro and cons of international, domestic and open adoption in the point of view of all the people involved.
Activities: in group of 5 analize the pro and cons of the type of adoption and in creative way present to the class.
Assessment: each person gives written and anonymous feedback to the group.

VOC 2 Starting day_poem

...so here we go.

Pictures!
personal
specific
appropriate
entertain
reinforce
wram up
Pictures!

Teaching training journal_4_ About adoption

Discussion in plenum about: 

Learning goals:
review of family basic vocabulary (including family members vocabulary)
grammar: verb to be, to have and to do. Affirmative, interrogative and negative forms.
Face the reality with the word of adoption (foster families and foster children)

Activities:
For the strictly grammar part: activities in pair with vocabulary cards, plenum discussion about the purpose of those verbs.
For the adoption part: we watched a video (provided by the school) from BBC 1996 about adoption situation in UK.
- feelings after the video
- main message of the video
- difficult words

the blog for the students

Nowadays my work and my training doesn´t let me so much time to write to every single emails that my students write me when they  miss the class. So here I am, providingfor them a new blog. The philosophy behind this blog is very simple. They can gather information about the classes, homeworks and also links and facts about Italy and Italian Culture.
Here is the link: http://studiamoinsiemeitaliano.blogspot.fi

Teaching training journal_4_About family

Learning goals:
Students will:
- review the basic vocabulary about places preposition.
- learn how to say a timetable in English.
- practice on taking personal details from a client, fixing an appointment (date and time)
-know the basic vocabulary about family
- different kind of families (nuclear family, extended families, single parent family, rainbow family)
- work on strategy about the case "Kramer vs Kramer"

Activities:
The today activity were in pair followed by a presentation in prezi about families.
Here is the presentation:
http://prezi.com/bb-0u2lunnyc/family/?kw=view-bb-0u2lunnyc&rc=ref-21221845

activity 1:
- order and instructions in town a) and b)
- pair work: a phone call for a social worker.
- pair brainstorming about family vocabulary
- presentation in prezi and plenum discussion about definitions
- pair work: build a strategy on the case "Kramer vs Kramer"

Teaching training journal _ 3_ working on clients

21.1.2013

Learning outcomes: students will learn how to deal with a client in the phone and ask hin/her personal details. In add students will learn how to give instructions from place A to place B.
Students will work on the social inclusion/exclusion idea, human rights and promote emphaty with others who are different. Student will also: raise awareness about inequality of opportunity in society, foster an understanding to certain social minorities or cultural grops.

activities:
- pair exercise on spelling. Symbols used in a common conversation when asked personal details (dash, slash,dot etc etc).
- pair exercise: what is the basic vocabulary needed when we give instructions and orders? divide into categories: verbs, prepositions and places.
- individual activity: role card > try to undestand fully your client.
- activity "Take a step forward": facilitator reads out a list of situations or events. Everytime they can answer "yes to the statement, they should take a step forward. Other wise they should stay where they are and not move.
- discussion in plenum about  their positions. Ask questions such as:
when you notice that others were not moving as fast as they were?
did anyone feel that there were moments when their basic human rights were being ignored?
what first step could be taken to address the inequalities in society?

 Methods:
pair work, individual work, group work.

Teaching training journal: Working on communication

Picture from:http://www.keyidea.it/servizi-offerti-professionali-competenze/comunicazione-aziendale/ 

Lesson number 2:  16.01.13

 "I am a great believer that any tool that enhances communication has profound effects in terms of how people can learn from each other, and how they can achieve the kind of freedoms that they´re interested in."  

(Gates B., Digital Dividends Conference, Seattle, Oct. 18, 2000 This quotes is retrieved on : http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9101838/The_quotable_Bill_Gates_In_his_own_words

The importance of communication in Social Services fields is one of the topic of today´s lesson. 
Learning outcomes of the lessons: 
- students will be able to spell their names and practice the listening of spelling of foreigner names and ordinal numbers.
- students will learn how to ask personal details in polite way. 
- students will be able to understand what is effective interpersonal communication and what is not.
Activities:
- Energizer in pair. 5´
- group of 3: list the possible clients that would need Social Services. 
- in pair:choose one client and make a background. Ask your partner the basic personal information in order to fill a form
- exercise on spelling and numbers individually (dictation from me)
- Communication activity: in pair the students are sitting back to back. Student A describes to student B a picture as precise as possible. Student B draws as precise as possible.
At the end of the activity students compare the original picture with the drawing.
- Discussion in plenum based on these questions: 1) where the biggest mistakes occured? 2) how an interpersonal communication should work to be effective? 

Method: 
group work, pair work, individual work and discussion in plenum. 

Teaching training journal_1st lesson

PART ONE: ENGLISH ORIENTATION GROUP.
The group was suppose to be around 22 students. In the class only 15. They are studying a Bachelor of Social Service.  All girls from age 20 until 48. Different backgrounds and expectations. English level B1-B2.

I decide to give to the lesson an informal approach in order to create a relaxed learning enviroment. Making jokes and stimulate their creativity was part of it.
We worked on:
- getting to know each other with a creative working activity.
- expectation on language learning and on this course.
- pronunciations of some difficult phonems.
- basic vocavulary of their working enviroment.
- interpersonal comunication. 

