June 11, 2014 by Joanna Malefaki

Reflections

The #Sandwichreflection
It is the end of the academic year, students are getting a bit restless, some teachers are as well : ). Summer is around the corner. So, what time is it? Time to reflect, of course, but with a twist. I am sure you know of the sandwich feedback (good point- bad point- good point) so how about trying out a kind of sandwich…. reflection? Why not write about a professional or academic achievement, follow this by a weakness ( or weaknesses) and then another strength.? You may now ask, “why this way?” I don’t know about you guys, but very often when I reflect, I am so nitpicky that I find it very difficult to see my strengths, and I often just focus on my weaknesses. I dwell over the should’ve, would’ve, could’ve. So, time to make a sandwich and as dessert….. an action plan : ). What kind of reflection post would this be without an action plan?

Note to the reader: I would like to make this into some sort of blog chain, so I have asked other teachers/bloggers to follow up with blog posts of their own reflections.

The Sandwich

A good moment- an accomplishment
I completed and passed module two of the Cambridge Delta. I do not know about you, but for me, the Delta was a tough cookie. I was teaching many hours a day, trying to run a business and squeeze in time to study. My motto those days was, “Stress, worry and complain”. But, I did it! I passed, and now the wonderful world of module 3 awaits.

MyWeakness(es)

Bad choice of course book for my C2 level students. They were bored, I was bored. The material was outdated. I had used this book in the past and it had worked, but this time it was a very bad choice. I ended up supplementing a lot and in the end we just stopped using it!
Too many projects going on at the same time, I was swamped! Whatever webinar I saw I would say , ” Oh! That’s great! I am gonna do this” and then I would forget. A MOOC? “Yes! I will try this as well” (I didn’t finish that either). I find lots of things out there extremely interesting, I get overwhelmed and end up doing nada!
Teaching grammar points I just don’t like teaching. This is an all time classic weakness. If I do not like the grammar point I am teaching, my delivery is, well, bad. For example, I find teaching modal verbs extremely hard. I never do this well! Teaching modal verbs this year was once again not my greatest moment!

Another good moment this year

I presented at two conferences (TESOL Greece and Belta day). I loved it. I met lovely people. Got to share my views and hear their thoughts. It was a such a rewarding experience and I look forward to the next conference, whenever that is!

My action plan

Regarding course books, I need to get out of my comfort zone and be a bit more adventurous with books. So, I found a book that worked with my students a couple of years ago? That does always mean it will work the next year! I actually have this year’s flop to prove it! In Greece at language schools you are very often expected to use a course book, so I am not going to chuck em out. I am going to scan them better. I will ask my colleagues what they are using. Maybe even try a few pages out with my students before concluding to one or the other.
I really need to manage my time more effectively, be more conscious about my needs as a learner and make notes of the dates of the webinars, MOOCs or whatever else is out there and has grabbed my attention. I also have to accept the fact that I cannot attend everything, I just need to screen them better and choose the ones that are actually connected to my needs as a learner.
Regarding teaching my least favourite grammar points, well that’s a hard one. I could ask a couple of colleagues to observe them whilst they are teaching and get some ideas. I could get suggestions from my learners about how they would like me o approach a particular grammar point (what tasks they like doing, how they like to learn). I could also search the net for more fun things to do or…. any other suggestions? (yes, I am talking to you the reader).

I really enjoyed this academic year, I had some very good moments and some difficult ones. I look forward to the challenges and the happy moments ahead….

You have been tagged fellow teacher and feel free to tag someone else if you wish : D
Angeliki Asteri
Ola Bakri
Sally Fryer
Lia Kalianos
Vicky Loras
Gemma Mitchelson
Vicky Papageorgiou
Theodora Papapanagiotou- read her post here
Roseli Serra
Hana Ticha-read post here
Vedrana Vojkovic- read post here

Final thoughts
If you wish to take part in this blog chain, feel free to add your blog post in the comments section!!! I do suggest you try it though cause I think it is a great way to reflect especially if , as a teacher, you do tend to focus more on the negative aspects than the positive ones.I will be back with a the links to the reflections of the lovely teachers I tagged and a couple of guest posts as well 🙂 There is also a hastag #sandwichreflection (thnks Hana and Vedrana for the hashtag suggestion!)

