Morning students one more time

I'm still trying to get the hang of posting video's ... I want the click-able picture!

Morning Students

My morning students:
[URL=http://s677.photobucket.com/albums/vv133/fatinkerbell/?action=view&current=SMOV0009.flv][IMG]http://i677.photobucket.com/albums/vv133/fatinkerbell/th_SMOV0009.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Recognizable input versus comprehensible input.

Blogging is bad for my health. Every time I start to work out and the endorphins start flowing I suddenly get an idea and have to jot it down right away. You know how it is with ideas. They are like retorts: Someone says something smarmy to you at a party and you're flummoxed, and then two days later you come up with a perfect snappy, witty comeback. But by then it's too late. Well, thank you blogger for interrupting my health if and only if it turns out that jotting down these ideas will turn out to be useful and lucrative for me in the future. I mean, you get your heart pumping and then you have to sit your body down to type and then you have to get your heart pumping all over again. Pumping faster I mean. So what is so momentous that I simply had to write it down? Well, I've come up with a catchy phrase. Recognizable input. I'm always wondering how people become famous for their ideas. I'm thinking about Stephen Krashen, who is the top dog on TESOL lips. So he revolutionizes the theory of language acquisition and becomes all famous for it, but will I be able to get famous by catching onto his coattails, so to speak? Well, you never know. The thing is, I agree and disagree with Krashen. Krashen said that in order to acquire a language other than your mother tongue, one of the things you must do is to bombard yourself, preferably voluntarily, with massive amounts of comprehensible input. I so agree. So the funny thing that happened to me with Italian was that I started reading Dylan Dog comics, and I couldn't get enough of them. At first I understood hardly a word, even though I had studied Italian grammar and vocabulary at the University of Cape Town for one year. But I was addicted to the comics and I'd read them again and again for the sake of the pictures, which told the story, or snippets of the story at least. I made an effort to study Italian a bit harder and then hit my Dylan Dog comics again and again. Suddenly I was conversing with my ex-Italian family in law in Italian. So yes Krashen, you are so right dude ... I truly believe that my overexposure to Dylan Dog, more so than me memorizing Italian verb-forms, led to third language acquisition.  Well of course the fact that I had to speak Italian to  make myself understood when in Italy also helped enormously.  But one thing at a time: comprehensible input. Because the comic books I read were perfectly illustrated, allowing me to follow the story and identify with the feelings of the protagonist,  the Italian I was taking in didn't seem like a foreign language to me.  I didn't understand the whole story but I understood enough of it  to let the words start accumulating in my brain without me having to memorize them.  But maybe we can broaden the idea of 'comprehensible input' to  'recognizable input'? What is recognizable input?  Words and sounds and letters  and writing that as yet carries no meaning to the language learner, but that nevertheless is recognizable. Even though you don't know what a word means, you've heard it many times before. But words don't come in isolation. I recognize Korean advertisements on TV and can sing many of the jingles without knowing what they mean. They are just sounds to me, but gradually, because I'm overdosing on them every time I turn on the TV, the balance in my head starts to tip and some stuff starts to sink in. I remember quite clearly that as a child I learned to read English by reading the entire Asterix and Obelix series thousands upon thousand of times. Hey I'm not exaggerating! It felt that way to me as a child! I've no doubt that that caused my quick acquisition of English as a second language, together of course with having an English speaking stepfather. The point is: For my first language, Afrikaans, I needed no hook because I spoke it when I started speaking. At round about age five I started acquiring English, and the hook there was my mom's collection of Asterix books. Maybe you could say it's not so much the person that acquires language, but language that acquires the person. Pardon the post-structuralism. Italian is my third language. I say so because I haven't forgotten it. I can't unhear it. I can't un-understand it. I'm rusty but it's definately inside me in all it's glorious  Latin splendor.  As I intend to stay in Korea I'm dead set on acquiring Korean as my official fourth language, and this time I know what to do. I need that hook. I've chosen Korean popsongs. I can memorize the sounds of the song and sing it even though I don't understand what it means. I know the translation but I don't equate it directly with the sounds I make. I've memorized only one song in this way so far: G-Dragon's Heartbreaker. Point is, when it plays now, I can't help but recognize every single syllable he sings. So the input is not comprensible, Mr. Krashen ... it's recognizable though. I believe that bombarding myself with recognizable input will do the trick too. Time, of course, will tell. I guess y'all can guess what song I was jumping up and down to right? Now to get back to cranking up my heart to Heartbreaker ... nado odiso kulijin anho, ajik sulmanhan kol jukji anhos, nohana temune mangajin mom ... la la la : )

