TOEIC Preparation: Week 14 - Speaking Review

Warm Up: Holiday Puzzle

Work with your partners to complete the Christmas Sudoku puzzle. The idea of the puzzle is to put pictures in all the squares so that each row, column, and 2x3 rectangle contains ONE and ONLY ONE example of each picture. Can you solve it in time? Click the link below and find the page for your group.

Christmas Sudoku: CLICK HERE

• Hint 1: CLICK HERE
• Hint 2: CLICK HERE
• Hint 3: CLICK HERE




• Answer Key: CLICK HERE

Task 1: Read a Text Practice

Underline the content words. Pay attention to compound words and phrasal verbs and underline the stressed portion. Circle punctuation and mark intonnation patterns in lists of three or more. When you finish CLICK HERE to check your answer. Then read the text aloud to your partner. Remember to use a physical gesture to remind you to stress the conent words. 

Click to see full size.

Task 2: Describe a Photo

Click the three dots to put the presentation in full screen. Search the presentation to find a photo you like. Take 45 seconds to prepare. Then click the video timer and take 30 seconds  to describe the photo.

Not Visible?: CLICK HERE

Task 3: Answer Quick Questions

Click the three dots and put the presentation in full screen. Practice answering a set of 3 questions. Use the video timers to help you keep track of your time. Go to the next page and let your partner try.

Not Visible?: CLICK HERE

Task 4: Graphic Question Warm Up

Take a minute to study the graphic with your partner. It is also located in your anthology on page 45. Then ask your partner questions from the list. The idea is to see how many questions your partner can answer in 1 minute. When you finish, move on to the video practice exercises.

Click to view full image.

• Do you know what Mr. Biggs is planning to discuss following the break?
• Could you give me information about the activites in the morning?
• Can you tell me the length of the sessions?
• I am interested in learning from women leaders in the field of graphic design. Will there be any presenters by female speakers?
• Where and when will this event be held?
• Will there be a chance to ask questions or discuss topics with the speakers?
• I'm really interested in learning about 3D graphics. Will that topic be addressed in the conference?
• I am going to be a little late for this conference. What will I miss if I arrive at 10:20?
• I'm interested in attending the conference but I can't pay right now. What is the last day I can register for the event?

Task 5: Video Practice

Click the three dots and put the presentation in full screen. Practice answering a set of 3 questions. Use the video timers to help you keep track of your time. Go to the next page and let your partner try.

Not Visible?: CLICK HERE

Task 6: Video Practice

Time to put into practice the opinion sandwich one last time. 

• Begin your response by stating your opinion.
• Give 2-3 reasons with their corresponding details and explanations
• Finish by restating your opinion

Click the three dots and put the presentation in fullscreen. Make sure you are sharing your computer sound. 

Not Visible?: CLICK HERE

Task 7: End of Course Reflection

Take a few minutes to reflect on your expereinces in the course with your partners. 

• Highlights: Think back about our classes and asynchronous assignments this term. What are some aspects of the course that you found enjoyable or useful? Why?

• Goals: What were your goals when you signed up for this course? In what ways have your made progress toward acheiving your goals?

• Challenges: What aspects of the TOEIC exam do you still find challenging? What is particularly difficult about these aspects?

• Plans: What are two specific actions you can take in order to continue preparing for success in the TOEIC now that the course is over?

• Feedback: Imagine your could make changes to the structure of the course, its focus, or any of the tasks in order to make the best experience for future students. What would you change and why? What would you keep the same and why?

Teaching and Assessing Listening - Week 14 - Applying Insights from Research

Introduction: Hello and welcome to Week 14 of the course Teaching and Assessing Listening for the master's in English teaching at ULACIT term IIICO 2022. In today's class we will reflect on some of the topics we have covered in the course and articulate our takeaways. We will also work in small groups to present a walkthrough of our listening lesson plan. 

Today's Goals:

• Reflect on your highlights and takeaways from the course. 
• Show how you have applied insights from your research to the design of a listening lesson.

Guiding Questions: 

• What are my takeaways from this course?
• How can research inform my approach to listening instruction?

Warm Up: Guided Course Reflection

This is it! The final class of the term. Let's take a few minutes to participate in this guided writing task to reflect on our experiences.