Thanks for reading……

Till next time……

June 8, 2014 by Joanna Malefaki

Exam prepapration for the teacher

The teacher tells all… the BIG B2 level exam
Tomorrow my students are taking their first big B2 language exam and I thought I’d write a post about how I prepare myself and them for the big day. My focus is not on exam prep per se, but on how I help them deal with emotions of stress and anxiety. Before moving on, it is important to mention that learners here (in Greece), take B2 level exams at a very young age (my students are 13-15) and this is their first official langauge test (ever!).

The day before
So, they know what they know, they are not going to learn something new the day before their test, so I never teach anything new on this day. I tell my students to come to my language school and we sit around a table and just talk about what we did and whatever else pops in their heads. It is more of a chit chat session! If the want to answer any test or langauge related questions, I answer them. We have some jouice or ice cream. They then almost always start to panic and I try to calm them down by saying, what every teacher would say, ” Everything will be fine. Don’t worry. You have done your best”. They talk about their fears and we just try to relax, make jokes and feel a bit better. I also give them my checklist.

Checklist? Say what?
I make a big A4 handout with the things they need to bring and do on the day of the test. I tell them they need to tick everything and then come and meet me so we can go to the exam center together. I do not know about you guys, but over the years, I have had students losing papers, ID cards, not bringing pencils , the lots! So I now take my measures- the check list!
What’s in the checklist?

Bring your ID card.
Bring your registration card.
Bring a 2HB pencil.
Bring a c ouple of black or blue pens.
Have a bottle of water and some tissue paper on you.

I also add some tips (or orders :P) like:

go to bed early
don’t sit in front of your computer too long.
have a good breakfast before going to the exam center.

Exam day
I meet my students and we all go to the exam center. I try to make the conversation as least exam-oriented as possible, although there may be a few exam related questions which I do answer so that they feel at ease (I do discourage this though). I give them their final pep talk and then send them off. They spread their wings and I now I am free to stress and worry about them!
I worry about the weak student who has tried a lot, the good student who panics or is over confident and of course the relaxed one, the one who doesn’t review what he/she has written. I have been their teacher for so long and now this is their moment. I know that even if they fail to pass the test, it is not the end of the world. They will still have learnt English! In an exam oriented culture, where knowledge is proven very often by showing a certificate, this B2 level exam is a big deal for my students and me, their teacher. I try to make it as stress free as possible for them… and for me 🙂

Good luck to all! Learners and teachers 🙂

Till next time…..

May 23, 2014 by Joanna Malefaki

Learner autonomy?!?

The Mama bear teacher

For a couple of days now I have been wondering about my dedication to the job regarding how much I, should I say facilitate (?), my students’ learning. I have come to terms with the fact that, yes, I am a spoon feeder (not in the evil spoon feeder way though, don’t get me wrong). I often consider myself a mama bear teacher who in an attempt to help my learners, ends up making them over reliant! I am talking about simple things, things they should be doing on their own but in the end, I am the one doing these things for them. Where is the line between helping your learners and nipping learner autonomy in the bud?

Here is my list of sins. If you find yourself ticking the same boxes as me, join the club fellow mama bear teacher!

My students (young or older) continually come to class without pencils, erasers, notebooks. My solution: I go buy pencils, notebooks and erasers and give them to them.
I schedule extra lessons with my learners. I tell them 100 times. I even ask them CCQs (: P) but what do I do in the end? I text message them a reminder a few minutes before the session.
My EAP students have difficulty finding sources for their research projects. My normal teaching method: Show them how to search the Uni library/show them how to search Google scholar, muse etc. My learners are still frustrated (?!) My solution: I look for books myself, in my own time, and give them some titles.
My Business English students: I suggest reading an article and talking about it together. “Time to talk about your interests”, I say. ” Read something you like and send it to me” But only rarely do they send me something. My solution: I ask them,” what are you interested in?” They tell me. I find the articles and send them to them.
Project time for my young learners. They have decided on what they want to write about. They write it. They bring it to class. Sometimes their work is incomplete though. They haven’t found pictures to accompany their texts. My solution: I find the pictures for them.

Am I actually helping my learners or am I cutting their wings, making them over reliant? Is this part of the job or have I turned into a control freak teacher? If you ask me, it is part of the job. But is it?When does caring turn to overbearing?

I love my job. Sometimes I think I even do it well, but I do wonder, “When do I draw a line and let my students be? Am I supposed to be a mama bear teacher?”

Tell me what you think!