Ten Reasons to Learn English

Aprender Inglês é fundamental nos dias de hoje, pois esse aprendizado é necessário para diferentes propósitos em nossa vida.

Listarei agora em Português e  em Inglês 10 razões para que você veja como é importante aprender Inglês.

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1. Learning English is fun.

Take time to have fun learning English by listening to music,watching a movie, challenging yourself to games in English. There are so many opportunities to learn English while having fun. There’s no excuse not to enjoy yourself, even if you have to learn grammar.

2. English will help you succeed in your career.

This is obvious to anyone who lives in our modern world. Employers want employees who speak English. This might not be fair, but it is the reality. Learning English to take a test such as the IELTS or TOEIC will give you a qualification that others might not have, and that might help you get the job you need.

3. English opens up international communications.

You are on the internet learning English right now. This author in the United States writing articles about learning English. You are probably living in two different places, and you have been brought up in different cultures. We all know the world needs more love and understanding. What better way to improve the world than to communicate in English (or other languages) with those from other cultures?!

4. Learning English will help open your mind.

Learning English will help you understand the world through a different language. It will also help you view the world through a different perspective. In other words, learning English helps to open your mind.

5. Learning English will you help your family.

Being able to communicate in English can help you reach out and discover new information. This new information could help save the life of someone in your family.  Just imagine yourself on a trip and you are responsible for communicating with others in English. Your family will be very proud!

6. Learning English will keep Alzheimer’s away.

Scientific research says that using your mind to learn something helps keep your memory intact. Alzheimer’s – and other diseases dealing with brain functions – isn’t nearly as powerful if you’ve kept your brain flexible by learning English.

7. English will help you understand Americans and Brits.

American and British cultures are rather strange at times. Speaking English will certainly give you insight into why these cultures are so crazy! Just think, you will understand English cultures, but they probably won’t understand yours because they don’t speak the language. That’s a real advantage in so many ways.

8. Learning English will help you improve your sense of time.

English is obsessed with verb tenses. In fact, there are twelve tenses in English. You can be sure that by learning English you will gain a keen sense of when something happens due to the English language’s use of time expressions.

9. Learning English will allow you to communicate in any situation.

Chances are that someone will speak English no matter where you are. Just imagine you are on a deserted island with people from all over the world. Which language will you speak? Probably English!

10. English is the world language.

More people speak Chinese, more nations have Spanish as their mother tongue, but, realistically. English is the language of choice throughout the world today.

Source: Quer ler a matéria na íntegra: http://esl.about.com/od/intermediateenglish/fl/Ten-Reasons-to-Learn-English.htm?nl=1

Em Português

1. Aprender Inglês é divertido.

Tire um tempo para se divertir aprendendo Inglês, ouvindo música, assistindo a um filme, desafiando-se a jogos em Inglês. Há tantas oportunidades para aprender Inglês, enquanto se diverte. Não há desculpa para não se divertir, mesmo se você tem que aprender gramática.

2. Inglês irá ajudá-lo a ter sucesso em sua carreira.

Isso é óbvio para qualquer um que vive em nosso mundo moderno. Os empregadores querem funcionários que falam Inglês. Isto pode não ser justo, mas é a realidade. Aprender Inglês para fazer um teste como o IELTS ou TOEIC lhe dará uma qualificação que os outros podem não ter, e isso pode ajudá-lo a conseguir o emprego que você precisa.

3. Inglês abre as comunicações internacionais.

Você está na internet aprendendo Inglês agora. Esse autor está nos Estados Unidos a escrever artigos sobre aprender Inglês. Vocês provavelmente estamos vivendo em dois lugares diferentes, e foram educados em diferentes culturas. Nós todos sabemos que o mundo precisa de mais amor e compreensão. Que melhor maneira de melhorar o mundo do que se comunicar em Inglês (ou outros idiomas) com aqueles de outras culturas?

