Kiki's blog

How to be a successful English teacher at junior high school.

2007-06-28T10:59:00.000+09:00

Mr. M's class tought me a lot of things. He said teacher's work is changing students, and teacher have to satisfy themselves how to use english and what is English. When I was at junior high school, I could not understand english well, becouse I was not satisfied it. For example, I could not tell 'a' from 'the' s strict difference. So I suggest to take care of satisfying to teach english.

My reflections on Microteaching

2007-05-25T12:04:00.000+09:00

1) what kind of language I tried to review
I tried to do a interview activity -interrogative.

2) what the objectives of my activity were
I used a handout.

3) what new things I discovered about conducting communicative activities
I thought that students think some questions and then they interviewed to their partner. I wanted students to make the questions that they really want to ask their friend.
There are a reason why I suggest it.
Children don't have a lot of chances to use english in their real life, so I thought the activity have to be more realistic. If they don't know how to use english sentences in real life, they could not use it, isn't they? But I worried about students can make english sentences.

4) my overall reflection of my experience.
・To make japanese quewstions might as well make students' homework.

・I made a handout in japanese, it is help for these students who could not understand what I said. Handouts need to be conforn to students.

・I made one pair to talk that they asked each other, but I think it is better that some more pairs make thier conversation, becouse every students tried really good job, so I had to teach other students one.

・To say all instruction in english was very difficult. I could not say accurate one. It need sufficient preparation, becouse I can not perfectly guess what class going to do.

・Three questions are a little bit large for junior high school students. They take more time to translate what they want to say.

・If I want students to do this activity, I have to present a lot of example before, or I have to advice while I walk though desks.

・Actually, students are shy and don't want to talk in front of their friends, so I must to think some idea for it. I think it is important for other subject, therefor teacher have to make good mood.

Anyway, I felt Karuha, Emiko and Pizza's activities were really interesting. I got a lot of inputs from their teaching. Haruka changed students seat. Changing seat make activities easily. I think it give class variety. I realized it is great class that students study each other by Emiko's movement. Pizza's kaluta was so nice pictures. I think students interested in it.

My classmates helped me a lot!! Thank you very much!

2007-05-16T01:02:00.000+09:00

Today, I am going to review two of the "typical Japanese junior high school"communicative activities presented in ETM 3. The activities I am going to revieware Using movement and Find someone who. You can view them here

1 Using movement
I think movement is really interesting way to teach english becouse it is a lucid explanation. It can use for progressive, but I wonder how it use for other grammer. I am going to think about it follow sentence.
Second-year student at junior high learn the past form. It is new notion for them, so I think it is good way to comparison with present form. Students is moving and teacher said two difference sentences. After teacher said some pair, students understand how to use it.

2 Questionnaire
I did the practice 'questionnaire' when I was at junior high school. Students don't have a lot of chance to use english their realistic scene, so it is a good chance for them. I suggest that the questions are had to contempolate more. If the question is that students really want to ask someone, they would ask more actively. I think if students can write it, making the questions is a practice for make a sentence too.

Important things for me

2007-05-04T21:12:00.000+09:00

I have some important things. I love my family, friends, nature, hot spring and so on. My family live in Fukuchi in Aomori prefecture. I come back to my hometown now. I talked with my family about a lot of things, for example our future and reminiscences. My mother is good listener, so I can talk real intention to her. We sometimes spat but it is very important for me becouse it is a lecture of life. Recently, we talked about my future. I want to be a teacher but I want to go to a graduate school, too. To be sure, my parents thought that I will be a teacher, but it is big conflict and a problem for me. I explained my opinion but I couldn't talk it well. They maybe understanded me. Actually I can't decide it but I chose to study hard to be an elementary school teacher and then I am going to study for a graduate school. My family supported me to choose it. I think family is one of the most important things for my life.

You know, hot spring is important for me too, becouse it makes me relax. I was shoked at first few days in morioka, becouse there are no hot springs! I can not go there by my bicycle...I will live in the city it have good spas.

flowers(´∀`)ﾉ～♡ and my stories of studying english in the secondary school

2007-04-21T23:30:00.000+09:00

Today, I bought some flowers, a tulip and 4 pansys, at Yoichi. Yoichi was crowded. The sellres was so frendly and discounted on it! I was really lucky. And then, I planted these in planters. Spring comes to my room with them.
Le't see... I have to my home work.

1.Your most enjoyable language learning experience at school and an explanation of why
I don't remember clearly but it is the class with ALT in junior high school. It was big chances to use English that I learned. Our ALT was young men and he has good character. He tought us english and his country's culture. I liked traveling and I visited USA before, but I did not know real USA's culture, so it was enjoynable class for me. He sometimes tought us the difference and common things between USA and Japan. I realized we had a stereotype for other countrys.

2.Your least enjoyable language learning activity at school and an explanation of why
It is practice of english words becouse it was monotonous and I feared mistakes.

3.Your most valuable language learning activity at school and an explanation of why
Let me see...it is the class that we tried role play. We memorized the lines and played it. We devised it, so I think it was one of the most valuable language learning activity.

4.Your least valuable language learning activity at school and an explanation of why
High school's classes for center examination becouse we only answered questions and listened explanations.

5.Overall, how would you rate your experience as an English learner?
50% becouse I did not felt the necessity for useing english.

6.The influence you think your language learning experience will have on your teaching
I did not like English class when I was in secondary school becouse it was boring, so I want to make it fun and make the purpose clear why we study english.

kiki's intoduction

2007-04-19T15:17:00.000+09:00

Hello! My name is Kiki. I am a senior student. My dream is to be an elementary school techer, so I study hard for this summers test now.