The Birth Of SoundPics

So the homework I gave my mom was: "What is language?" As is often the case with philosophy teachers, I got asked 'Is there an answer'? I'm of the school that says 'Yes' to that. In case y'all don't know it: the answer (at this point in time, last I checked) is that language is a fluid structure of soundpics. A fluid structure of soundpics. That's sort of my take on post-structuralism. Post-structuralism is like advanced calculus, so before I can get there unfortunately Plato still remains to be mastered. But it helps if you have a final end in mind: like a zen koan - language is a fluid structure of soundpics. No-one has helped me more than Ferdinand de Saussure in learning how to learn language. Soundpics is what I call de Saussure's invention, and I'll get back to that later. For now I want to report on my Korean progress: The weird thing is, Santa seems to have given me Korean for Christmas. Yesterday at the several snack-based, insane, violent, Middle School English parties I was forced to attend, I suddenly started reading Korean! A Christmas miracle! It might have been a fluke, but just now reading the sub-titles to the Korean music video's on Korean MTV that I was jumping up and down to, it happened again! The timing was suddenly right. And by that I mean my intake speed of the Korean characters matched the sound coming from the fashionable pop-singers more closely. That gives you a clue what a sound-pic is: a sound-pic is (and I'm paraphrasing de Saussure here) like a coin with two sides that cannot be separated from one another. On the one side is the picture, the visual shape, the written little figure "A". Forget for a moment that "A" is A, and just see it as follows. An A is two lines leaning against each other with a short horizontal line connecting them in the middle. That's the 'pic' part of sound-pic. The sound part is the sound that comes out when the doctor tells you to stick out your tongue and say "aaah". Well, that's phonetically speaking. Of course the pic has a name that sounds like this: "Hey" without the H. Now we haven't even yet come to the fluid part of "language is a fluid structure of sound-pics". In the next exciting installment of de Saussure's structuralism we'll learn that no sound-pic is real. Par for the philosophy course : D (Hint - sound-pics are arbitrary, abstract,  volatile, and each individual sound-pic is different from every other one ... that's what makes handwriting analysis a forensic science ... )

The Big Plan

This morning I'm interrupting my morning fitness routine in order to jot down some thoughts on the 'Survival of the Fittest', which, I think, is rather fitting. By the way I know it's Christmas but I'm gonna ignore the Christmas spirit until it overwhelms me, thereby proving it's existence. I think I'm too close to Christmas to get excited about it, firstly because my name is Christine and secondly because my birthday is four days before Christmas. So in the spirit of ignoring the Christmas spirit, I'm gonna work. Yes, work! Like Scrooge! So how I'm gonna work is I'm gonna think and teach. My mother will have to suffer the consequences of my Scroogy decision, as today I'm going to continue her philosophy education by discussing Plato over Christmas lunch. But actually this is part of the Big Plan. What is the Big Plan? Survival. My mom and I are going to do our MA's in TESOL in 2010 and if I'm gonna produce a hybrid of philosophy and language teaching, I'm going to need someone to practice the Socratic method on. Getting our Master's Degree's in TESOL will bring my mom and me better jobs, hopefully at a top Korean university, so what I'm doing is actually struggling like a tree toward the sunlight, striving to survive the bestest and the longest. So the logical order of the Big Plan is to:
1. Convince my mom to hear out the entire philosophy of language course as I taught it at Stellenbosch University. This is gonna take a while. Maybe like a year. Because for once I won't have to rush it. I can start with 1 plus 1 equals two before jumping to logarithms, which is what I was having to do at university to unsuspecting students who took philosophy as a side order to something practical like Law.
2. Once I've converted my mom to the point of view that what I have learned about language so far actually already qualifies me as a Master of Language Studies, or Mistress if you will, I can write it all down in a nice neat thesis. Then someone at UNISA will read it, judge it to be adequate, and give me an MA in TESOL. Then, when I go begging again for a proper job I won't have to be embarrassed at 'only' having an MA in Philosophy.
3. Every master plan has three steps, and the third step is going to be me proving that a language can be acquired in a very short time. I don't know how short exactly, but from now till March I'm gonna study Korean like a fiend, using the theories of language I already have in place in my head. This will make the entire endeavor kinda scientific right? I mean, it's all about proof.  So I'm gonna be documenting my progress in Korean on You Tube and also trying to explain bits of my thoughts while I'm at it.
So, to summarize, the big plan is:
1.  Teach my mother philosophy and explain how it applies to language acquisition theories.  2.  Write a thesis on the philosophy of language and prove it applies to language  acquisition. 3. Prove my own theory by acquiring Korean at an alarming rate.
That's it ... survival of the fittest in a nutshell. I'm in an environment where I happen to be the mutation most perfectly adapted to present conditions, so ... I will survive! Maybe : ) Now back to fitness training, which consists of jumping up and down very fast to Korean music video's.