4. Aprender Inglês vai ajudar a abrir sua mente.

Aprender Inglês o ajudará a entender o mundo através de uma linguagem diferente. Ele também irá ajudá-lo a ver o mundo através de uma perspectiva diferente. Em outras palavras, aprender Inglês ajuda a abrir sua mente.

5. Aprender Inglês você vai ajudar sua família.

Ser capaz de comunicar em Inglês pode ajudá-lo a alcançar e descobrir novas informações. Esta nova informação poderia ajudar a salvar a vida de alguém em sua família. Imagine-se em uma viagem e você é responsável por comunicar com os outros em Inglês. Sua família vai estar muito orgulhoso!

6. Aprender Inglês vai manter-se longe de Alzheimer.

A investigação científica diz que o uso de sua mente para aprender alguma coisa ajuda a manter sua memória intacta. Alzheimer – e de outras doenças relacionadas com as funções do cérebro – não é tão poderosa, se você manteve o seu cérebro flexível, aprendendo Inglês.

7. Inglês o ajudará a entender-americanos e britânicos.

Culturas americanas e britânicas são bastante estranha às vezes. Falar Inglês irá certamente dar-lhe uma visão sobre por que essas culturas são tão loucos! Basta pensar, você vai entender culturas inglesas, mas eles provavelmente não vão entender o seu, porque eles não falam o idioma. Isso é uma vantagem real de tantas maneiras.

8. Aprender Inglês irá ajudá-lo a melhorar o seu senso de tempo.

Inglês é obcecado com tempos verbais. Na verdade, há doze tempos em Inglês. Você pode ter certeza que, ao aprender Inglês, você vai ganhar um grande senso de quando algo acontece devido ao uso do idioma Inglês de expressões de tempo.

9. Aprender Inglês irá permitir que você se comunique em qualquer situação.

As chances são que alguém irá falar Inglês, não importa onde você está. Imagine que você está em uma ilha deserta com pessoas de todo o mundo. Que linguagem você vai falar? Provavelmente Inglês!

10. Inglês é a língua mundial.

Mais pessoas falam chinês, mais nações têm o espanhol como língua materna, mas, de forma realista. Inglês é a língua de escolha em todo o mundo hoje.

Como Smart Phones podem ajudar nas aulas de Inglês?

Smart Phones are here to stay. They can help students and teachers to create tools and new strategies for the classes

Here are ten tips from Kenneth Beare on how to use them to help improve English Studies.

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1. Use smart phones for vocabulary exercises with Google image search. 

A picture is worth a thousand words. I like to use my smart phone, or have students use their smart phone to look up specific nouns on Google images or another search engine. You’ve all seen how a visual dictionary can greatly improve vocabulary retention. With smart phones, we have visual dictionaries on steroids.

2. Use smart phones for translation, but only at a specific time.

I try to encourage students to read using three phases. 1) Read for gist – no stopping! 2)Read for context – How can the words surrounding unknown words help with understanding? 3) Read for precision – explore new vocabulary using a smart phone or dictionary. Only in the third phase do I allow smart phone use. Students are pleased because they can look up words. However, they’re developing good reading skills by not immediately translating every word they do not understand.

3. Use smart phones for communicative activities using apps.

We all communicate with our smart phones in different ways depending on different apps. In other words, texting with a messaging app is bound to be different than writing an email on your computer. Take advantage of this and promote activities that are specific to a given context. One example might be to have students text each other to complete a given task.

 

4. Use smart phones for help with pronunciation.

This is one of my favorite uses of smart phones in class. Model pronunciation for them. For example, focus on suggestions. Ask students to open a recording app. Read five different ways to make a suggestion aloud. Pause between each suggestion. Have students go home and practice mimicking your pronunciation in the pause between each suggestion. There are many, many variations on this theme. 

Another great use for pronunciation is to have students change the language to English and try to dictate an email. They’ll have to work really hard at word level pronunciation in order to get the desired results.

