Monthly Archives: June 2011

V For Vendetta – Lesson Task

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Note: this article was written and first published online by out dear friend and colleague,  ‘Teacher Dude’, on his blog: http://teacherdudebbq.blogspot.gr

For those who don’t know, November 5th is Guy Fawkes Night (also known as Bonfire night) in the UK. It was always one of my favourite celebrations when I was young. Fireworks, bonfires and lots of fun. I even enjoyed that the traditional fare of burnt/raw baked potato wrapped in aluminium foil. Only later on when I got myself an education did I realise the darker, bloodier story hidden behind the traditions.

Nearly every day somebody comes to my blog looking for a V For Vendetta lesson plan. I have talked about how much I liked the film but until now I haven’t had the chance to write about a lesson that could be used to teach EFL/ESL stuff. Many of you might question why I keep on insisting on using things such as films, songs and video games to teach. Isn’t learning a serious enterprise ?

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Classroom Dismanagement

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As a teacher trainer, I often enter a classroom, observe a class that a trainee conducts, make notes and then discuss what happened. One of the elements that we discuss, is the trainee’s class management skills. The following account is what I would describe as ‘typical’ of trainees who go into the classroom with very little experience and with a somewhat incomplete grasp of what classroom management means in practice.

Following the account below are my comments and advice given to the trainee. The trainee (who is now a working teacher) was informed of this article and has agreed for it to be published. The name of the ex-trainee has been withheld. For practical purposes, I’ll call her ‘Sheila’.

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What You Think Of Me: An ‘Emotional Intelligence’ Lesson Task

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What You Think Of Me: An ‘Emotional Intelligence’ Lesson Task

 

LEVEL: Intermediate to advanced
TIME: 15 Minutes

AIMS:
For Students: to practice giving opinions and justifications
For Teachers: to gain awareness of students’ perceptions

MATERIALS: Word List

RATIONALE:
Sometimes an effective means of getting students to take responsibility for their own behavior is to confront them with your own feelings about the teacher. Often, students don’t relate to the feelings of the teacher until they are forced to express their feelings or they are in a position to judge the teacher publicly.

The list of descriptors below are all attributes of teachers who are empathic and who exhibit high levels of self-efficacy.

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On free thought, free expression and free association

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Edward Lear: A Book of NonsenseEdward Lear was a master of ‘absurdest humor’ and was especially known for his nonsense verse and limericks, the latter of which he is credited with inventing. Edward Lear was also an illustrator and, of course in every sense of the word, an artist. Art is a form of an expression. And, expression is good, for with out it we are left with only silence and ultimately we become victims of repression.

Repression, of course, can be externally imposed by institutions of a political or social nature. But self-repression is yet another ugly form of the beast. When we begin swallowing our feelings or thoughts on a regular basis, we risk adopting passive-aggressive tendencies. Overtime, pressure builds and we ultimately lash out in perhaps less than appropriate ways. When this happens, it is for our anti-social behavior that we become most remembered for, rather than our moments of reserve.

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Time For Some Green Thinking

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When was the last time you hugged a tree? Like me, your answer is probably “never”. When was the last time you breathed? Dumb question, huh? Well, at least you know a little bit more about me now. I am not a tree-hugger, but I do recognize that trees give off the oxygen we need to sustain ourselves and our environment … which it seems may be turning against us.

Over the past few years, awareness of environmental issues has been heightened. From the shrinking polar ice caps and extreme weather phenomena to Al Gore and his team’s winning of the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts “to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change”, and for laying the “foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change”. With the media banging the gong of environmental awareness, perhaps this trend is the harbinger of “green” change in our classrooms. Perhaps, but then there has always been resistance to change in education.

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Taking Charge: Classroom Management

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The Thinker Musee RodinBefore you read any further, ask yourself the following questions and answer them honestly.

Are you teaching English until you find something more fulfilling or interesting to do with your life, that is, how seriously do you take this profession?

What do you love and hate about this job?

What qualities do you share with other teachers you admire?

What is your ‘Achilles heel’ as far as being a teacher is concerned?

What would you like to be doing in 5 years time as regards this profession?

The previous questions were basically designed to help you determine whether it is worth your while to read any further. What is meant, in other words, is that classroom management is something needs thought, reflection and action, something that anyone who wishes to provide something of value to teaching must pay serious attention to. Anyone who is not serious about EFL would not and should not be concerned about classroom management issues.

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