Spongebob video's

Today, on impulse, I decided to film my last class of the day. Fortunately I have a lot of fans in that class who also turned out to be really good camera-men! So later today I'll be uploading three ten minute video's onto YouTube and then link them to this blog. Keep watching this space!

New job

Next year I'll be working at Gojeong Elementary, a quaint picturesque country school situated close to an archeological site where dinosaur eggs were discovered. I'm happy about the job and very impressed by the work that has been done there already. In many ways the classroom is the ideal TEYL room, and I can't wait to get settled in : )

My (wonderful) CV...2009

CHRISTINE JONKER ACADEMIC CURRICULUM VITAE


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Home:

501 Iris Plaza

Namyang-dong 1268

Hwaseong City

Gyeonggi-do

South Korea

Telephone: 031-366-7231

445-010

E-mail: fatinkerbell@yahoo.co.uk

School:

Songsan Middle School

558 Sagang-ri

Songsan-myon

Hwaseong City

Gyeonggi-do

South Korea

445-874

Telephone: 031-357-1020



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Research:

The most recent research I undertook concerned the philosophy of language. A proposal for a D.Phil (Philosophy) was approved in 2002 by Stellenbosch University, South Africa. My research centered on the work of Paul Ricoeur, a French 20th century philosopher. He explored the links between our understanding of metaphor in language, to our experience of time, history and personal identity. The title of the proposal was: “Imagination and Interpretation in the Phenomenological Hermeneutics of Paul Ricoeur.” This research has not been completed to date.

I was led to the field of language research thanks to an article I co-wrote with my supervisor, Prof. W.L. van der Merwe, entitled: “Liberalism, Communitarianism and the project of ‘self’.”, which appeared in the South African Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 20 (3), 2001:35-54. In this article I picked up on the concept of “narrative identity” as it relates to multiculturalism. It formed a bridge between my M.A. (Philosophy) research into the “self” from religious (Kierkegaard), atheist (Sartre) and psychological (Jung) viewpoints, to the “self” from a linguistic viewpoint (Ricoeur).

While starting research for my doctorate I was at the same time (2001 – 2003) teaching a second-year course on the philosophy of language, using the language models of Ferdinand de Saussure, Ludwig Wittgenstein and Paul Ricoeur. In my free time I cintinued to study Italian, a subject I had studied for a year (1992) at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, and I gradually acquired it as a third language. I was thus able to relate my personal experience of language acquisition to the theoretical tools I’d acquired at University through researching and teaching the philosophy of language. I am currently studying Korean on my own, and am making good progress. It is my future wish to practice and research ever more efficient models of language learning, language teaching and language acquisition.



Academic and work experience, 1989 – 2009.

1989:

Elected headgirl, Die Kruin Highschool, Johannesburg, South Africa. Elected vice-headgirl, Die Kruin’s boarding school. Finished year with the following academic scores: English, second language, higher grade, A; Afrikaans first langugae, higher grade, A; Math, higher grade, A; Science, higher grade, A; Computer Science, higher grade, A; Anatomy and Music, standard grade, A; Practical Ballet, standard grade, C. Appeared in the ballet “The Nutcracker”.

