LANGUAGE STUDIES, LITERATURE AND TEACHING

An interview with Leodécio Martins Varela – English teacher

Mailson*: As far as we are concerned, we know that the supervised practice teaching is divided into three distinct stages: diagnostic phase, classroom teaching practice phase and the writing report one. Can you talk about these stages?

Leodécio: well, in the first stage, the trainee students visit the school in order to know the place of teaching practice, school infrastructure, available resource material and, the most important, the school staff: directors, supervisors, teachers and students as well as the administrative staff. That is, in this initial practice teaching phase, the student-teachers get to know the school in its totality, and mainly, the classroom – context of students and teachers teaching and learning.

Mailson: In this sense, what does the student-teacher need to do? or what does he/she investigate in this context of practice teaching?

Leodécio:  In this phase, the diagnostic one, as we have denominated it already, the student tries; in fact, to put into practice (knowledge) he/she has already “acquired” or reached in theoretical studies through the English Letras Course curriculum components: “Estrutura e Funcionamento do Ensino Básico, Didática, Metodologia do Ensino de Inglês, Prática de Ensino I/II”, among other subjects – English. It is important to highlight that in the field of Language Studies – the Applied Linguistic investigates the language use matters. Thus, in this stage, we are concerned with – in the context of class, the language use/usage by teachers and students concerning the discursive practices in the classroom. We also would like to tell you that our English and Portuguese classrooms were the mainly focus of investigation, by all means, of the student teachers. Nevertheless, as we work in an interdisciplinary perspective, we drew the student-teachers attention to the fact that they could also observe the classes of other subjects regarding the school infrastructure (classroom), teaching methodology, the classroom characteristics and language use/usage matters.

Mailson: But what has been observed in these classrooms by these student teachers?

Leodécio: As far as they are concerned, they could see that the classrooms are so small and there is no fresh air inside them. Teachers still make the use of blackboards and chalks, the chairs are really a mess and there is light matter inside the rooms as well as there is noisy matter coming from the outside part. Regarding the teaching methodology, the student-teachers detected that there is not a defined teaching methodology because each teacher seems, by all means, to carry out his/her own methodology teaching and also that teachers base their classes, mainly, on the didactic book distributed by MEC or DIRED, which it can imply, thus, problems in group work or interdisciplinary work.  If we have to describe the classrooms, according to the student-teachers´ observation, they are full of students, some are noisy, some are interested with a sense of participation, though, some classrooms are not so many participative, some students make the use of mobile phones and, according to student-teachers, teaching is teacher centered learning.

Mailson: Among so many problems, what is the language use/usage matter faced by teachers/students in the classroom?

Leodécio: we should say that student may have trouble with reading comprehension text; lack of knowledge on textual genres, trouble on writing as well as in oral conversation.

Mailson: What is the outcome of this investigation?

Leodécio: In an overall, students from school are interested according to student-teachers´ points of view. Nevertheless, they think that teaching methodology, applied by some teachers, does not motivate student for learning. Thus, in this school some teachers´ teaching practices seem to be teacher centered learning in some classrooms, making impossible students´ effective participation in their classrooms. In the face of it, student-teachers must, thus, make a course plan considering data collection analysis, reflection on/about the existing problems in the school and forecast an alternative action plan to achieve the outlined objectives in their planning.    

   
* trainee student from the 7th period of Letras (Inglês) - Assú/RN.

POEM CORNER

HOW "POET" ARE YOU?

EASTER

Dear visitors,

Before bringing any discussion on/about a theme in this blog, we would like to tell all this blog´s readers, visitors, followers that our main goal in it is to provoke dialog, conversation, discussion, foreign language teaching and learning. In this sense, our main tool to make this interaction vivid is the ENGLISH LANGUAGE USE, by all means, it was impossible to communicate without it or any language. But something we have to keep in mind before posting things in it, we must be ethical on everything we have to say or affirm in this blog. Above all, we are educators and responsible for "good teaching". But ... anyway, you are free to leave your comments whenever you think it is pertinent.

Best regards,

prof leodécio

During the whole year, we celebrate events, festivals and stuffs like that. In December we celebrated Christmas and New Year`s Day and, just after them, Carnival and followed by it Easter which we are about to live on Sunday.  For some people, it´s a time for holidays, for the weekend, for spare time, to go out with friends or to go on a trip. For other people, it´s time to spend moments together with family or relatives or, just a time to pray, for penance or fasting. But what does this event really mean for us? I don´t have to be a smart person to talk about it. I don´t want to be or it´s not my intention to be an expert on this subject, but we certainly have already heard of it, somehow, one day told by someone or by members from our family or by friends. Whichever this Event means, we really want to celebrate Easter! 

