Master Course:

Didactic Resources In Teaching

English

&

Literature

I think Edmodo is a very useful learning platform to share lots of information. I have realized Edmodo is one of the best means of teacher-student communication because it allows students and teachers to be connected through an up-to-date way. It enables you to make suggestions and comments about other classmate’s projects or even giving feedback to them. Regarding to teachers’ side, they can propose activities, work on them or set a deadline. FANTASTIC!!!

On the other hand, I reckon that working in stations you can achieve positive feedback because when you use ICT’S lots of doubts arise. So in group, every member can contribute with his/her particular ideas and skills. Moreover, every student has the opportunity to take an active role being in some way ‘experts’ in different areas. Great results can be obtained through it!!

Finally, learning and studying literature using web pages such as http://www.goanimate.com or http://www.bitstrips.com can motivate students because they are attractive programmes. Adolescents find major motivation working on the internet and nowadays mobile phones or tablets companies offer lots of applications for it.

Interaction should be a must in our English class as future teachers in Spain or in other country and I want to express gratitude to PhD. MA. Lecturer and researcher Laura Angelini for teaching us how to motivate students, the learning key =)

 

 

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Making a Video Shouldn’t Be a Drag. It Should Be Drag & Drop.

 

GoAnimates mission is to enable businesses, schools, and individuals to make videos — quickly and easily.

 

Videos could and should be everywhere. Businesses use them to explain complex topics, train employees, or just show their soft side. Teachers and students use them to exercise higher-order learning skills, such as creativity and critical thinking, in the classroom. Individuals use them to make their friends laugh, better visualize their favorite song, or just say, “I miss you” to someone special.

 

February 26, 2014 I started with it in class and my friends María, Amparo, Mari, Sabina and me enjoyed a lot with our particular love story we created to represent Three Hours Between Planes written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It is very funny and interesting because you can create your own characters, to add music, etc.

Comic

Moreover, for the story called The Way Up to Heaven written by Roald Dahl, we worked on Station 4 and this was our reflection:

STATION 4
1. There’s a moment in the story where Mrs. Fosters stops and thinks. It is not said in the story but she gets tired of obeying her husband so she decides to do what she likes that is not being late to anywhere and therefore she doesn’t follow her husband’s steps and she decides to make a move.

We think that she went to a process of awareness because she stopped in front of a door for a while realizing that she has gone through the same situation several times.

The way that she uses to change the course of her life is leaving her husband at home without saying anything.

From our point of view, we do justify her actions as she doesn’t do anything wrong and even though her action ends up being a disaster.

3. EDMODO can be used in the three steps of teaching. In the pre-teaching section teacher can upload the rules of some activities, some vidios, etc. so the students can download them or even watch them in Edmodo. In actual teaching they can comment on the activities done by their classmates, making suggestions, voting themselves and getting ideas. In post-teaching it can be used as a reflection where students can receive feedback from the other students and also from the teacher.

4. The door. It symbolizes the moment in which she starts being aware of the situation that she is living. This door has the meaning of a before and after in her life.

SEE THE IMAGE UPLOADED

5. AUDIO

6. Yes, it is very useful because they can become aware of their pronunciation and grammatical mistakes when speaking.

7. We will use it as a post-teaching activity once all the objectives, procedures and aims we expect from the students is clear and they know what we expect from them and the results we expect also from them.

Click on the image to listen the audio:

 

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Have you ever thought on creating the best
looking
mind map
online and share it with others?

 Now it is possible following this link:

www.mindomo.com

&

Enjoy mind mapping by brainstorming collaboratively on ideas and projects.

I tried it few months ago when I thought how to structure my TFM. It is about the development of critical thinking in adolescents learning English:

Mindomo Map

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Teaching culture is a MUST in our English class,so…
here there is a proposal:


Pre-teaching: the teacher has prepared a mute map of the UK. She will explain the regions in which the country is divided and she will provide the students with general information about England. Afterwards, the teacher will divide the classroom into four groups (the four regions of the United Kingdom: Scotland, England, North Ireland and Wales). And the teacher will take a picture of each group and will stick it into each region in the map. Each group will have a full day to present their work and to create activities for their classmates (recipes, games, plays…). 

–> see the map

Actual Teaching: during one or two sessions students will prepare their posters and oral presentations in class looking for information about their region. The teacher will provide the students some magazines, articles, links, etc. to help them. 
While students are working in groups, the teacher will go around helping them if they need it. 

http://www.infoplease.com/country/united-king…
http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/united_…

Post-teaching: Each group will use a full session to present their classmates about what they have looked into. At the beginning, they will have to give some theoretical information helped by posters or maps they have created. After that, they will do the activity they have prepared in which they will have to make sure that the rest of the class has understood what they have presented.

 

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Here are some games in order to practice vocabulary in

class.

Our lecturer Laura Angelini gave us several links with interesting games to teach & learn in class. We chose 4 games from the links 7, 8 and 9:

The first game is called ‘choose the correct word’. These are the steps:

  • First of all students have made in class a list of vocabulary from the unit.