1990:

Served term as headgirl, sang in the school choir, organized school concert and pageant. Graduated highschool with the following academic scores: English, second language, higher grade, A; Afrikaans, first language, higher grade, A; Math, higher grade, B; Science, higher grade, B; Computer Science, higher grade, A; Anatomy and Music, standard grade, A; Practical Ballet, standard grade, C. Appeared in the ballet “The Nutcracker”. Award for best student in Matric (Valedictorian).

1991:

January to April: First worked at the Hyperama, Roodepoort, South Africa, with duties: cashier, till controller. Then worked as watch salesperson, Malco, Roodepoort. May: Worked as a telephone salesperson for La Cote d’Azur holiday resort, Margate, South Africa. June to August: Travelled in Europe: France, England, Italy, Switzerland, Turkey, Greece. September to December: First worked as waittress, Mike’s Kitchen, Margate, and then as receptionist, La Cote d’Azur, Margate.

1992:

January to April: Worked as waittress, Mavericks, Stellenbosch, South Africa. Enrolled at the University of Cape Town, South Africa for MB ChB (medical studies), but quit for personal reasons. May to November: After quitting medicine I continued to study Italian, an elective, for the rest of the first semester and then switched to B.Soc.Sci (Bachelor in Social Science) in the second semester. Finished year at the University of Cape Town with the following subjects and scores: Italian, C average; African Studies, cum laude, Ancient Roman History, cum laude, Archeology, B average. December: Attended University of Cape Town Archeology dig in Langebaan, South Africa, with Prof. John Parkington.

1993:

Enrolled at Stellenbosch University, South Africa, for B.A.Law, and completed the year with the following subjects, all cum laude: Afrikaans and Dutch 1, English 1, Latin for Beginners, Introduction to Law, Public Law 1, Private Law 1 (The Law of Family and Persons), Philosophy 1, Economics 1. I was awarded the prize for best first year Law student with an average of 83% for Private Law 1. Work experience: Sold flowers in restaurants. Attended the University of Cape Town’s archeology dig in December with Prof. John Parkington.

1994:

Continued B.A. Law, second year. My subjects were: Economics 2, Philosophy 2, Latin 1, German for beginners, Private Law 2 (Law of things, Law of wills and testaments). I completed the year with a C average for Private Law 2, and cum laude average for all other subjects. Work experience: Worked in Botswana, Africa, over the summer holidays as a sales rep for Duplex Importers and Exporters, a Stellenbosch based company. My hobbies during this time included teaching myself to play the electric guitar and writing several songs.

1995:

January to May: Continued B.A. Law, third year, then quit for personal and financial reasons. For the rest of the year I worked at the following jobs: Worked as sales rep for Duplex Importers and Exporters in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana. Worked as waittress, Vinkel en Koljander Restaurant, Lanzerac wine farm, Stellenbosch. Worked as catering waittress for Lanzerac wedding functions. Worked as bartender at Die Dros and De Kelder, Stellenbosch. Played the role of narrator in the Breughel theatre (Cloetesville) production of Medeia, for which I composed melodies for the narrators lyrics and performed it with singing and guitar. Won ‘Best Supporting Acctress’ award at a Cape Town Arts Festival for this role.

1996:

Worked as waittress, Decameron Restaurant, Stellenbosch. Resumed studies in the second semester (July), switching from B.A. Law to B.A. with Economics and Philosophy. Completed second semester modules of Economics 3 and Philosophy 3 with a cum laude average.

1997:

Worked as waittress, Decameron. Was hired as Philosophy Department assistant and tutor. Duties as departmental assistant included basic administration, organizing photocopies, dealing with library books, and running other such general errands. Duties as tutor included teaching tutorial classes in Logic, and Morals and Ethics, and grading papers for Logic, and Morals and Ethics. Completed all outstanding Philosophy 3 and Economics 3 modules, and graduated cum laude in December. Received prize as best third year philosophy student.

