DO’s and DON’Ts: What are the Rules for teaching ESL? Are there things a teacher should NEVER do?
reflection pools
by Linda-Marie
3y ago
Each of us develops our own theory of teaching and learning, consciously or not.  It’s based on our own experiences as students, our training, the influence of our peers, our teaching context, and our teaching experiences.  At our next Reflective Practice Group gathering, we’ll explore our beliefs about teaching and learning, and look at some of the widely-promulgated lists of DO’s and DON’Ts. Before you come, please think about your personal philosophy of teaching:  What makes you cringe when you see a teacher doing it?  What makes you sad when a student talks about their ..read more
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From our Reflective Practice Group to yours…Holiday Greetings!
reflection pools
by Linda-Marie
3y ago
Teachers from around the San Francisco Bay Area, participants in our 2-year old Reflective Practice Group, complete the thought  “Reflecting in a Community of Practice …..”,  our Holiday Greeting to other reflective practice groups and teachers around the world, and especially to teachers in Dnipro, Ukraine, who’ve just begun meeting as a new RPG, guided by Zhenya Polosatova .  And I want to express my personal gratitude to Zhenya, and to Josette LeBlanc and  Michael Griffin in Korea; without them we might not have launched the SF Bay Area RPG ..read more
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Assessment:  Measuring students’ progress
reflection pools
by Linda-Marie
3y ago
There are many types of assessment.  At our October 30th gathering, we’ll focus mainly on the assessment measures we can implement — during a course, and during a class — to help us measure students’ learning and realign the focus of our teaching, and to help students become aware of their progress, strengths, and areas that need more attention. Bring your questions and also examples of what works or doesn’t work well for you.  Together, we’ll explore what kinds of assessment work in our own teaching contexts. Please join our Reflective Practice Group for ESL practitioners.  Al ..read more
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Developing Connections
reflection pools
by Linda-Marie
3y ago
The CATESOL Bay Area Chapter invites you to a  Fall Social on Saturday, October 15th, from 1:00  – 3:00 pm.  The event will be an opportunity to get acquainted with other members, meet the local chapter board, and discuss your interests and goals for the year. WHEN:              Saturday, October 15th, 2016, 1:00-3:00pm WHERE:           Telegraph Hill Neighborhood Center,660 Lombard St.  San Francisco Everyone is invited (you don’t have to be a member).   ..read more
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BYOP (Bring your own puzzle)
reflection pools
by Linda-Marie
3y ago
Do you have an issue, a question, a persistent struggle with your students, motivation, homework, classroom management … or something else in your teaching practice?  Bring your personal puzzle to the next Reflective Practice gathering for TESOL practitioners in the SF Bay Area – Sunday, April 24th We will use the Reflective (Experiential Learning) Cycle format to support one another in analyzing our puzzles.  Come reflect, generate fresh ideas, and learn together in our professional community of practice. Everyone in the ESL field is welcome! Please RSVP:  l ..read more
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Stone Soup: Reflecting in Community
reflection pools
by Linda-Marie
3y ago
Everyone who came to last Sunday’s meeting about teaching multi-level classes seemed genuinely eager and hopeful about getting some practical ideas to address this challenging reality!  And by the end of the evening, we all came away with lots of new, concrete ideas to implement immediately! That is one of the magical aspects of reflecting in community, as we do at our monthly RPG meetings:  It’s like a stone soup:  each individual may feel they have very little to offer:  unanswered questions, needs and frustrations.  But as we share and reflect together, it turns out ..read more
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KNOWING OURSELVES; KNOWING OUR STUDENTS
reflection pools
by Linda-Marie
3y ago
At our next Reflective Practice Group gathering we will have two special guest facilitators and a panel of speakers: KNOWING OURSELVES; KNOWING OUR STUDENTS Sunday, March 20th      ***       6:30-9:00 pm In the first half of the evening, we will explore unconscious assumptions and judgments we may have about immigrants that can get in the way of seeing who our students really are, hindering our effectiveness as their teachers. This workshop will be facilitated by Melisandra Leonardos, a specialist in education diversity,  SIT-TESOL alumna, Can ..read more
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“Backwards Planning” a Communicative Speaking Lesson from a Textbook
reflection pools
by Linda-Marie
3y ago
Hello Reflective Teachers! We were asked to combine the Canal Alliance’s Spring Orientation training session with our RPG meeting next Sunday evening (Jan 10th). So there will be two changes: 1. We’ll begin and end earlier: 6-6:30 Social/Snacks 6:30-7:30 Workshop 2. The topic has been changed to the following: “Backwards Planning” a Communicative Speaking Lesson from a Textbook Our textbooks are designed for a generic, hypothetical student. But our students are real people!  At our January 10th RPG meeting, we will explore “backwards planning” of a communicative speaking lesson, tai ..read more
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Multi-level classes, early finishers & grouping strategies: RPG SF Bay Area
reflection pools
by Linda-Marie
3y ago
Some classes are officially “multi-level,” but most teachers agree that every class is a multi-level class. How do you address students’ individual needs?  How do you support the lower-level students while continuing to challenge the early finishers? How does classroom set-up fit in to your strategy? How do you use pair- and group-work? Bring ideas and questions to reflect together with peers.  And to get your juices flowing, take a look at this post by my colleague Zhenya in Ukraine, about Early Finishers. Everyone is welcome. Please RSVP:  linda@lmkoza.com (415)717-3568 S ..read more
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Lesson Planning: Are we having fun yet?
reflection pools
by Linda-Marie
3y ago
If we can identify how experienced teachers plan lessons, maybe newer teachers can short cut the thousands of hours it usually takes to become an efficient, effective lesson planner. Our Reflective Practice Group met recently to reflect together on Lesson Planning Time:  How can we make it shorter, more efficient, and productive?  Here are some of the things teachers wrote to me before we met: “Boy oh boy do I need this.  Teaching advanced ESL and feel like I’m spending as much time prepping as teaching.” “This is one of my BIGgest issues right now – I’m spending so much time on ..read more
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