  • Students write each word in a card and stick them to the blackboard.

  • Then, students are divided into two teams and the two teams form two rows.

  • The teacher reads a definition with a blank.

  • The two students in front of the rows race to the board to choose the right word.

We have chosen this game because we think that it is a good way to remember vocabulary more easily and in an enjoyable way. With this method they don’t have to study the words, they will remember them because little by little they are thinking at the same time they are playing a game.

The second game is called ‘who is wearing that?’. The steps to play the game are:

  • One student stands up in front of the class.

  • She or he describes one student from the rest of the class.

  • The others try to guess who the student he or she is describing is.

  • The one who knows it and answers it correctly wins and asks the next turn.


We have chosen this game because we think it is a good way to practice adjectives to describe people as well as to acquire vocabulary from clothes and colors.

The third game we have chosen is calledScavenger Hunt. The steps are:

  • They have to find 20 objects.

  • They will have a list of the vocabulary.

  • They’ll go on teams to look for the objects and take a picture.

  • The first one finishing, wins.


We have chosen from link number 9, ‘The Drawing Game a game to have the whole class involved and avoid having bored students or hearing ‘I never get picked’. We have chosen this game because we think is another way of learning vocabulary and check if they have learned in the last unit.

  1. Draw a…. (30 seconds)

  2. ‘The boy on the chair’ chooses their favourite drawing. E.g. the one drawn by ‘number 2, green’.

  3. ‘Number 2, green’ becomes the judge, and will sit on the chair after the game.

  4. Red or Blue erases the blackboard, and the other one chooses the next players.

  5. The teacher can quickly go through the whole class,

  6. The teacher also keeps the students that are sitting now and watching the game intrigued, so everyone is involved in the game.

 

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Making projects will be easier for our students if we

motivate them to use GLOGSTER

Me and my classmates (as future teachers) tried it in a funny & interesting class:

http://www.glogster.com/teacher-miss-gil/pinboard-glog-by-teacher-miss-gil/g-6k5rkm5o6e392r90iv3571c

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Here is a simulation in order to practice human rights appearing in the book ‘Noughts & Crosses’. This exercice has been done in group in a class of the Master of Secondary Education.

          NOUGHTS & CROSSES – Malorie Blackman

BRIEFING
Goals: to promote equality through Malorie Blackman’s book Noughts and Crosses. Students have to read the book.
Course: 2º Bachillerato
Groups: students will work in teams of 4 (6 groups). In each group there would be 1 chief leader, 1 advisor, 1 secretary and 1 language monitor.
Background documents: the book itself and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Scenario: students have to focus on the chapters 66-67.

 
SITUATION
You’re in a courtroom, and you’re part of the public gallery, composed of twelve Noughts (white people) and twelve Crosses (black people). Remember that Noughts and Crosses do not mix, and that in the Noughts group, the son and wife of Ryan Callum McGregor take part of it.
Ryan Callyum McGregor, a Nought, is on charge of Political Terrorism.
The clerk stands up and faces Ryan, asking him if he considers himself guilty or not.
After having repeated the question several times, Ryan finally answers with a:  Not guilty!
The clerk keeps blaming Ryan, and adds that he has been charged with the murder of Aysha Pilling. The same question is asked by the clerk to Ryan, who answers with the same words as before.
Next day, Callyum  is questioned.
‘Callyum Ryan McGregor, Do you belong to the Liberation Militia?’- Pingule asked.
‘No I don’t ‘– replied Callyum.
‘Does your father belong to the Liberation Militia?’
‘No he doesn’t’ –Callyum answed while glancing across to where his father was.
‘Does anyone of your relatives belong to the L.M. or has talked about them?’.
‘No’.
‘How can you be so sure?, Can you tell me what you were doing in the Dundale Shopping Centre at this time, approximately ten minutes before the bomb went off?’.
Callyum was recorded running out of the Shopping Center, getting her friend Sephy out of it. He defends himself by saying that he wanted to show his friend, a Cross, something, but that he could not remember what.
The following day, Sephy was called to testify, she was asked why Callyum took her out of the Shopping Centre and if he had given her any reasons, plus, what was her relationship with him, to what she answered that she assumed Callyum wanted to show her something outside, and that they were just really good friends.
Another witness was called to testify, this time, a Cross police officer, Kelani, who said that after seeing the boy dragging the girl out, she asked the little girl who was he and if he was bothering her, to what the little girl replied that he was just a friend of her and that he was taking her out to show her something.
The last day, Callyum Ryan is judged, and Governor Giustini sentences him to life imprisonment instead of hanging him.

Game: the aim of this game is to find the different roles that take action in each group.

            – How to play: we divide the class in 2 groups of 12 people. Without talking and standing up in chairs, they have to find out how to organize themselves according to the mark in their last English exam. They cannot get off of the 12 chairs. Later on, they will have 3-4 minutes in order to carry out this game. After that, the teacher will make them realize who will be the leader of each team. The leader of each group has to decide the members of their teams.  