1998:

Was hired as personal assistant to Prof. W.L. van der Merwe. Duties: research assistant, teaching assistant. Researched Multiculturalism. Taught Modern Philosophy. Continued to work as Philosophy Department assistant and tutor. Continued to work at Decameron Restaurant. Completed B.A. Honours (Philosophy) with subjects: Post-structuralism, Philosophy of Religion, Hermeneutics and Phenomenology. Researched and wrote two mini theses: ‘The Virtue of Tolerance’ and ‘Entropy in the thought of Simone Weil’. Graduated B.A. Honours (Philosophy) cum laude. Travel: visited Italy in the summer.

1999:

Began M.A. (Philosophy) with Master’s Thesis: “The Self in the thought of Kierkegaard, Sartre and Jung.” Courses taught as teaching assistant: Philosophy of Art, Modern Philosophy, Philosophical Anthropology. Worked as video shop clerk, Vee’s, Stellenbosch. Worked as dance instructor, John Murray Dance School, Stellenbosch. Appearance of an article translated by me from the original Afrikaans and written by my supervisor, Prof. W.L. van der Merwe, in the South African Journal of Philosophy. Afrikaans article: “Erkenning van kulturele verskille, Tydskrif vir Geesteswetenskappe, 41(34), 268-282. English: “Cultural Relativism and the Recognition of Cultural Differences.” South African Journal of Philosophy Vol 18(3): 313 -330. Travel: visited Italy in the summer and in the winter.

2000:

Continued research on Jung, Sartre and Kierkegaard. Taught as assistant: Modern Philosophy. Philosophical Anthropology. Completed thesis in November. Continued to work as dance instructor, John Murray Dance School. Worked as temporary secretary for the Philosophy Department during summer holidays while regular secretary was on leave.

2001:

March: Graduated M.A. (Philosophy), 80%. Taught Modern Philosophy and Philosophical Anthropology as assistant. Hired as temporary lecturer to take responsibility for a quarter semester module: The Philosophy of Language. My duties were: planning, writing course outlines and handouts, teaching classes, handling administration of students scores, setting tests, exams and term papers and grading tests, exams and term papers.

2002:

Presented paper “Jung and Philosophy” at the 28th Annual Conference of the Philosophical Society of South Africa, University of Stellenbosch, 21 – 23 January. Worked as writing tutor at the Writing Center, Stellenbosch University. Taught Philosophy of Language. Submitted D.Phil (Philosophy) proposal: “Imagination and Interpretation in the Phenomenological Hermeneutics of Paul Riceour”. This proposal was accepted, but the research has not been completed to date for both personal and financial reasons.

2003:

Continued research. Taught Philosophy of Language, same duties as before. Performed in the play ‘Mort’ by Terry Pratchett as member of the Inklings Drama society.

2004:

Continued research. Worked as waittress, Decameron Restaurant.

2005:

Continued research. Modelled for the Fine Arts Department, Stellenbosch University.

2006:

Completed TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and TEYL (Teaching English to Young Learners) courses at EC Language School, formerley Boston College Language School, Cape Town, South Africa. Studied French for a short while at Alliance Francais, Cape Town, South Africa.

2007:

January to February: Taught Afrikaans to private student of the Cape Town Language School. From March onwards taught English at Kumorae (Goldsand) Elementary School, Unhaeng, Sihueng, South Korea. Duties: Teaching grades 4, 5 and 6 (42 students per class). Extra classes for grades 2 and 3 (12 students per class). Planning and teaching open class. Designing lesson plans. Summer and winter camps. Adult classes.

2008:

Started teaching English as Songsan Middle School, Sagang, Hwaseong City, South Korea. Duties: Teaching grades 1, 2 and 3 (36 students per class). Extra conversation classes (5 – 12 students per class). Speaking tests. Designing lesson plans. Presenting open class for parents. Summer and winter camps. Served as the secretary of the Hwaseong Newsletter group.

2009:

Continued at Songsan Middle School, same duties as before.