• Demonstrate your ability to carry out independent research in the field of second language listening pedagogy and assessment by creating an annotated bibliography to summarize the content of 7 to 10 professional articles or book chapters and articulate the findings that are applicable to your research aims.

• Demonstrate your ability to apply knowledge gained from individual research to your teaching context by creating a listening lesson plan and brief justification document.

• Demonstrate your ability to develop a comprehensive, theoretically justified assessment instrument to evaluate students’ listening ability for a specific purpose and context by proposing an exam construct, writing a variety of items and tasks, and developing the required materials.

• Demonstrate your ability to read an academic article and accurately identify and synthesize key concepts presented in the text in order to lead a group discussion exploring the implications of the theory to your teaching practice.

• Read and respond to 7 articles or chapters about a variety of topics related to the nature of listening, listening instruction, and listening assessment.

• Peter: CLICK HERE
• Ignacio: CLICK HERE
• Francisco: CLICK HERE
• Stephanie: CLICK HERE
• Arianna: CLICK HERE
• Gabriela: CLICK HERE

Task 1: Listening Lesson Plan Walkthroughs

Now it's time to share your textbook analysis projects. Follow these steps to share your assignment with your parnters in breakout rooms. 

• What were your research questions or objectives for the annotated bibliography assignment? Why did you choose them?
• What are the most important insights you gained from your research?
• How did you go about the process of designing your listening lesson plan?
• Share your plan and materials with your partners. Explain your design choices by making explicit reference to the insights you incorporated into the plan.
• Feel free to demo one of the activities briefly if you want.

• After the presentation provide some feedback using the envelope framework below.

Peer Feedback Framework

References: 

Rost, M. (2017). Teaching and Researching Listening (3rd ed.). Routledge.

 Culture & SLA - Week 14 - Culture and Materials Evaluation

Introduction: Hello and welcome to Week 14 of the course Culture and Second Language Acquisition for the master's in English teaching at ULACIT term IIIC0 2022.  In this class we will reflect on what we have learned, articluate our final takeaways from the course, and share our textbook analysis assignments.

Today's Goals:

• Look back and topics, assignments, and activities covered in this course and express ways in which our beliefs and understandings of culture have changed, deepened, or remained the same.
• Present your analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of a commercial language teaching coursebook for the purposes of teaching culture.

Guiding Questions:

• What are my takeaways from this course?
• How can I be a critical user of coursebooks for the purposes of teaching language and culture?

Warm Up: Final Course Reflection

Over the last 14 weeks we have covered a lot of content related to the nature of culture, culture's relationship with the nature of culture, how culture is learned, how to teach culture, and other topics in SLA that have connections to culture. 

• Demonstrate your ability to describe and interpret cultural features using technical terminology and references to relevant theory from the course in a 10-12 minute podcast analyzing a film.

• Demonstrate your ability to read an academic article and accurately identify and synthesize key concepts presented in the text in order to lead a group discussion exploring the implications of the theory to your teaching practice.

• Demonstrate your ability to plan a learning sequence in order to teach an aspect of culture in accordance with theory studied in the course.

• Demonstrate your ability to critically evaluate commercial language teaching materials for the purposes of teaching culture.

• Read and respond to 11 articles or chapters about a variety of topics related to culture, culture learning and teaching, and connections between culture and SLA.

Click the group link below and complete the reflection.

• Group Link: CLICK HERE

Task 1: Textbook Analysis Presentations

Now it's time to share your textbook analysis projects. After each presentation we will save some time for peer feedback.

Peer Feedback Framework

References:

Moran, P. (2001). Teaching Culture: Perspectives in Practice. Heinle Cengage Learning.

 TOEIC Preparation: Week 13 - Part 4 - Talks

Warm Up: How much is just right?

Tell your partners about the perfect amount of the following items.

• "For me the perfect amount of ... is ... because ..."

Task 1: Listening for Sign Posts

Signposts are phrases that serve the function of guiding the listener's attention during a talk. They help the speaker give a more effective message by indicating what he or she is going to say next. By learning to recognize common signposts, you will improve your listening comprehension abilities for extended texts. Click on your group link below and complete the tasks.