Searching on google in english (what is easter) this is a link that I found out:  (http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/easter.html)

  

You may find out about it in looots of links (sites) with different definitions. But ...

What is Easter?

Easter is the oldest and the most important Christian Festival, the celebration of the death and coming to life again of Jesus Christ. For Christians, the dawn of Easter Sunday with its message of new life is the high point of the Christian year.

What is the Easter story ?

Easter is the story of Jesus' last days in Jerusalem before his death.The Easter story includes Maundy Thursday (the Last supper leading to the Eucharist), Good Friday (the day on which Jesus was crucified) and Easter Day (the day on which Jesus came back to life).

It is a sad story because Jesus was killed. But the story has a very happy ending, because Jesus came back to life and visited his friends and followers once more. He did not die at all, but went back up to Heaven to be with God, his father.

Where does the name 'Easter' come from?

Pagan traditions give us the English word "Easter" which comes from the word "Eostre". The Anglo-Saxon word for April was "Eostre-monath" (the month of openings). However, it should be remembered that Christians celebrated the resurrection of Christ long before the word "Easter" was used, and the word they used for the celebration was "Pascha", which is derived from and linked to the Jewish festival of Passover.

According to Bede, the English monastic historian, the English word Easter comes from the Anglo-Saxon name for the month of April, which was known as "Eostremonath" in the AngloSaxon tongue and since Pascha was most often celebrated in Eostremonath, the English Christians began calling it "Easter". Bede also notes that the month was named after the Anglo-Saxon goddess Esostre.

Rituals related to the goddess Eostre focus on new beginnings, symbolized by the Easter egg, and fertility, which is symbolized by the hare (or Easter bunny).

Another link: (http://christianity.about.com/od/holidaytips/qt/whatiseaster.htm) took me to the follwoing text:

On Easter Sunday, Christians celebrate the resurrection of the Lord, Jesus Christ. It is typically the most well-attended Sunday service of the year for Christian churches.

Christians believe, according to Scripture, that Jesus came back to life, or was raised from the dead, three days after his death on the cross. As part of the Easter season, the death of Jesus Christ by crucifixion is commemorated on Good Friday, always the Friday just before Easter. Through his death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus paid the penalty for sin, thus purchasing for all who believe in him, eternal life in Christ Jesus.

(For a more detailed explanation about his death and resurrection, see Why Did Jesus Have to Die? and Timeline of Jesus' Final Hours.) 

My comments before yours: 

Whatever Easter means for us, certainly we are going to think of it or have something to say about it according to our religious thought/traditions, or even though, we do not have a religious belief, we, by all means, have something to say about it.  

Taking part in events in my city or visiting some places these days, I tried to associate things that I could see with the meaning of Easter explained in the text above.  

1. I could see people not drinking or eating during the Holy Week;

2. I could  see people carrying a cross "like that" Jesus carried for us;

3. I could see people getting together in churches singing and praying;

4. I could see people singing and praying in the streets;

5. I could see people acting out Jesus`s crucifixion;

6. I could see myself watching this

and Easter?

1. If we feel hunger only/during this day, we have to remember there are people starving every day. So, let´s bring people to life by making this world (our home, city, country) a better place;

2. To have a better place, city, country and our children having (enjoying) benefits from Education, Housing and Health Systems, we have to struggle, or even give our own "blood/sweat" for them. In this sense, we are really carrying our own "cross".

3. "Union is strength".  Remember: divided we are not going far. We need each other.

4. The place you live (environment) it is an extension of your house. So, take care of it as you take care of your own house.

5. Love your parents, brothers, sisters, friends, classmates, your work place, your job as it is the last thing of your life. Tell them: "I love you." You pay nothing for it! 

6. God bless US in this Easter! 

prof leodécio

 

 

learner autonomy

I really recommend you to follow this link: http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/blogs/britishcouncilturkey/a-reflection-learner-autonomy-importance-classroom-lindsay-clandfield and to read an article by Lindsay Clandfield on learning autonomy.

a letter to the readers of the blog - Autonomy: a way to independent learning

It is a blog that tries to help students to read as well as to write in English as autonomous readers and writers.  Of course, students need a lot of teachers´ guidance, supporting and attention, but one thing they must remember: they will not have their teacher with them for the rest of their lives (forever). In other words, teacher is not always "online", in physical contact and in reciprocal learning. So, we have to highlight, there is a moment in learning that everyone needs to walk by himself/herself (without teacher´s or classmates´supports). When this happens, certainly, another thing has developed: AUTONOMY. To be "offline" in this context means to be "online" with your own learning and development as students - future teachers!

Bets regards,

prof leodécio