Happy blog of cheesecake

About my strengths and weeknesses as English teacher.

2006-07-26T15:08:00.000+09:00

Time is coming when I finish this class, and I learned many things from this class. So, I want to think about my strengths and weeknesses as English teacher.
My strength is that I became to get a ability to view a English class, I think. Before taking this class, I have only watched the lessons when I went to junior high school.But now, I could think the lesson as thinking connection between before and after.
My weeknesses are that I'm nervous in public, and I don't have many knowledge of English. So I want to overcome my shyness in my practice teaching at elementary school in this summer! And I have to acquir the English knowledge in my school life.
Thank you.

About group work.

2006-07-19T20:11:00.000+09:00

I often did group works and pair works when I was a junior high school student, and did a pair works in high school.
In junior high school, I remember doing them mainly when students practice reading a textbook. In high school, students did a pair work when we check the easy words tests each other.
I think that group works and pair works were sometimes going wrong because students often do them with same people. So some students get into a rut or chat during them. And when the group (pair) is not good friends or is good friends besides one person, the system is not going well because we don't try to say our opinion to the other members.
Therefore, it is important for students to change the group and pairs sometimes. I also think that teachers have to find the suitable ways to students do the group works and pair works. Through this, the works are going well and students can enjoy studying English, I think.

About grammar.

2006-07-11T21:38:00.000+09:00

I think that Present Perfect Tense (Continuous) is the most difficult because the difference between Past Form and Present Perfect Tense is very difficult for me.
If I teach it to students, I will do...
1. I will show a picture which a boy stay in bed because of illness, and have students guess two situations with using graph. ① He recovered from his illness, and he is fine now. ② His illness is still continuing.
2. I will give two sentences ①" He was ill." and ②" He has been ill." , and pick up ②.
3. I have students repeat the sentense some times.
4. I say that his illness in continuing for three days, and add the phrase "for three days" , and have students repeat the sentense " He has been ill for three days."
5. I explain how the sentense is formed.
6. I want students to think how to explain how long have they studied English.
7. I show the sentense " I have studied English for three years." , and I have students repeat it some times.
8. I explain how the sentense is formed, and how to make Present Perfect Tense.
9. I have students think about the other way, and I show the sentense " I have studied English since I was in first grade." and explain the structure and the difference of two sentenses.
10. I have students repeat it some times.
11. I show other situations, and teach as 6~10.
12. I give students handout, and have students practice Present Perfect Tense. ( change Japanese sentenses into English ones in two ways, and write some sentenses freely.)
13. I arrange the contents of the lesson.

I feel that my lesson plan is inperfect because Present Perfect Tense has many contents what I have to teach. So I need to grasp Present Perfect Tense more.
Thank you.

To a teacher trainee.

2006-06-25T18:23:00.000+09:00

Last Thursday, an English teacher (Mr.M) from junior high school in Morioka came to our class, and I learned very important and necessity things. I would like to tell you about the informations in my blog. Please read them, and let's discuss about informations!

1. Making climax or showing a point in every lesson is very important. Giving changes to lesson is necessary and helpful to have students enjoy studying English when you teach English.
2. Praising students concretely is important. For example, "your pronunciation ""---th"" is like foreigner!" There are many way to praise students! (Not only "GOOD!" and "EXCELLENT!") Surely, I'm motivated by pointing my study's good point. I think that this point affects the student's motivation very much.
3. Don't say "Please speak to me!" when you introduce yourself. You should not wait for approch from the students! You should try to speak to the students, and communicate with the students!!

I think that we (teacher trainee) have to have a honest attitude. Everyone don't expect that we will teach perfectly. So we need not to be afraid of mistakes,and let's try our best with smile!

Thank you.

About my lesson.

2006-06-21T00:02:00.000+09:00

My group taught how to speak to someone, ask something again and thank for someone.
First, we showed the students "What's your name?" "I'm ---." as a warm-up. After we showed how to say them, we had the students ask and answer this question by lines.
Next, we did role play the situation, and showed the students what are today's new phrases and how to use the phrases.
Third, we had the students practice the phrases. They practiced them in some ways. (Repeating after the teachers, only students dividing two groups, in pairs and so on.)
Then, we did a game as a activity. We showed new easy three words (book, ruler, pen), and had the students ask at least three students using today's phrases and new three words.
Finally, we had two pairs play the situation, and we checked that the students understood today's phrases.
I think that it is difficult to teach and show "situation" using new phrases. I'm sure that this experience will help me to teach English in junior high school next year.
Thank you.

My mind ☆ About my future...

2006-06-08T17:57:00.000+09:00

Three years have passed since I entered this university, and I often think about my future recently.
At first, I thought that I will absolutely become a teacher at an elementary school, but this thought has gradually changed.
These days, I'm taking a lecture about education of kindergarten, and I go a kindergarten for the lecture. Through the lecture, I think that I want to be a teacher at a kindergarten. Although the mind is not sure yet, I feel that the teacher of a kindergarten is the most attractive job I have thought.
Now, I think about my future, and I also worry about my future.
What are you thinking about your futere?
OR
What were you thinking when you were a university student.
Thank you.

