Getting Students to Talk (?): Part 01/05

Simply by making noises with our mouths, we can reliably cause precise new combinations of ideas to arise in each other’s minds.

Steven Pinker – The Language Instinct.

Sometimes, it might be difficult to get students talking in class. There might be plenty of explanations for that: They may be too shy or they are not just in the right mood to talk and so on and so forth. (I am not going to make a long list here!)

I’m not writing this post as an attempt to find out an explanation for the question. I’m trying to suggest some alternatives instead. We may use such suggestion or not. It is up to you!

One thing we may take for granted: If your students do not talk in the classroom (language classes), that’s undoubtedly a huge problem! After all, they’re there to talk, aren’t they?

I am going to write some topics about How To Teach Speaking. They will basically be about things I have learnt and/or I belief about the topic.

I will not assume that they are really effective, but I think it is your job decide whether they are worth using of not.

Let’s start with the basic. Some people simply don’t like to talk about themselves and their lives! Why? Who cares? I don’t think they will tell you!

“But I’m teaching them an additional language. They are supposed to talk!”

Ok. Calm down. It doesn’t mean they won’t talk. It might just suggest that they won’t be willing to talk about themselves. Therefore, —simply put—, give them a new name. That’s right! Some students feel more comfortable when they don’t have to use their own names. Some of us just panic when we hear our teacher(s) calling our names!

Consider using this as an warmer:

There are a lot of options and you may use them in different moments.

PORTAL DA LÍNGUA INGLESA has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-partly internet websites referred to in this post, and does not guarantee that any context on such websites are, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

In some instances, I have been unable to trace the owners of the pictures used here; therefore, I would appreciate any information that would enable me to do so. Thank you very much.

Is something important missing? Report an error or suggest an improvement. Please, I strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact me!

Did you spot a typo?

Do you have any tips or examples to improve this page?

Do you disagree with something on this page?

Use one of your social-media accounts to share this page:

I am always looking for ways of improving this blog. I should be grateful if you would indicate the appropriate number below.

How would you rate this post?

(5) Excellent (4) Very good (3) Good (2) Satisfactory (1) It needs improvements

To whoever keeps adding "OG" to my doorsign.

To be honest, at first I did not understand it. I had to search on the internet. I saw this WARNING and then I made me question myself: “What the heck is OG?”

Simply put, it means ‘Original gangster’.

According to the urbandictionary it is:

(1)         A retired gangster who sits on the porch in the ghetto and preaches to the youngsters.

(2)         someone who has been around, old school gangster

The funny thing here is because now, A Hedgeh (not hedgehog) is a Doctor. Of course, he wouldn’t like to be called or known as an Original Gangster! Ha-ha

PORTAL DA LÍNGUA INGLESA has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-partly internet websites referred to in this post, and does not guarantee that any context on such websites are, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

In some instances, I have been unable to trace the owners of the pictures used here; therefore, I would appreciate any information that would enable me to do so. Thank you very much.

Is something important missing? Report an error or suggest an improvement. Please, I strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact me!

Did you spot a typo?

Do you have any tips or examples to improve this page?

Do you disagree with something on this page?

Use one of your social-media accounts to share this page:

When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer BY WALT WHITMAN

  

When I Heard the Learn’d Astronomer

BY WALT WHITMAN

When I heard the learn’d astronomer,

When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me,

When I was shown the charts and diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them,

When I sitting heard the astronomer where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room,

How soon unaccountable I became tired and sick,

Till rising and gliding out I wander’d off by myself,

In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,

Look’d up in perfect silence at the stars.

PORTAL DA LÍNGUA INGLESA has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-partly internet websites referred to in this post, and does not guarantee that any context on such websites are, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

In some instances, I have been unable to trace the owners of the pictures used here; therefore, I would appreciate any information that would enable me to do so. Thank you very much.

Is something important missing? Report an error or suggest an improvement. Please, I strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact me!

Did you spot a typo?

Do you have any tips or examples to improve this page?

Do you disagree with something on this page?

