Guest Blog Post from Alla Sobirova-- The Power in Teaching with Film and Video

By Alla Sobirova

In this blogpost, Alla shares how she teaches with film and video to learn new languages.

I have taught video in the university for almost 2 years and noticed that my subject was one of the most popular among students.  It happened not because there was something special about me but because all students love to watch films! Even those who did not want to study very much were doing great at my lessons.

English is called so called a “global” language for “international communication”. And my students often asked me a question: “How would I understand, for example, an Indian accent if I have never heard it before?” The duty of a teacher is to help solving this problem. 

Watching films is a great solution that also kills two birds with one stone. I not only help with listening problems but also enlarge the general knowledge on such subject as country study. Students also develop their critical thinking and learn how to distinguish what is true and what is false. Listening to the everyday language helps learners to start speaking faster and with better pronunciation. After talking about the advantages of teaching with video, I would like to give an example on one film.

National Treasure - The Book of Secrets

The summary of this film you can find here: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Treasure:_Book_of_Secrets)

 I would also like to share what my students learned after watching this film. They learned the following:

• Found out in details about Civil War (1861-1865)
• Read (voluntarily on their own!) the book “Gone with the Wind”
• Learned about Buckingham Palace and White house
• Got to know American Presidents more
• Learned that there is more than one Statue of Liberty (!)

Found out about the Library of Congress (the largest library in the world)All this information was discussed as lessons and we learned that some facts in the film were not real. Most importantly, students were able to find the facts on their own and they expanded their vocabulary with words that were easily memorized after watching the film.

Of course, there may be disadvantages in watching films, but no doubt, it does help students learn. Best of all, our classes not boring!

How do you use film and video in your tutoring sessions or classroom? Please share your strategies with us. 

Alla Sobirova started to teach English on-line after she delivered her baby in 2009 and could not teach English in traditional face-to-face  way. It was a new field for her and she had to read and learn a lot in order to organize oral practice lessons that helped her students.

You can find some examples of my work at www.allasobirova.com.

Guest Blog Post from Alla Sobirova--Six Strategies to Teach English Idioms and Their Meanings

By Alla Sobirova

In this blogpost, Alla shares strategies to teach English idioms and their meanings.

To make sure that the time spent on the study of idioms was not in vain, do the following:

1.      Elect from 5 to 8 idioms that can simply be grouped.

Most idioms are divided into common categories such as idioms with animals or body parts. Elect 5-8 idioms of any category, for example, time idioms. If you choose more than 10, you will be successful only in your overwhelming students, and they will not keep in mind at least some of the idioms they learned in their class. So, to teach idioms of time, you will find eight idioms in the list (prepare the list of all idioms you want students to know).Before presenting idioms, make sure that students understand that they are commonly used in spoken language, and occasionally in writing, by some of the exceptions (they are extensively used in the Web, blogs, newsletter articles, etc.) but students should realize that makes their style informal).

2.     Teach the idioms in context, never in isolation

Some ESL teachers simply hand out the list of idioms and their definitions or explanations. But in order for students to not only understand them, and learn how to use them, give examples of the idiom in the context of, for example, in the usual discussions where the meaning of idioms is clear. Make a conversation (a dialogue) where the meaning of the idiom is clear.
Ask students to guess the meaning of idiom. Correct if it’s necessary. Ask them to give other examples of that idiom. Then go other conversation with another idiom.

3.     Students write dialogues with idioms themselves.

Remember, the goal is to get students not only understand the idiom but figure out how to use it perfectly. Divide the class into pairs. Each pair of students receives one or two idioms to work. They should write the conversation, and use these idioms in it. Walk around the classroom, to assist students and check it for accuracy.

4.      Students act out their discussions (spontaneous role-plays)

A pair of students acts out their dialogue they had written in front of their classmates. So, they do not only practice using the idioms but they also hear other examples of their classmates, and other ways how these idioms can be included in a dialogue.

5.     Practice with games and activities

You can find matching games, filling the gaps exercises to practice more. There are many ready-to- use idioms worksheets in Internet.

6.     The introduction of real-life, authentic material

Show students how some of these idioms are used in  media, newspaper and magazine articles, songs, cartoons, videos, marketing ads, etc ... Thanks to Web, all you need to do is Google the idiom, and you'll find a lot of sources!
Just remember to keep it real. Your students should know that there are real people out there that are actually talking like this. Pretty soon, they may feel ready to start using some of their own.

 

How do you teach English idioms? Please share your strategies with us. 

Alla Sobirova started to teach English on-line after she delivered her baby in 2009 and could not teach English in traditional face-to-face  way. It was a new field for her and she had to read and learn a lot in order to organize oral practice lessons that helped her students.

You can find some examples of my work at www.allasobirova.com.

Guest Blog Post from Alla Sobirova-- Strategies to Help Learners Memorize Foreign Words With Sound Associations

By Alla Sobirova

Many of you met Alla last year when she was a Guest on our blog, she is back and we are so glad to have her!

In this blogpost, she would like to share some words of wisdom of how to memorize foreign words with sound associations. As you are reading this, please think about the following question: What type of strategies do you use to help learners memorize foreign words?