ACTION
Once they are in groups, they will have to discuss about the trial and to decide, according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and their own prejudices, if Ryan is guilty or not and if his son was aware of what was going to happen. Moreover, they will finally have to come into a decision of which human rights are the ones that appear in the chapters studied. Then, the leader of each team will have to come together and they will have to reach a final common conclusion.

DEBRIEFING
Students have to think about the following questions:

– What have you learnt about human rights?
– What have you learnt linguistically speaking?

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Visit my professional profile on LinkedIn- Vanessa Mengual Roca

 

I love hotels industry & tourism and I consider myself a polite, friendly and a well spoken hotel receptionist highly efficient at work.
I enjoy making guests feel welcome and dealing with requests that guests make during their stay.
I am able to work under pressure, look after several things at once and I have learned by experience:

• To deal with bookings by phone, e-mail, letter, fax or face-to-face.
• To complete procedures when guests arrive and leave.
• To choose rooms and to hand out keys.
• To prepare bills and to take payments from guests in the form of cash or credit cards.
• To take and pass messages to guests.
• To deal with special requests from guests (like booking organized trips tickets).
• To answer questions about what the hotel offers and the surrounding area.
• To deal with complaints or problems.
• To manage a huge Database System of reservations, check in, checkouts of various visitors.
• To keep up to date on all hotel products, services, pricing & to maximise promotional offers or sales opportunities.


I do not mind working evenings, nights, weekends and public holidays or travel to another place if it is necessary because this sector requires it.
Finally, I consider I possess a good team spirit and an enthusiastic personality to make the work place a comfortable site.I am keen to increase my work experience.

 

keep-calm-i-m-an-awesome-english-teacher

On the other hand, Education is a world I do not reject as a future plan, so after having studied English Philology I am preparing myself to become an English teacher. Nowadays, I am giving individual lessons but I would like to take part of professorhip in High School. I would be able to set expectations for class focusing on positive learning environment; to modify lessons and materials to meet student and classroom needs or adjusting to student’s level of progress and to participate in school events such as special programs or training conferences.

 

 

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If we are not a little bit uncomfortable every day, we’ re not growing.

All the good stuff is outside our comfort zone.

Jack Canfield.

hello-spring-20131

 

 

 

Song: La Calling– Crystal Fighters (click on the image)

 

 

 

 

Happiness is:
1. Falling in love.
2. Laughing so hard your face hurts.
3. A hot shower.
4. No lines at the supermarket.
5. A special glance.
6. Getting mail.
7. Taking a drive on a pretty road.
8. Hearing your favourite song on the radio.
9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside.
10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer.
11. Chocolate milkshake … (or vanilla … or strawberry!)
12. A bubble bath.
13. Giggling.
14. A good conversation.
15. The beach
16. Finding a 20-pound note in your coat from last winter.
17. Laughing at yourself.
18. Eye contact with a hot member of the opposite sex.
19. Midnight phone calls that last for hours.
20. Running through sprinklers.
21. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all.
22. Having someone tell you that you’re beautiful/good looking.
23. Laughing at an inside joke.
24. Friends.
25. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you.
26. Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep.
27. Your first kiss (either the very first or with a new partner).
28. Making new friends or spending time with old ones.
29. Playing with a new puppy.
30. Having someone play with your hair.
31. Sweet dreams.
32. Hot chocolate.
33. Road trips with friends.
34. Swinging on swings.
35. Making eye contact with a cute stranger.
36. Making chocolate chip cookies (and eating them…!).
37. Having your friends send you homemade cookies.
38. Holding hands with someone you care about.
39. Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good or bad) never change.
40. Watching the expression on someone’s face as they open a much-desired present from you.
41. Watching the sunrise.
42. Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another beautiful day.
43. Knowing that somebody misses you.
44. Getting a hug from someone you care about deeply.
45. Knowing you’ve done the right thing, no matter what other people think.

 

 

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Subject :# 14159 Curs Monogràfic: Shakespeare through Performance

Student´s name: Mengual Roca , Vanessa

Title of the paper: SHAKESPEARE: THE WOMEN’S VOICE

Author or topicWilliam Shakespeare

Abstract: In this paper I have compared three comedies written by Shakespeare: Much Ado About NothingAs You Like It and Twelfth Night. I have established a parallelism between them focusing on female’s characters. In the introduction I explain the reasons behind my choice. In order to make clear how these female characters are depicted in these plays, I have provided to each play a section with lots of representative examples about Beatrice, Rosalind and Viola‘s speeches and actions. In addition to this, Shakespeare wrote in the Elizabethan times so it deserves another section where the reasons about  female’s behaviour in his works will have justification. If you are interested in my opinions and in the main points of this paper it is gathered in the conclusion.

WEBLOGRAPHY URL’S

Auto-evaluation: I think I deserve a mark of 8 taking into account all the effort behind my work in order to write a paper with visual examples provided by text and films analysed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Academic Year 2012/2013
©a.r.e.a./Dr.Vicente Forés López
©Vanessa Mengual Roca
vamenro@alumni.uv.es

 

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