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REFERENCES:



1. Prof. Willem Lodewikus van der Merwe

Dillenburgstraat 3

3583 VA Utrecht, The Netherlands

Tel: 0031 (0) 20 5986617 (h) / 0031 (0) 62373807 (w)

Fax: 0031 (0) 20 5986635

E-mail: wl.van_der_merwe@th.vu.nl



2. Prof. Anton A. van Niekerk

Stellenbosch University

Department of Philosophy (Chairperson)

Private Bag X1

Matieland

7602

Tel: +27 21 8082418 Fax: 27 21 8083556



3. 문 기 승

Head English Teacher

Songsan Middle School

558 Sagang-ri

Songsan-myon

Hwaseong City

Gyeonggi-do

South Korea

445-874

Telephone: 031-357-1020 or 031-357-1021

E-mail: gssarang@hanmail.net



4. 김 순 기

Principal

Songsan Middle School

558 Sagang-ri

Songsan-myon

Hwaseong City

Gyeonggi-do

South Korea

445-874

Telephone: 031-357-1022



____________________________________________________________________________

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSLzTMfZn58

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSLzTMfZn58

Video... killed the radio star.

A last attempt to get my video onto this page ... (a last attempt for today, that is).

Earth cadet.

Pursuant to a conversation I had with my mom this past weekend, I've decided to jot down a few notes about the missing link between theory and practise. No matter what you study at school, college or university, when called on to implement what you've learnt, you encounter problems.

An example: when I was being prepared on a theoretical level 'how to teach', I understood on a theoretical level that students might 'misbehave' in class, and I knew on a theoretical level how to 'deal' with it. But learning in theory about classroom management doesn't come close to the practise of actually being in a classroom filled with inattentive students. In practise, I've found, students respond to one method of classroom management one day, and the next day that same method maybe doesn't work. The pristine beauty of the various theories of language learning are somehow never realized in an actual classroom, because you can hardly get beyond the first step of simply introducing the lesson, before needing to glare at a noisy kid about to throw a paper missile at her friend.

Speaking of first steps, here is another example from the world of teaching: When I was a dance instructor I learned basic ballroom steps which then I had to convey to my dance students. The theory of how to lift your heels or your toes, how to angle your arms and hips, how to turn your head just right, was for the most part wasted on beginners struggling to remember just the following basic rhythm: 'Slow, slow, quick - quick slow; slow, slow, quick - quick slow". That's the two-step by the way. So, again, in theory one should first step on one's toe, then heel, going backwards, and lift the toe of the front foot while keeping the heel on the floor... In practise it is useless to try and force your student to do that if he or she can't remember whether to start with the right foot or the left foot.

So: there is a gap between theory and practise. And where there should be a link to bridge this gap, there is simply ... frantic improvisation for the most part.

So, the discussion I had with my mom was about Project Runway 6, the first episode, where this 'gap' jumped out at me: One contestant who had actually studied design and could use all the terminology correctly ended up in the bottom two because he was stymied when his model turned out to be a bit fatter than he'd expected. Another contestant who had had no schooling, and didn't know the terminology, ended up winning the challenge. A clear demonstration that theory doesn't prepare you instantly for practise. You gotta first get your hands dirty, trying things they didn't teach you at school, before you can make a dress, dance a two-step, or teach an English class.

Then there was the 'space cadet' contestant. My mom called her the 'space cadet'. 'Space cadet' means: someone who is not on the same plane as others. Someone who's 'out there', 'weird', 'way-out', 'crazy'. The space cadet stood on her head while others were drawing their designs. She doesn't draw. She communes with the fabric.

Design school no doubt teaches you to draw your design first, then start sewing. This contestant clearly wanted no part of design school ideas. And you know what, you can't blame her, because it does often seem that all the stuff we've learned through-out our lives at school have been pretty useless. Space cadet has eschewed theory entirely and is convinced she can practise more purely without all that school stuff impeding her creative flow.

There are a lot of space cadets out there, who have given up on theory, or look down on theory, because in our experience as human beings we've learned that theory doesn't take you all the way to practise. It leaves you at the gap to your own devices.

Enter: Earth Cadet! This is my humble suggestion. When you find yourself in that gap between theory and practice you have to call on your inner space cadet to come up with freaky ideas. But then your space cadet has to land back on earth, where certain things work and other don't, where certain things are accepted and others aren't. And it is advisable to go with what is commonly accepted.