5. Use smart phones instead of a thesaurus.

Have students search on the phrase “words like …” and a host of online offerings will appear. Encourage students to use their smart phones during writing class in this manner while focusing on developing a wider range of vocabulary. For example, take a simple sentence such as “The people spoke about politics.” Ask students to come up with a number of versions using their smart phones to find substitutes for the verb “speak.”

6. Use smart phones to play games.

Yes, yes, I know. This is something we shouldn’t encourage in class. However, you might encourage students to write down phrases they experience while playing games to bring into class to discuss in more detail. There are also a number of word games such as Scrabble or word search puzzles that are actually instructive as well as fun. You can make room for this in your class as a “reward” for completing a task, just make sure to tie it to some sort of report back to the class.

7. Encourage students to use smart phones to keep track of vocabulary.

There are a wide variety of MindMapping apps available, as well as a myriad of flash card apps. You can even create your own flash cards and have students download your set of cards to practice in class. 

8. Use smart phones for writing practice.

Have students write emails to each other in order to complete a specific task. Change up the tasks to practice different types of register. For example, one student might write a product inquiry with another student replying to the inquiry with a follow-up email. This is nothing new. However, just using their smart phones can help motivate the students to complete the task.

9. Use smart phones to create a narration.

This is a variation on writing emails. Have students choose photos they have taken and write a short story describing the photos they have chosen. I find that by making in personal in this manner, students engage more deeply with the task.

10. Use smart phones to keep a journal.

One more writing exercise for the smart phone. Have students keep a journal and share it with the class. Students can take photos, write descriptions in English, as well as describe their day.

Source: http://esl.about.com/od/modernteachingtechniques/fl/Using-a-Smart-Phone-to-Teach-English.htm?nl=1

 

Em Português

Telefones inteligentes ou Smart Phones estão aqui para ficar. Eles podem ajudar os alunos e professores a criar ferramentas e novas estratégias para as classes.

  Aqui estão dez dicas de Kenneth Beare de como usá-las para ajudar a melhorar os estudos de inglês.

1. Use Smart Phones para exercícios de vocabulário com a pesquisa de imagens do Google.

Uma imagem vale mais que mil palavras. Eu gosto de usar o meu telefone inteligente, ou que os alunos usam seu telefone inteligente para procurar nomes específicos em imagens do Google ou outro motor de busca. Vocês todos já vimos como um dicionário visual pode melhorar muito a retenção de vocabulário. Com os telefones inteligentes, temos dicionários visuais sobre esteróides.

2. Use Smart Phones para a tradução, mas apenas em um momento específico.

Eu tento incentivar os alunos a ler usando três fases. 1) Leia por essência – sem parar! 2) Leia para o contexto – Como podem as palavras em torno palavras desconhecidas ajudar com o entendimento? 3) Leia de precisão – explorar novo vocabulário usando um telefone inteligente ou dicionário. Apenas na terceira fase que eu permitir que o uso do telefone inteligente. Os alunos estão satisfeitos, porque eles podem procurar palavras. No entanto, eles estão desenvolvendo boas habilidades de leitura por não imediatamente traduzir cada palavra que eles não entendem.

3. Use Smart Phones para atividades comunicativas usando apps.

Todos nós comunicamos com nossos telefones inteligentes de maneiras diferentes, dependendo de diferentes aplicativos. Em outras palavras, mensagens de texto com um aplicativo de mensagens é obrigado a ser diferente do que escrever um e-mail no seu computador. Aproveite esta e promover atividades que são específicas para um determinado contexto. Um exemplo poderia ser a de que os alunos de texto uns aos outros para completar uma determinada tarefa.

4Use Smart Phones para ajudar com pronúncia.