Teaching Observation.

2006-06-05T15:53:00.000+09:00

On Friday, June 2, I observed two English classes at Diamond Junior High School.

From 1:00 PM to 1:50PM, I observed the seventh grade.

1) What was the goal of the class?
・Introducing their family and friends so that the other people can understand them by using " This is ~ ", " He (She) is ~ ."
・Asking the others about person by using " Is he (she) ~ ? " and answering the questions.
・Noticing own mistakes and lacks, and trying to improve them by looking back their language activities.
2) What activities did the students do to accomplish the goal?
They did a game, a review of the last class, works in pairs and so on.
3) What was the role of the teacher in this class?
As a whole, the teacher had the students use English and express what they want to tell the others in English. The teacher use English many times except for explaining what will they do next. For seventh grade students, it is important to get accustomed to English very much, I thought. The teacher did this class by using not only sight but also hearing. Then, the teacher praised the students for their answers even if they mistake once.
4) From watching the teacher and students, did you receive any hints or clues as to how to a successful English class?
I received a lot of hints from this class. First, I feel that the teacher's pronunciation is important. The teacher's pronunciation was very good! Teachers should have appeals to attract the students to English. Then, using topics which close to the students is effective. They got the new grammars by using their family, and it seemed that the way was easy to understand. Lastly, using not only sight but also hearing is very important. So I want to use these things when I will do a practice teaching.

From 14:10 PM to 15:00 PM, I observed the ninth grade.

1) What was the goal of the class?
・Noticing own mistakes and lacks, and trying to improve them by looking back their activities.
・Asking the others and explaining by using " the present perfect."
・Hearing the informations the others want to tell correctly.
・Comprehending the form of sentences and the meaning and the use which is used " the present perfect."
2) What activities did the students do to accomplish the goal?
They did a review of the last class, works in pairs, practicing new words, reading the textbook and so on.
3) What was the role of the teacher in this class?
As a whole, the teacher had the students learn grammar, how to use the sentenses, and new words by enjoying English activities. Then, the teacher also praised hte students for their answers.
4) From watching the teacher and students, did you receive any hints or clues as to how to have a successful English class?
I got many hints and clues from this class. I think that repetition is very important. To learn new words and sentenses, they repeated them a few times. After that, the teacher had the students pronounce the words by line of the desk. I thought that that is good idea. Reading the textbook not only with teacher but also with tape, practice reading in pairs are interesting. There are many hints to teach in this class!

Thank you.

An analysis of my language experience.

2006-04-27T20:56:00.000+09:00

1) My most enjoyable language learning experience has been "Writing poety" in the class. Writing poety was a bit difficult because I had to express what I mean in a few words and good rhythm. But I could express my thought in English freely and happily!

2) My least enjoyable activity has been "Dictation" because it is not voluntary.

3) My most valuable activity has been "Conversation" because I can notice that I can experience working English, I can realize that I lack of the English knowledge at the same time. I can also understand that eye contact is very important in talking. I can learn many things from conversation.

4) My least valuable activity has been "Reading Silently" because I think that it is important to pronounce English. Readsing silentry is surely not so bad, but pronunciation is essential for English, I think.

5) In general my language experience has been developing, I think. I have experienced a loy of things since I entered junior high school, and I have acquired many knoeledge for own part. I feel that English I learn is becoming practically gradually. I hope that I use English perfectly from now on.

Thank you.

Story of how you leaned English.

2006-04-20T16:25:00.000+09:00

I started to study English in junior high school.
When I was a junior high school student, I studied mainly in class. So I made the notebook and I looked up the word I didn't know in a dictionary before the class. I clearly remember my English teacher showing us the music of The Beatles. First, I think that I learned about some easy conversation, for example "Good morning." Next, I learned about "be-verb" and "regular verb", and also how to use the past form and make the negative sentence and the interrogative. After that I gradually acquire "-ing","pronoun","preposition", the future tence and so on. In junior high school, I was taught the basic ability of English grammar.

In high school, I started to syudy English for the entrance examination, and the contents of the class were more difficult. For example, I learned about the subjunctive and "participial construction" in detail. The sentences also became more longer and the grammar became more complex. So I need to aquire a lot of words and how to anser the question. I made use of the textbook, reference, a word book, and so on. But I like English very much. I learned the knowledge based on studying English in university. I took part in the English speech contest in third year. It was very valuable experience for me. In those days, I hoped to major in English in university.

Now I am a English major, and I take the class of English. I feel that the grammers I learned in high school are important. But conversation and expressing my thought are more valuable. I hope that I want to use English naturally.

Self introduction.

2006-04-20T15:33:00.000+09:00

Hello! I'm cheesecake.
I'm a third-year student in Iwate University.
I'm majoring in elementary school and English.
I enjoy my school life with my friends.
These days I often think about my future,
and I think that I have to decide it little by little.
Nice to meet you.