Use one of your social-media accounts to share this page:

I am always looking for ways of improving this blog. I should be grateful if you would indicate the appropriate number below.

How would you rate this post?

(5) Excellent (4) Very good (3) Good (2) Satisfactory (1) It needs improvements

"Turn off your mind, relax and float down stream..."

Do you like reading and/or studying and listening to music at the same time?

I do. I know we have to focus, and songs may be distractive or something like that. Nevertheless, I do love listening to some ‘noise’ while I’m doing something quite productive.

I am not doing anything at the moment but listening to some songs I like. Actually, not only am I listening but also watching them.

The power music has over us is incredibly interesting. Music may change our humor dramatically, some would claim.   

I have actually found this website (Here) about how music affects our productivity.

According to it, music is so powerful that they affect our productivity (no shit Sherlock!): “One study in particular made it very clear that Baroque-period tunes appear to have a measurable impact on productivity.”

However, the same site would state, that it is important to listen to “music you are familiar with if you need to intensely focus for a project.”

Why is that?

The reasons is

that new music is surprising; since you don’t know what to expect, you are inclined to listen closely to see what comes next. With familiar music, you know what lies ahead and thus the sound doesn’t become your primary focus. While the “journey” of new music is certainly beneficial in other ways, you may want to tread a familiar path if you are using music to help get things done.

Ok, let us stop the mumble jumble in order to go to the point of this post. I would like to share some videos you may be familiar with so that you can listen to them in order to relax.

The first one is "alright" (Supergrass)

The second one is “Human” by the Killers. 

The third one is “Summer of ‘69” by Bryan Adams.

The forth one is “Patience” by Guns n’ Roses.

The fifth one is “The Sound of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel.

Last, but not least “Don’t Cry” by Guns n' Roses. 

Do you think my playlist is a good one? What would you change? 

Have an extraordinary week!

PORTAL DA LÍNGUA INGLESA has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-partly internet websites referred to in this post, and does not guarantee that any context on such websites are, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

In some instances, I have been unable to trace the owners of the pictures used here; therefore, I would appreciate any information that would enable me to do so. Thank you very much.

Is something important missing? Report an error or suggest an improvement. Please, I strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact me!

Did you spot a typo?

Do you have any tips or examples to improve this page?

Do you disagree with something on this page?

Use one of your social-media accounts to share this page:

[Phrase of the week] Jump Ship: What does it mean, dude?

"You know it's hard out here for a pimp

When you trying get this money for the rent

For the Cadallics and gas money spent

Will cause a whole lotta bitches jumping ship"

Here’s a short story:

“Leaving a close-knit business is never an easy choice. If the supervisors have managed their crew, or staff, with equanimity and sound ethical judgment those employees will dedicate themselves to the failing business in hopes of restoring the profitability rather than merely choosing to Jump Ship.”

Do you, my dear reader, happen to know the meaning of JUMP SHIP?

No? Well, let me teach you that one, then.

Sometimes, especially when we are sick of doing something over and over again, we have that (bad) feeling that our job is useless or unfruitful, right?

If you have ever felt like that, you are not alone. I can guarantee that! Most of us have, pretty often, the very same feeling.

What can you do in situations like that? Some of us simply copy with it pretty well. However, other can’t. They simply give up. Leave it behind and move on, on and on.

Let’s start with some examples:

“None of the editors liked the new policies, so they all jumped ship as soon as other jobs opened up.”

“Another advertising agency offered him $1000 to jump ship.”

“If something becomes available elsewhere. The original star of the TV series jumped ship after the first season.”

“Although most of our employees are satisfied with their jobs, half of them would probably jump ship.”

“I hope they won't be tempted, on the back of one disappointing year, to jump ship.”

“He almost had an urge to jump ship when he got in trouble something that was once trivial.”

“Ian Miller and Captain Steve Foster were the only two players not to jump ship after the Quakers went into financial meltdown this summer.”

Have you ever jumped ship?