• Group 1: CLICK HERE
• Group 2: CLICK HERE
• Group 3: CLICK HERE
• Group 4: CLICK HERE
• Group 5: CLICK HERE

Task 2: Practice with Graphic Questions

Two or three of the questions in Part 4 will ask you to intepret information from a graphic. Take the mini-test with your group. Click the link below and share your screen and computer sound.

• Mini Test Link: CLICK HERE    

Task 3: Focused Practice - Common Talk Types

Click the link below to complete a group quiz focused on the following common talk types: Business Announcements, Special Announcements, Advertisements, and News Reports.

• Group Quiz: CLICK HERE
• Transcript: CLICK HERE to view the transcripts for the talks to check your answers.

Task 4: Auditory Memory Practice

In this task you will read a text to your partner and he or she will answer some comprehension questions. Listen carefully to see how many details you can identify and retain in your short-term memory. If you don't remember the answer to some of the questions, you can ask your partner to read it again.  

• Student A: CLICK HERE
• Student B: CLICK HERE

 Professional Practice I - Week 13 - Preparing the Final Report

Introduction: Hello and welcome to Week 13 of the Professional Practice I of the BA in English Teaching at ULACIT term IIIC 2022. In today's class we will consider some final details for the course including the importance of teacher research, tips to write an abstract, and format suggestions for your oral presentation. 

Today's Goals:

• Discuss the dimensions of teacher research.
• Write a draft of the abstract for your final report.
• Meet with your instructor for a final counselling session.

Guiding Questions:

• What are the roles of teachers at different stages of the research cycle?
• What are the necessary contents to include in an abstract?
• What do I still need to complete before our final class?

Warm Up: Holiday BS Game

Holidays are full of symbols and practices that represent a window into exploring the perspectives of a culture. However, the historical origin of many holiday traditions are not known even to people within the culture. In this game we will explore the origin of several symbols and practices associated with Christmas. 

• Can you guess which one is correct and which ones sound like BS?

• Topic 1: Origin of the Cristmas Tree
• Student A: CLICK HERE
• Student B: CLICK HERE
• Student C: CLICK HERE

• Topic 2: Origin of Santa Clause
• Student A: CLICK HERE
• Student B: CLICK HERE
• Student C: CLICK HERE

• Topic 3: Origin of Santa's Elves
• Student A: CLICK HERE
• Student B: CLICK HERE
• Student C: CLICK HERE

• Topic 4: Origin of Mistletoe
• Student A: CLICK HERE
• Student B: CLICK HERE
• Student C: CLICK HERE

• Topic 5: Origin of the Christmas Stocking
• Student A: CLICK HERE
• Student B: CLICK HERE
• Student C: CLICK HERE

Topic 1: Weekly Check-In

It's week thirteen! There is one week remaining in the course. Let's see what you have been working this week and what is still remaining.

• There is one week left before submission of the final project is due.
• What did you do this week regarding your project?
• Tell us about your data analysis and conclusions.
• What are you still missing?

• Have you gotten the necessary documentation from the institution?
• Signed and stamped bitácora
• Supervisor evaluation

• What are you concerned about? What questions do you have about what is remaining?

Topic 2: Considering Dimensions of Teacher Research

Let's take another look at Freeman's Teacher Research Cycle, which we have seen in previous classes. As we conclude this course, it is important to consider your role at the different stages of the research cycle. 

• Group Link: CLICK HERE

Topic 3: Sharing your Intervention Project Proposal

The final part of your research project must contain a proposal for the intervention project you intend to carry out next term to make a positive impact on the learning process in the context where you completed your case study. For homework two weeks ago you were asked to prepare a proposal using the templated provided. Let's share and discuss.

• Remind Us: 
• What was your original research topic and question?
• What did you discover with regard to your question?
• What aspects of the situation do you think can be addressed through teacher intervention?

• Tell Us:
• Read us your proposal.
• What was hard about this assignment?
• Are you concerned about any aspects of the proposal?

• Ask Us: 
• What specific sections would you like feedback on?

Topic 4: Reporting the Results

The final stage in the research process is reporting the results. Let's see what the experts say about writing your research report and sharing your findings. Click the group link below.