Space cadet was eliminated from the competition. I bet you anything that if she had just taken the time to put the theory of 'sketching before manufacturing' to work she wouldn't have been.

What's up with that!!!???

I am TRYING to POST a VIDEO ... and I can't!!!!!!! Why oh why??? Anyway, anyone who is interested in seeing the (very cool) video can just type 'Christine Jonker Language Presentation' in the YouTube searchbox.

The YouTube Version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSLzTMfZn58

Trying again.

http://s677.photobucket.com/albums/vv133/fatinkerbell/?action=view¤t=SMOV0031.flv

Video presentation: Language skills.

[URL=http://s677.photobucket.com/albums/vv133/fatinkerbell/?action=view&current=SMOV0031.flv][IMG]http://i677.photobucket.com/albums/vv133/fatinkerbell/th_SMOV0031.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

How to learn.

The second half of the academic year here in middle school is an ideal time for me to study Korean. I find myself falling back into old habits that I had in high school. In high school I actually didn't spend that much time studying, but strangely enough I did exceptionally well. What was I doing in high school? Reading voraciously. And not my school books either. I read stuff that my mom and I took out from the library each week, so basically thrillers, crime, that kind of thing. If I hadn't had pulp fiction with me in study hall I'd have gone mad! For me the incentive to getting my homework or studying done quickly was to get back to the story I was reading. Actually though that meant my brain was totally alert all the time and firing on all cylinders. Of course I had to read my storybooks discreetly. Go figure. So nowadays I actually don't read that much any more ... It breaks my heart to tell the truth, but staying with the point I'm trying to get to: I spend a lot of time on the internet. A lot. Really a lot. It's very consuming. Now what makes it fun to be hanging out on the internet is that actually to my right there is my "Teach Yourself Korean" book, looking neglected, and infusing me with the tiniest hint of guilt. I should be studying lesson nine! But actually, I have been studying lesson nine, and because I do it once I get way too bored with the internet, it goes so so quickly. The thing is, I think in high school I read books and now I play on the internet because you can take in a bit of learning at a time, but then you've gotta abandon it for something fun. It's like eating. You can't eat all day long 'cos your stomach needs a bit of time to process stuff, plus it has a limited capacity. Just like your brain. So here's my advice: always do something fun while you're studying, and alternate between the fun stuff and the learning stuff. After a while you won't be able to tell which is which : )

Triumph!

For some weeks now certain students in my 'last slot on a Friday' class have been ... uhm ... shall we say .... "challenging"... to manage. But today I feel as if my patience in the past has paid off. My strategy in classroom management is often to find the focus of disruptions. Usually it's one or two students who have fallen into the habit of thinking they 'can't do' English. To hide their insecurity at what they perceive to be their incompetence, they totally act out. After a while it becomes so predictable. So now I pre-empt their disruptive lack of attention by focusing on them all the time, and right from the start of the class. That look on their faces which says: "Oh no, here she comes comes again!" is priceless : ) But the thing is I'm totally nice to them. Whenever I need a 'volunteer' to write stuff on the board, or to roleplay a dialogue, or whatever, it's the same person or persons I choose again and again until they figure out that I'm not gonna ignore their habitual bad behaviour and that the consequence of their bad behaviour is that they will have to work twice as hard as everyone else in class. Here's looking forward to next Friday afternoon : )

Teaching teachers.

Here is a short and cryptic thought: isn't every teacher a teacher of teachers? When I happen to observe my students 'helping' each other, even though actually I'm not asking for a collaborative effort, I think to myself: each student is a teacher in potentia, but also actually a teacher for real ... 'cos they're teaching themselves every day. Good teachers are good 'masters' of themselves: they can survive fatigue and boredom and force themselves to go on concentrating. By their example, kids learn to stop fidgeting, teenagers begin eventually to ignore their peers and pay attention in the classroom, and college students train their brains to absorb and store info quickly and reliably. So the 'best' teachers out there are those who teach others how to 'master' themselves. The only way to learn this self-mastery is to watch and be inspired by someone else who has clearly risen to a level of comfortable self-discipline: for a good teacher attention comes easily and understanding follows quickly.