The method of phonetic (sound) associations (MPA) has emerged because of a variety of languages ​​in the world have words or parts of words that sound alike but have different meanings. Moreover, in many languages ​​there are words that have a common origin, but over time got a different meaning. Most people use this method, not realizing that they are using it.

The first mention of the effectiveness of methods similar to the MFA was already in the literature of the 19th century. In the 70-s of 20^th century, a detailed study of associations in the process of mastering the language was conducted by a professor of Stanford University, R. Atkinson. He and his colleagues suggested that a group of students studying Russian language, memorize words by using "Keyword method", while the control group memorized the same words by traditional methods. "Keywords" in Atkinson are the words that are phonetic (sound) associations to the memorized words, similar-sounding words. Numerous experiments of Atkinson and his colleagues proved the high efficiency of this method for memorizing foreign words. The method of phonetic associations as a method for memorizing foreign words becomes more and more popular in the world.

Now let’s look at the details of what exactly a method of sound associations is. To remember a foreign word, you need to find a word that sounds the same or similar in your native language or the language you know well. Then you need to make a small story from the word that sounds similar and translation. For example, for the Russian word лук (which means “a bow” or “an onion”) there is the English word “look".  The story might be: "I cannot look when I cut лук (onion). The story is necessary to help to remember. The word does not need to be identical with the foreign, even partially will suffice. It is important that words in the story were as neutral as possible, without causing vivid images.

With the MPA method you can remember a lot of words in one sitting. And what is the most important; this method will help you get rid of the endless repetition of memorized words. Just one time you need to find the word’s sound association and make up a story. It is important to always say out loud the memorizing word and a sounding similar word. First of all, it must be done to ensure that your memory captures both of them in natural way. Usually it is enough to say both words 2-3.

Here's another example: ARRESTO means “a bus stop” in Italian. The similar-sounding word can be “to arrest”. The story can be this: At the bus stop someone was arrested. It is better not to specify who exactly was arrested not to not to confuse the similar-sounding word with the odd word. In such cases it is possible to use pronouns, and for the revitalization of the plot is good  to imagine that it happened to someone you know at least a little, and even better with yourself. However, if you make the story about yourself: "At the stop I was arrested" - then it would be easy to apply the method of “co-feeling” to improve memory.

Surely, to remember words, sound-similar words and stories you will record on paper. In this case, do not be lazy to underline the to-remember word, its translation, and that part of the sound-similar word that reminds the memorized. To do this, you can use different size, italics, underline, etc. It also contributes to memorize better (due to the interaction of visual and auditory memory).
In general, the best effect is reached when for memorizing MPA and “co-feeling” methods are used together.

Often for memorizing foreign words you have to find not one but two sound-similar words. This is necessary when the word is long enough, and in the native language is not like the word. In this case, a foreign word must be broken into two parts and to find a word which conforms to each of its parts (words should be as short as possible and contain as many the common sounds with memorized one as possible).

It should be noted that this method is called phonetic or sound associations not without reason. Association is necessary to select a sound, not spelling of words (indeed, in many languages, the sound and spelling of words are very different). So first of all, before the selection of harmonies, make sure you pronounce the word correctly. To memorize the spelling of words, there are other methods.

The method of phonetic associations is indispensable in a lack of time: in preparation for the exam, a leisure trip or a business trip, that is, in any situation where within a short period of time to remember many words. With its help it is easy to memorize 30-50 words a day (it's at least 11000 words per year!). At the same time the most important thing is that this method avoids the tedious memorizing (which is simply impossible with traditional methods of learning foreign words) and can even make memorizing foreign words in a fun, creative process.

If you liked this method and you want to practice it, try the following exercise.

Exercise: Here are words in different languages. Find sound associations for them and make stories to remember.

a) There are 8 Italian words. They are read just as written.
01.ARIA - AIR
02.FAGOTTO – KNOT
03.BURRO – OIL
04.FRONTE – FOREHEAD
05.GALERA – PRISON
06.GARBATO – POLITE
07.LAMPO – LIGHTNING
08.PANINO – BUN
Possible associations:
01. an aria from an opera
02. to forget
03.  a bureau
04. in front of
05. golly’s
06. Garry Betty
07. a lamp
08. piano

Please share your strategies with us. 

Alla Sobirova started to teach English on-line after she delivered her baby in 2009 and could not teach English in traditional face-to-face  way. It was a new field for her and she had to read and learn a lot in order to organize oral practice lessons that helped her students.

You can find some examples of my work at www.allasobirova.com.

10 Resources to Help the Online ESL/EFL Tutor

English language is spoken in the whole world. ESL which stands for English as a Second Language and EFL which stands for English as a Foreign Language are the two popular tests that are taken by the non-native speakers of English language. These tests are required for admission into various universities that are located in English speaking countries. Hence the importance of these tests is quite huge among the non native speaker countries.

When it comes to learning or preparing for ESL and EFL there are a number of ways. One can prepare on his own self with certain books, one can approach a tutor or one can go through an online tutoring program. If you have chosen the online learning path, you would find a number of resources that can help you achieve the required knowledge.