The learning outcomes from the day were:
 -pronounce the words naturally and clearly > activities: brainstorming on area of working of Bachelor of Social Welfare studies in English. How do you write or pronounce the difficult words? what is the different between words like "to live" and "to leave"(for example). Differences from American accent and a British accent. Using of the web dictonary licenced by the school.
- reflection on difficult phonems >  We watched together to introduce the theme of pronunciation this video: How to buy an hamburger (Steve Martin). We together reflected about some difficult sounds. Group work: how to pronounce a toungue twister. The group working goal was to let the students feel relaxed and safe to speak English without stress.
- working on interpersonal comunication and thinking what is the best way to learn a language.

I will use also Fronter as learning platform: through that I will give homeworks and answer the questions from the students.

Activities in details for the learning outcomes:
- Ice breaking: individually and in plenum introduce yourself with name symbols for each letter.
- Take a side. 4 statements on language learning.  (move in the class helps to keep the enhancement in learning higher)
- Brain storming-group work: what are the areas where would you like to go to work and why?
- Stop and watch: look the video from you tube and concentrate to the pronunciation.
- Individual work (with me as facilitator): review of the phonetic alphabet and the difficult words.
- in plenum: listen to the different accents (American and British) > use of the internet dictonary.
- group work: exercise with a toungue twister and as a group read aloud to the class.

My plan was to get to know each other, work on pronunciation and understand what is thier level of English.
I think that I could develop the pronunciation exercises giving them practical example in real situation how to improve their pronunciation (maybe role game?)

PART TWO: OBSERVING THE SWEDISH GROUP.

What kind of clients for the future Bachelor of Social Service and Nursing

·         Which group did I observe? Swedish group of Bachelor of Social Service, Nursing and Diak

·         When and where did this happen? on 15.1.13 from11:30-14 in Diaconia University of Applied Science

·         What particular features was I observing? I was observing the first lesson. Introducing each other was done in pair and then in front of the class. Teacher went straigh to the point: how to ask in swedish basic informations such as: name, last names, and other personal information that students might need toask at the phone.

the ice breaking activity of the Swedish class

Which observational methods did I use? I sat in a corner and took some pictures everynow and then. I took some copy material provided by the tutor and I filled my observation checklist.
I focused on: timing, activities presented, introduction and wram up of the lesson, questioning from the teacher and the students. 

All the teaching at the vocational education level can and should have a measurable outcomes?

This picture is from:
http://www.uri.edu/quadangles/issue/may-2008/roadmap-for-academic-success/

All the teaching at the vocational education level can and should have a measurable outcomes? 
In Internet there are many publications and documents in support of pro position. Learning outcomes have their advantantages and they are used by many governments in many countries.
While reflecting during the last few weeks about the statement at the beginning and wondering - why I have joined the cons position? - I came up with a small research about learning outcomes: limits and advantages. 
I think that learning outcomes seems to be the ONLY method for  defining expectation of learning: the reality is that learning outcomes are defined by Governments on the basement of what a learner should achieved. Learning outcomes also responde to the needs of certain stakeholder in a specific area of their working place. Learning outcomes alone cannot fully capture the qualities of learner´s and we cannot be sure that the learning process delivered trought programmes achieved the goals. (cause so many things we should take into account). In add of that we should remember that some learning outcomes cannot be measurable.To implement an effective strategy for the learning outcomes it takes time and not all the countries are ready to do in all level. The individuality of learning is also one issue that too often learning outcomes methods they don´t consider.
In add I would also argue that:

- the learning in higher education cannot be constricted and reduced to a series of learning outcomes that inhibit and prescribe the learning process.

- The implementation of learning outcomes involves a huge staff development process as well as cost in term of time and money.

- written learning outcomes limits the creativity and they can be written too general or too specific.
 - There no one single way to describe a programme: if it would be possible this will inevitably leads to a narrow view on the results of the programme. 

and other questions: 
are the learning outcomes killing the creativity? what Maria Montessori would say about it? 
is it real that  simple: learning outcomes, activities and assessment?  
Here there are some links in support of the cons positions:
http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-policy/doc/eqf/note4_en.pdf 
  "Shift for Learning Outcomes" Policies and practising in Europe, Cedefop Reference series; 72
Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2009, retrieved on
 http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/EN/Files/3054_en.pdf

Killen, R. (2000). Outcomes-based education: Principles and possibilities.
Unpublished manuscript, University of Newcastle, Faculty of Education (Australia) http://drjj.uitm.edu.my/DRJJ/CONFERENCE/UPSI/OBEKillen.pdf

http://www.eair.nl/forum/vilnius/pdf/561.pdf

My core plan for the teaching training

Here is the link to my core plan.
The core plan is still working in progress since some sections needs still to be covered. Here you are the link, please be free to leave a comment there.
Sandra´s core plan for the teaching training

Starting the spring season at work with a challenging

I am really glad that many old students came  to the Italian class for the spring term (starting already on Monday). Couple of them went to Italy for an exchange and they said - it was really nice experience - but too short cause lasted only 3 months.
It´s true: abroad experiences should be at least 9 months cause 3 months are the exactly time when you get to know the system: your project is over and you have to come back home. What people can learn from that experience? maybe something but not too much.
These two students belong to the ONLY Italian class which has vocational students. The difficulty in this course is that are coming all the time new students with level zero and it´s really challenging to bring all of them to the same level. How can I give  a quality lesson?
 I decided to separate the two levels: in the same learning environment, at the same time I give them different exercises on the same issue. It´s double work for me but I don´t see any other solution at the moment. Applying this strategy contribute to rise the level of paper work and planning. For couple hours planning I need half of the day in order to find on the same issue different but effective exercises, role games and vocabulary activities.
On Monday I will start also my teaching training where I could possible face the same situation.
Let´s see how I will handle it.