• Group Link: CLICK HERE
• Qualitative Research Report Checklist: CLICK HERE

• Template Data Analysis and Conclusions: CLICK HERE

• Ericka: CLICK HERE
• Natalia: CLICK HERE
• Selena: CLICK HERE

Topic 5: Writing your Abstract

An abstract is a summary of your research project in a paragraph no longer than 250 words. Let's take a look at some strategies to condense the important details of your project to write and effective abstract. 

• Group Link: CLICK HERE
• Template and Practice: CLICK HERE
• Guidelines for Oral Presentations: CLICK HERE

Topic 6: Individual Check-ins

Let's take the remaining portion of our session to work writing/editing as well as to meet with the instructor for some final advice, brainstorming, and feedback. 

 Teaching and Assessing Listening - Week 13 - Using Artistic Materials in Listening

Introduction: Hello and welcome to Week 13 of the course Teaching and Assessing Listening for the master's in English teaching at ULACIT term IIICO 2022. In today's class we discuss the use of song and other artistic materials in listening activities for language classes. We will participate in several demonstration activities as well as look at two frameworks for exploiting listening texts for additional purposes: the Text-Based Approach and the Ideas Grid.

Today's Goals:

• Participate in a demo PWP lesson with a song and a TDA lesson using a poem.
• Use McGrath's Ideas Grid to brainstorm possible language tasks to do in reaction to a text.
• Reflect on your highlights and takeaways from the course. 

Guiding Questions: 

• How can I effectively use songs and other artistic texts in listening lessons?
• How can the Ideas Grid and Text-Driven Approach help me exploit listening texts?
• What are my takeaways from this course?

Topic 1: Guided Course Reflection

This is it! The final class of the term. Next week you will present your listening lesson plans and explain your designs. Let's take a few minutes to participate in this guided writing task to reflect on our experiences this term. 

• Peter: CLICK HERE
• Ignacio: CLICK HERE
• Francisco: CLICK HERE
• Stephanie: CLICK HERE
• Arianna: CLICK HERE
• Gabriela: CLICK HERE

Topic 2: Using Songs and other Artistic Media in Listening

In today's class we are going to look at the use of songs and other artforms in listening lessons. Discuss these questions with your partners. 

• How often do you use songs in your language classes? 
• How do you use them and for what purposes?
• Do you have any favorite songs that you think are particularly good for and English class?
• What are the opportunities and challenges of using songs in class?

Topic 3: Demo Lesson - Song Analysis

Let's participate in a brief demo sequence using a song you've probably never heard, the 1967 song "Branded Man" by Merle Haggard and the Strangers. This is a country song that I have used as part of an intermediate adults lesson on the topic of crime, punishment, and justic. 

• Group 1: CLICK HERE
• Group 2: CLICK HERE

• Group Discussion: 
• What are alternatives to fill-in-the-blank While listening tasks?
• Songs are not just valuable in terms of the grammar content!
• How can we use songs to stimulate students' language use?
• How can we have our students react to the song's meaning, style, artistic content?
• Some teachers incorporate songs that their students like. What are some of the challenges and oppotunities associated with that approach?

Topic 4: Text Exploitation Frameworks

There are a number of frameworks that have been proposed to help teachers make use of texts (spoken and written) in their classes. We are going to look at two, Tomlinson's Text-Driven Approach and McGrath's Ideas Grid.

Brian Tomlinson's Text-Driven Approach provides a radically different method of materials design. It uses texts as the primary building block of the syllabus. Although a full implementation of this approach is unfeasable to most of us because of curricular constraints in our schools, his framework can give us great ideas for developing a learning sequence around a single text.

The charts below outline the steps in his framework, but before reading them, consider the unwritten Stage Zero!

• Stage 0 - Select interesting texts! Without the "wow" factor, there is no potential for engagement.

• Stage 1 - Readiness Activities - Pre-listening/reading activities designed to establish a connection between the learner's own lives and the text.

• Stage 2 - Experiential Activities - Help the learner to make concrete connections with the text and are given to the learners before they listen or read the text.

• Stage 3 - Intake Response Activities - Focus on getting learners to reflect on what the text means to them.

• Stage 4 - Development Activities - Encourage learners to use the text as a stimulus for a productive language task related to their own lives.

• Stage 5 - Input Response Activities - Are of two kinds, awareness and interpretation, and are intended to involve learners with the language of the text or the author's purpose on a deeper level.

