Building Relationships through Student- Centered Learning

1. Building Relationships through Student- Centered Learning 11/14/2013 Lacey Love & Yoko Tachibana Iwata Nishi High School

2. Why is interest important? • Interest increases learning. Promoting interest in the classroom increases students’ motivation to learn and the number of learning strategies they use. • Pressley et al., 1992; Sweet et al., 1997 • Using student interest makes students want to learn, and it makes them work harder to understand.

3. Today we’ll cover: • Kokoro and the importance of relationships • Student names and interests • Passports and Competition • English Communication Activities • Building relationships between JTEs & ALTs

4. Kokoro • Purpose of education in Japan is more focused on developing student character rather than skills-based. • Relationships can be a great way to help develop “kokoro.”

5. 2 Ways • Today we’ll focus on two ways to build kokoro and develop relationships. • Harness Interest • Build Comfort

6. Two Types of Interest • Situational interest • Interest in what’s happening now • Environmentally activated • Easily Changes • Personal interest • What you brought to the classroom • More difficult to change (Krapp et al., 1992, Schiefele, 1999)

7. Situational VS Personal • Situational interest helps to catch students’ attention, but personal interest holds their attention. • Situational interest often leads to the development of personal interest. (Krapp et al., 1992, Hidi and Baird, 1986; Mitchell, 1993)

8. How can we use student interest?

9. How to use interest? • 2 Hidden-interestactivities or lessons. 1 Interest-based activities or lessons.

10. Interest-Based • Low-Tech • Listen to a 1D song • 1D member read and run • Crossword Puzzle using R&R answers High-Tech • Watch a One Direction music video • Learn about 1D members • Personality Quiz: Which member are you?

11. Watch once as practice.

12. Using the lyric video, students count words.

13. Movie Trailer Lessons • Watch in English with Japanese subtitles. • Explain the plot using screen shots and vocabulary with sound clips. • Watch again, in only English. • Play a comprehension game.

14. Hidden-Interest • Trick them into enjoying something they wouldn’t normally enjoy. • Use interesting backgrounds or clip-art. • Use a common interest as a warm up or cool-down activity.

15. Student Names • Students are happy when you remember their names. • They don’t feel as anonymous. • I’ve found that they willingly participate more. • It builds comfort.

16. English Names • I’ve always let students choose a nickname for themselves. • This year, I gave them a list of common American names. • If they wanted to, they could choose an American name.

17. Benefits of Crazy Names • They are easy to remember. • They promote a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere. • They let students adopt an English personality.

18. Individual Rewards • Each time students have to speak out loud, they can choose 2 stickers. • After summer, 1 sticker • For each 5 stickers they get, they can choose 1 piece of candy.

19. Group Rewards • We usually let students work as a group or team. • The individual gets a reward, and the group also benefits. • We usually ask easy questions. • Focus is on practice… not perfection. • Intangible Rewards

20. Homeroom Rewards • At the beginning of each class, I show them a bar graph of which HR has the most stickers. • They freak out.

21. Homeroom Rewards • At the end of each term, I give the homeroom with the most stickers a “party” during lunch.

22. Benefits of Passports • Get to know students. • Students get to practice written conversation. • Writing seems less scary than speaking.

23. Benefits of Passports • There are 5 quiet minutes at the end of every class, time to pass out candy, answer questions, or clean up. • Students give feedback on the lesson.

24. To correct or not to correct…? • I never correct English in passports! • If I can understand it, then they have succeeded.

25. Helpful Hints • Months of the year • Clubs • English Conversation Ideas • Almost all students use these at first • Some branch out into “real” conversation • Some just continue using the conversation starters

26. Happy Birthday! • Students write their birthday on the front cover. • I usually write a birthday message. • It’s just highlighter and stickers…

27. Teaching the Textbook • We were worried about teaching in only English, especially when the topics would not interest the students. • Sometimes the lesson is about… potatoes. • So, we developed a system to help us.

28. E.C. UNIT EXAMPLE • We decided to use the TT lessons to help teach the topic. • We try to build student interest and comfort despite less-than-ideal topics. • We’ll go through an example unit.

29. E.C. Unit Overview Team-Teaching Topic Introduction GL: Txt Part 1: Word Study GL: Txt Part 1: Comprehension GL: Txt Part 1: Grammar & Listening Repeat for Parts 2-3 Review Games

30. E.C. Unit Example • Team-Teaching Topic Introduction • Goal is to build background knowledge • Sometimes we use the same exact information as the textbook • Sometimes we use the same topic but make it fun

31. E.C. Unit Example: Grammar Class Warm-Up: Daily Speaking Count

32. E.C. Unit Example: Grammar Class • Choose speaking topic

33. E.C. Unit Example • Students write the date, topic, time and goal. • Student B counts.

34. E.C. Unit Example Unit Overview Listening Activity

35. E.C. Unit Example • Word Study • Word List: match definitions in groups of 4

36. E.C. Unit Example • Word Study • Word List • 1MM  Crossfire • 1MM  Spelling Game

37. E.C. Unit Example • Comprehension Practice • Notebook Quiz Worksheet in English (Groups of 4) • Notebook Quiz in Japanese

38. E.C. Unit Example • Grammar, Comprehension & Listening • Textbook Questions • Workbook Questions • Listen to CD • “Shadowing”

39. E.C. Unit Example Team-Teaching Topic Introduction GL: Txt Part 1: Listening and Word Study GL: Txt Part 1: Comprehension GL: Txt Part 1: Grammar and Listening Repeat for Parts 2-3 Review Games

40. Review Games • Crossword Puzzles • Word Searches • Word Scrambles • Ordering Activities

41. Unit Questions? • JTEs  Don’t be afraid to ask your ALT for help! • ALTs  Don’t be afraid to offer help! • We’re all new to this English in English thing! We can help each other!

42. JTE-ALT Relationships • Tips for the ALT • Plan ahead • Spread out your questions/favors • Practice Japanese • Ask questions! • Be brave- make mistakes! • Enkais and Events

43. Building Relationships with your JTEs/ALTs • Tips for the ALT • Say THANK YOU! • Offer to help grade or copy • Be available/approachable • Go with the flow • Remember that they make mistakes, too!

44. Building Relationships with your JTEs/ALTs • Tips for the JTEs • Make sure your ALT knows the schedule • Enkais and Events • Special Envelopes • Dress up/down days • Be patient • Give feedback • Especially positive!