AN EDUCATION

No, this is not about that movie which was released some months ago.This is about students struggling to make a presentation. This is about blurred PowerPoint. This is about Posture, reading instead of presenting the project, and so on. Have you ever seen this scenario before? So did I. The thing is, I am not talking about my students or English students at all...I am talking about other students, students from universities, students who will be teachers, students who will be graduating in a few months.

I had the opportunity to watch a presentation today at a certain university, and I can tell you that I was terrified by the way they presented that project. They were definitely not prepared. They did not have any clue of what they were doing there.They were struggling to make eye contact with someone in that classroom. No techniques, no methods, no approaches, nothing! Is it their fault? Future teachers trying to impress everybody with cliche sentences! Trying to motivate other students but they themselves were unmotivated! Where could they learn those techniques, methods and approaches? University? Yes, I also thought so...but, actually that is not true. Students who were supposed to be prepared for classroom, leave university unprepared and with little or none experience! The presentation was related to the English Language and "theoretically", it should be presented in English, but that did not happen. Not a word! (Except for reading material). It is not their fault, I know...But I also know that we should change how "system" works in Universities, schools, and in most places around the world, and I also know that if we do not change the curriculum for students of English , there will always be unprepared teachers. 
The way things are taught at those places is not right. Manipulation, Fees, unnecessary subjects, and I cannot see any effective nor positive result of anything. Those students are "products" made by that, or other universities, and so are thousands of people around the globe. Education became a market and if you pay more, you get more.  
Poor students, I do feel sorry for them because "life will teach them" and most of the times it is really hard going through all this. This is not a movie. This is the real deal. This is not an education...anymore.

UNBELIEVABLE...

Recently I read an article at JAMIEKEDDIEDOTCOM that a teacher lost his job because of one of Jamie's lesson plan. Basically, the activity involved using Google to investigate frequency of collocation pairs. The teacher was fired because his boss did not agree with that. Ok..here we go. How can we be teachers, I mean, English Teachers if we cannot use all the tools around us to make a class a little bit more interesting than usual? How come? I've seen this before. There was a teacher in a school were I used to teach (the same one where all the innovative projects were declined), who was fired because his classes were very noisy, consequence of the students' excitement...so, if students like it, it means that it is wrong? If students don't like it, the teacher is also fired...so, what do we have to do?

TTC (Teacher Training Course), Workshops, Teachers' meetings, all kinds of training we participate, for what? If we cannot use it, why bothering going to those training courses? Do you know why I had the urge to write about this? Because here in Brazil, specifically in my city, Recife, most of the schools here are like that...they want you to teach, but not to be very innovative, because it may disturb some of the "school authorities", or it is not the school's teaching philosophy, and you know what? It sucks! I keep motivating myself by using twitter, following teachers around the world, visiting websites, blogs and also going to teacher training meetings because I hope, I said I hope someday this will be over, and we will teach using our creativity to improve our way of teaching. 

I wish we can reflect abou what happened to that teacher, and I also would like you to have a say  and tell me what you think.

See you.

CAMBRIDGE DAY 2010 - RECIFE-PE

Hello Teachers! An amazing event is about to happen soon,  the CAMBRIDGE DAY has been a huge success everywhere in the country. Teachers from all over the place are coming every year to take part in this event. It is a great opportunity for you to know other ELT teachers and also improve your knowledge in the English Language. Fun activities, speeches, workshops and of course, RAFFLES!! Yes, exactly! You also have a chance to win some of the Cambridge products! If you want to register, click HERE.The guest speaker will be 'Jeff Stranks who has worked in ELT for over 30 years. He is a freelance material writer and trainer, and has co-authored, with Herbert Puchta, English in Mind and More! published by Cambridge University Press. He is also an examiner and moderator for Cambridge ESOL teacher-training courses'. The talk will be "Listening, Lexis and Learning". The Cambridge Day will take place at Recife Palace Golden Tulip Hotel - Boa Viagem Ave. 4070, Boa Viagem Beach, Recife-PE, on October 22nd, from 1 to 4:00 p.m. .
So, what are you waiting for? Register Now!!
I will be there! Will you?

What? 
- Cambridge Day 2010
Where? 
- Recife Palace Golden Tulip Hotel (Boa Viagem Ave. 4070, Boa Viagem Beach).
When? 
- October, 22nd.
At What Time? 
- 1 to 4:00 p.m. 
Website:
- http://www.cambridge.org.br/cambridge/hotsites/cambridgeday2010
How much?
- 1kg of Non-Perishable food.

NEW ROUTES MAGAZINE

    

     Hello Everybody! Estava eu aqui em casa, quando bateram na porta para me entregar as correspondências do dia. Entre elas, estava uma revista endereçada a mim. Até aí tudo bem, mas o detalhe é que eu não conhecia a revista e o melhor de tudo isso é que é uma revista especializada em ensino de idiomas, principalmente inglês!! É a revista New Routes! Uma publicação da editora Disal, foi aí que eu entendi o motivo pelo qual comecei a receber essa jóia do ensino. Eu tinha feito algumas compras na Disal lá em São Paulo quando fui agora desta última vez e participei de uma palestra na sede da editora lá na Barra Funda!

     A revista traz matérias muito interesantes, entrevistas, curiosidades e textos reflexivos sobre a profissão docente. Jogos, atividades para fazer com seus alunos em sala de aula, notícias sobre os eventos de língua inglesa que acontecem por todo o Brasil, incluindo os da própria editora, claro! Além de promoções de livros vendidos na própria Disal! Além disso, você pode fazer o seu cadastro no site oficial clicando AQUI. Ao se cadastrar, você recebe um número de cadastro e com ele seu acesso às edições anteriores da revista New Routes é automaticamente liberado. É só ir na seção "Revista New Routes" na parte de cima da página e assim ter acesso a todas elas, podendo imprimir as matérias que achar interessante! A capa que aparece aqui nesse post é a do mês de Setembro! Eu já estou ansioso pela edição de Outubro!!

Fica a dica aí! Não deixem de comentar e dizer o que acharam, ok?

Hasta la vista! (?) rsrs...

XII BRAZ-TESOL NATIONAL CONVENTION

     Hello Everybody! Here I am again to tall you what happened at  Beit Yaacov School. The XII BRAZ-TESOL NATIONAL CONVENTION was really fantastic! There were lots of speakers and workshops going around that place, It was so amazing that It was difficult to choose what meeting to go! More than 300 in 4 days!! That's Awesome!! [=D] I was really impressed by all the thought given to this convention...I did not know It was something like that! Well, for you to have an Idea of what those spectacular days were, here are some photos. Enjoy It!