Literally*, JUMP SHIP means “to leave one's job on a ship and fail to be aboard it when it sails.” (The free dictionary by Farlex)

However, in figurative language* it means “Leave an organization, group, company/institution, movement, proposal, or idea.” (Urban Dictionary)

Therefore, we use jump ship when one leaves a job or an activity before it is complete or done. In doing so, it means that the job is not going to be finished by you. It is left for someone else to do it. You literally jumped the ship! What are you going to do when shit hits the fan? Keep going like nothing has happened or jump ship?

*JUST IN CASE: LITERAL AND FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE.

[From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia]

Literal language uses words directly according to their proper meanings (signified).

Figurative (or non-literal) language uses words in figures of speech: for example, through metaphor or analogy, metonymy, overstatement, understatement, comparison, multiple meanings, or referring to some common linguistic or cultural reference.

I hope you have enjoyed this one. Make sure more people will learn how to use Jump Ship properly. Share this post, won’t you?

Professor Bruno Coriolano has written this post. If you want to know more about his professional life, please ((click here))

PORTAL DA LÍNGUA INGLESA has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-partly internet websites referred to in this post, and does not guarantee that any context on such websites are, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

In some instances, I have been unable to trace the owners of the pictures used here; therefore, I would appreciate any information that would enable me to do so. Thank you very much.

Is something important missing? Report an error or suggest an improvement. Please, I strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact me!

Did you spot a typo?

Do you have any tips or examples to improve this page?

Do you disagree with something on this page?

Use one of your social-media accounts to share this page:

I am always looking for ways of improving this blog. I should be grateful if you would indicate the appropriate number below.

How would you rate this post?

(5) Excellent (4) Very good (3) Good (2) Satisfactory (1) It needs improvements

[BOOK] The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins.

I have always wanted to read this book. Unfortunately, I can’t say that I have enough free time to do so, at least not right now. However, I intend to read it during my next vacations, in June. Meanwhile, I will be very busy researching and writing about other things.

I am sharing this book The Selfish Gene (by Richard Dawkins) with you all. I hope that some of you read it and let me know what you guys thought about it.  

  

“Intelligent life on a planet comes of age when it first works out the reason for its own existence. If superior creatures from space ever visit earth, the first question they will ask, in order to assess the level of our civilization, is: 'Have they discovered evolution yet?' Living organisms had existed on earth, without ever knowing why, for over three thousand million years before the truth finally dawned on one of them. His name was Charles Darwin. To be fair, others had had inklings of the truth, but it was Darwin who first put together a coherent and tenable account of why we exist. Darwin made it possible for us to give a sensible answer to the curious child whose question heads this chapter. We no longer have to resort to superstition when faced with the deep problems: Is there a meaning to life? What are we for? What is man? After posing the last of these questions, the eminent zoologist G. G. Simpson put it thus: 'The point I want to make now is that all attempts to answer that question before 1859 are worthless and that we will be better off if we ignore them completely.'”

Read the whole book (HERE)

For more books written by Richard Dawkins (HERE)

Richard Dawkins is Charles Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University. Born in Nairobi of British parents, he was educated at Oxford and did his doctorate under the Nobel-prize winning ethologist Niko Tinbergen. From 1967 to 1969 he was an Assistant Professor at the University of California at Berkeley, returning as University Lecturer and later Reader in Zoology at New College, Oxford, before becoming the first holder of the Simonyi Chair in 1995. He is a fellow of New College.

PORTAL DA LÍNGUA INGLESA has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-partly internet websites referred to in this post, and does not guarantee that any context on such websites are, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

In some instances, I have been unable to trace the owners of the pictures used here; therefore, I would appreciate any information that would enable me to do so. Thank you very much.

Is something important missing? Report an error or suggest an improvement. Please, I strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact me!

Did you spot a typo?

Do you have any tips or examples to improve this page?

Do you disagree with something on this page?

Use one of your social-media accounts to share this page:

I am always looking for ways of improving this blog. I should be grateful if you would indicate the appropriate number below.

How would you rate this post?

(5) Excellent (4) Very good (3) Good (2) Satisfactory (1) It needs improvements

Enquete da semana.