We all know how hard it is to write , even in our own language so when the task is writing in a foreign language it seems like a higher mountain to climb.
Why do students find writing such a difficult process?
The reasons are several and they can vary from student to student. I find that most of my students leave their written assignment until the last minute and writing requires time ; most students ,when they finally get down to writing , don’t really know what they want to say or where to start , there isn’t any brainstorming process and students, very seldom , write a first draft.These are important strategies to consider , especially when your essay is going to be graded.
This is my small contribution to helping you write better. I only hope you find it useful!
This post is mainly intended for anyone who needs to add comments to a written document. In my case and being a teacher, it has been used to correct essays as more and more often my students seem to be committed to saving the rain forest by not wasting unnecessary paper and sending me their assigned tasks via email instead. I have often used Jing to explain their mistakes but this is an easier way to do so and, in my opinion, as effective.
Of course, I am aware that most of you know how to add comments to a word document so this article is only for those who, like me, have just discovered some of the miracles MS Word can do to help us spice up the always boring task of corrrecting compositions. Before you read further you might like to see an example of what can be done with the Reviewing Toolbar.
Where can you bring this toolbar up? Navigate to the View menu bar and select Toolbar and then Reviewing and you will see the Reviewing toolbar appear with a set of icons you’ll have to learn. Then, select an area of the text that you want to comment on and click on the “Comment” icon, type your comment on the red bubble which will appear in the margin. I have found that in MS Word 2003 the red bubble will only show if you’re in the Word Print Layout View or View Web Design .
That way the document looks as it might if I had printed a version of the original and I had marked it up with a red pen.
Another thing you can do is cross out a word(s). To do this you select the word(s) you want to cross out and choose Format/Strikethrough.
When I first saw this video I thought: “Wow! Isn’t he cute?”
At first, I could only see a cute little boy pulling faces and peering at the camera with inquisitive eyes but soon I realized that the message he wanted to send was crystal clear. Then, I got into the car and drove off to work but on my way to school, his words came back to me (as the echo in the video) Are you going to be my teacher? You can’t be my teacher! You can’t be my teacher if you don’t know how to use a computer or the Internet, if you don’t know how to teach me to be safe on the Internet, if you refuse to learn how to use technology.
And it dawned on me that he’s absolutely right. I’ve got two children and I realize now, more than ever, that what they need to learn is much more than I needed to because they have more opportunities and more easy access to the kind of information we could never get, and only at a click away.
Our children need teachers, and even parents who know how to teach them to get the best out of new technologies, who know how to help their children in their never-ending quest for information, who know how to make them safe on the Internet because Internet is not a passing fad, it’s here to stay and our children, in every single school, everywhere in the world have to be ready for life, for the world they have to live in when they finally leave our classes. It’s our duty as educators to make an effort to keep up with the new technologies, to know how to help students use the Internet and the fact that our generation is not a digital native is a very lame excuse for, at least, not trying.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that the traditional way of teaching is no longer valid. I don’t believe textbooks are a thing of the past, not yet, at least. I believe in a combination of the old and the new, of trying to achieve the right balance between what is useful in both methods.
If we can’t, at least, make the effort, we should maybe consider, making room for someone who wants to try.
This is what our children need and I want to conclude with the last words in the video ” Do you really think it’s possible to be an educator in the information age and not understand and use the Internet? Continue to pretend the internet is just a fad.”
I’ve been usingWordle for quite a long time now but this idea is something I have not yet tried. This task involves using this great little tool called Wordle and the very popular Breaking News Englishsite.
I read about this idea in Marisa Constantinides’ blog, which I highly recommend if you’re a teacher.
Lesson Plan: • Tell students they are going to write a short news report. Write on the backboard the following heading
” Teacher on trial for attacking student”
and ask students to comment of this heading and what they think might lead a teacher to attack a student.
• Display with the OHP the Wordle and ask students in pairs to brainstorm ideas for an article using the words in the Wordle Cloud. Explain new vocabulary if necessary
• Give students about 15 minutes to write the first draft of the article.
• Play the audio from Breaking News English twice and ask students to add, improve or edit their articles.
• Students write the final draft of the article on a coloured sheet of paper, which is them posted out on the walls of the classroom. Students stand up, read everybody’s article and vote for the best.
Students compare their aticle with the real one. Click here
• Finally, it would be interesting to talk a bit about the role a teacher plays in our society. These questions might be helpful to get them started.
Do you think being a teacher is easy or difficult?
Do you feel sorry for Mr Harvey or the student?
What kind of behaviour do you see in your classroom?
What can society do to make students respect their teachers?
If web cameras were put in classrooms, teachers would teach better classes and students would behave better. What do you think?