• Stage 6 - Development Activity Extension - Cyclical Approach

Task 1: TDA Demo - Nasty School
You will participate in a demo lesson following the Text-Driven Approach. Follow the teacher's instructions and enjoy the activity sequence as a student. Later you will analyze what happened in the sequence from a materials design perspective.

• Introduction: You are going to hear a poem about children behaving badly in school. Before you listen to the poem, discuss these questions with your partners:
• What are some rules that kids typically have to follow in school?
• What are some ways that kids misbehaved when you were a student?

• Listen and Read: You are going to hear the first part of the poem called “Nasty School” by Shel Silverstein, a poet who was very popular with children when I was young. As you listen, imagine you are a 3rd grader in this elementary school. Try to visualize the answers to these questions. (CLICK HERE to access the poem)

• What are you wearing?
• What and who do you see around you?
• What are you thinking and feeling?

• Share some of the images that came to your mind. 
• Did you ever do any of the behaviors mentioned in the poem?
• Now you are going to listen the second part of the poem where you will hear about what students learn at Nasty School. As you listen, imagine you are a naughty child in Nasty School. Visualize yourself doing these naughty things.

• Discussion: Discuss the following questions with your partners:What do you think of the poem?
• What is an image that stays in your mind related to the poem?
• Why do you think this poet was popular with children?
• Do you agree that it is sometimes fun to break the rules?
• Some people think that one of the primary functions of school is to teach children to control their impulses and learn how to be obedient. Do you agree with this perspective?
• What role should school shave in the formation of values and good behavior in society?

• Writing: Now you are going to write your own poem about one of the following imaginary schools. Choose your school and write a brief poem discussing what happens in this school, how students behave, and what they learn to do. CLICK HERE and go to your section of the document.

• Pleasant School: A utopian school where children learn to be model citizens
• Tico School: An academy where foreigners learn to think and behave like Costa Ricans
• School of Life: A school where children learn essential non-academic life skills that will prepare them for the real world

• Speaking: Re-read the first part of the poem with your partners and then read the roles information below to participate in an improvised roleplay with your group members.

• Student A: You are Johnny, a very misbehaved 3rd grader. You have been very disruptive in class for several months. You are a good kid but being naught is just so fun. Now it is time for the semester parent-teacher conference. You know that your teacher is going to tell your parents about all of the bad things you have been doing. Try to minimize your behavior to avoid punishment from your parents.
• Student B: You are Johnny’s mother or father. You know your son can be a little hyperactive but you think he is a good kid. Now it is time for the semester parent-teacher conference. Ask the teacher questions to find out how Johnny has been behaving.
• Student C: You are Johnny’s teacher. His terrible behavior has made your job a nightmare for the last six months. Now it is time for the parent-teacher conference. You want to explain to Johnny’s mom or dad all of the bad things that he has done and get their support to help him change his behavior.

• Language Focus: Now let's take a moment to look at the poem again. What do you notice about the verbs after the word "how"?
• Finish this sentence about you: "In school I learned how to ..."

• Let's Try: Let's go back to the school poems document and complete the final task as a group.
• Group Document: CLICK HERE

Task 2: Reacting to the Text-Driven Approach

• Now that you have learned about the structure of the Text-Driven Approach, discuss the following questions with your partners. CLICK HERE to view the lesson plan.
• How did the text influence the activities that occured at each stage in the lesson?
• What language skills (listening, reading, speaking, writing) were addressed in the lesson sequence?
• Tomlinson says that texts and tasks used in class should be cognitively (intellectually) and affectively (emotionally) engaging for students in order to provide the ideal conditions for langauge development. Where you cognitvely or affectively engaged by the text or any of the tasks? If so, how?
• TDA depends on finding or creating texts with a high degree of potential engagement, what are some kinds of texts that your learners would find engaging? Why?

Ideas Grid: McGrath suggests a simple template to guide the text exploitation process. Consider the short text below and all of the ideas he proposed to exploit it for use in the language classroom.

Now it's your turn. CLICK HERE to access a sample text and a copy of McGrath's ideas grid. What possibilities does this text offer us?

References: 

Rost, M. (2017). Teaching and Researching Listening (3rd ed.). Routledge.