We have listed down the 10 most important resources that would go a long way in improving your skills with ESL and EFL:

1.      English Idioms: There are a number of websites that can help you gain a better grasp on idioms. This will go a long way in preparing you for the final battle.

2.    Phrasal verbs: You can easily find some websites on the internet that would help you gain knowledge in phrasal verbs.

3.    Quizzes and test websites: The test and quiz websites will improve your general English proficiency and it will also let you gaze yourself and your knowledge in a particular field.

4.    Articles: There are a number of website which have articles and coverage about various things. As you can read and improve your reading and understanding of the language easily.

5.     Tutor material: Some websites would also provide you teaching material which will go a long way in improving the knowledge of the client such as The Becoming a Better Tutor Group Site.

6.    Forums: There are a number of forums. These are the platforms where you can talk with the likeminded people around the world and share your ideas. You can also get your doubts cleared with the other people if any.

7.     Grammar tools: A lot of tools are available online that can inform you if you have used wrong grammar in your sentences.

8.    Software downloads: A number of software are available which can improve your understating of the subject matter of ESL and EFL with ease. Most of the software available in this segment have interactive approach.

9.    Flash Cards, Excel Sheets and Accessories: A number of websites would provide you flash cards and other material that you can utilize during your session.

10.            Internet Ideas: As far as the effectiveness of the lessons are concerned, you can get some really good teaching material and ideas from the internet. A great site to visit is Alla Sobirova's Blog; she has some great resources available.

What are some resources that you have found to be helpful with language tutoring?

Guest Blog Post from Alla Sobirova--What Makes On-line Learning Effective?

By Alla Sobirova

Alla Sobirova started to teach English on-line after she delivered her baby in 2009 and could not teach English in traditional face-to-face  way. It was a new field for her and she had to read and learn a lot in order to organize oral practice lessons that helped her students.

In this blogpost, she would like to share some of the main ideas how to make on-line learning effective.

 On-line learning is learning at a distance, that is, the learner is separated from the tutor. In the practice of teaching foreign languages, it is used very widely now as the number of learners grow and as well as the need in good teachers.

 Therefore, there always has been a long search for a more effective learning at a distance. In addition to print resources, there are also widely used features of television, video, and CD-ROM. The fact is that without systematic feedback from a qualified teacher such courses are usually doomed to failure, despite various attempts to make them entertaining with communicative elements.

 In recent years, universities in different countries have paid attention to the fact that there is a possibility of using computer telecommunication technologies for distance learning, including foreign languages.

Unlike other forms of distance learning, learning through computer telecommunications make it possible to:

• Rapid transmission of any information on the distance;

• Storing that information in memory for the right time, to edit it, etc.

• Interactivity with specially created for this purpose multimedia information and immediate feedback with the instructor and other participants of the training course;

• Access to various information sources, including remote and distributed databases, numerous conferences around the world via the Internet.

• Joint telecommunications projects, as well as international, electronic conferences, audio and video conferences (webinars).
       

The effectiveness of any kind of distance learning will be  depends on four factors:

• The effective interaction of teacher and student, despite the fact that they are separated;

• Using proper pedagogical technologies;

• The effectiveness of the developed teaching materials and methods for their delivery;

• The effectiveness of feedback.
     

In other words, the effectiveness of distance learning depends on the organization and methodological quality of materials used and the skills of teachers involved in this process.
      

In addition to the allocated number of characteristics that should be inherent in any kind of distance learning, so that it can be considered as effective:

• Distance learning requires more thorough and detailed planning of the student’s activities, their organization, a clear statement of goals and learning objectives; delivery of necessary training materials;

• The key concept of the educational programs of distance learning is interactivity. Distance learning courses have to ensure maximum interactivity between the student and teacher, feedback between the student and teaching material, as well as a chance to have group learning;

• It is very important to provide high-performance feedback to students to make them confident in the rightness of their actions. Feedback should be timely,  and expressed later  in the form of external evaluation(grades);

• A key element of any course is motivation, it needs to be applied in  a variety of tools and techniques;

• The structure of distance learning course should be modular, so that the student had the opportunity to become aware of their progress from module to module, could choose any module on your own or at the discretion of the governing teacher, depending on the level of training. It should be noted that the modules of a large amount markedly reduce motivation for
  education;

• Particular importance when learning a foreign language has a sound that can be achieved either by networking or through CD-ROM or other devices.
  
  

Currently, modern information technologies offer unlimited possibilities of solving the problem of distance learning as well as there is possibility to store, process and deliver information over any distance of any volume and content.

 In such circumstances, the most important in organizing the distance education system is the methodological and content organization. This takes into account not only the selection of content for learning, but also the structural organization of educational material.

I myself teach EFL via Skype.  I don’t use camera in order to get full attention of my tutees towards my pronunciation not appearance. Usually people ask me to help with spoken language so I try to get stories or short texts from “hot” news in order to teach my students “newest” words as they call them or some interesting short stories that I ask to read as homework.

You can find some examples of my work at www.allasobirova.com.