Este é um dos meus usos favoritos de telefones inteligentes em sala de aula. Pronúncia modelo para eles. Por exemplo, o foco em sugestões. Peça aos alunos para abrir um aplicativo de gravação. Leia cinco maneiras diferentes de fazer uma sugestão em voz alta. Pausa entre cada sugestão. Peça aos alunos que ir para casa e praticar imitando a sua pronúncia na pausa entre cada sugestão. Há muitas, muitas variações sobre o tema.

Outra grande utilidade para pronúncia é ter estudantes alterar o idioma para Inglês e tentar ditar um e-mail. Eles vão ter que trabalhar muito duro ao nível da palavra pronúncia, a fim de obter os resultados desejados.

5Use Smart Phones em vez de um dicionário de sinônimos.

Peça aos alunos pesquisar na frase “palavras como …” e uma série de ofertas on-line aparecerá. Encoraje os alunos a usar seus telefones inteligentes durante a escrita de classe desta maneira enquanto se concentra no desenvolvimento de uma ampla gama de vocabulário. Por exemplo, pegue uma frase simples como “O povo falou sobre política.” Peça aos alunos para chegar a um número de versões que usam seus telefones inteligentes para encontrar substitutos para o verbo “falar”.

6UseSmart Phones para jogar.

Sim, sim, eu sei. Isso é algo que não deve encorajar na aula. No entanto, você pode incentivar os alunos a escrever frases que experimentam durante os jogos para trazer para a aula para discutir com mais detalhes. Há também uma série de jogos de palavras, como Scrabble ou da busca da palavra quebra-cabeças que são realmente instrutivo, bem como divertido. Você pode abrir espaço para isso na sua classe como uma “recompensa” para completar uma tarefa, apenas certifique-se para amarrá-lo a algum tipo de relatório para a classe.

7. Incentivar os alunos a usar Smart Phones para manter o controle de vocabulário.

Há uma grande variedade de aplicativos disponíveis MindMapping, bem como uma infinidade de aplicações de cartões flash. Você pode até mesmo criar seus próprios cartões de memória flash e peça aos alunos fazer o download do conjunto de cartas para a prática em sala de aula.

8Use Smart Phones para escrever prática.

Peça aos alunos que escrever e-mails uns para os outros, a fim de completar uma tarefa específica. Mude as tarefas para praticar diferentes tipos de registo. Por exemplo, um aluno pode escrever um inquérito produto com outro aluno responder ao inquérito com um e-mail follow-up. Isso não é novidade. No entanto, apenas usando seus telefones inteligentes podem ajudar a motivar os alunos para completar a tarefa.

9. Use Smart Phones para criar uma narração.

Esta é uma variação sobre a escrita de e-mails. Peça aos alunos escolher as fotos que tomaram e escrever um conto descrevendo as fotos que eles escolheram. Acho que fazendo em pessoal desta forma, os alunos se envolver mais profundamente com a tarefa.

10. Use Smart Phones para manter um diário.

Mais um exercício de escrita para o telefone inteligente. Peça aos alunos manter um diário e compartilhá-lo com a classe. Os alunos podem tirar fotos, escrever descrições em Inglês, bem como descrever o seu dia.

Fonte: http://esl.about.com/od/modernteachingtechniques/fl/Using-a-Smart-Phone-to-Teach-English.htm?nl=1

At The Airport

Época de férias e muitos de vocês já estão com planos de viajar nesse mês.

Pensando nisso estou enviando algumas fotos com vocabulário específico sobre viagem.

Há também um vídeo com Inglês Britânico sobre Segurança em Aeroporto.

Espero que seja útil. http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2014/07/140709_vwitn_airport_security.shtml

Conheçam os termos e pratiquem as frases para se familiarizarem com elas no caso de uma necessidade.

Não deixem de tirar muitas fotos para comentarmos sobre elas depois.

Aproveitem as férias! Boa Viagem!

 

In English

Holiday season and many of you already have plans to travel this month.

Thinking about it I am sending some pictures with specific vocabulary about trip.

There is also a British English video on Aiport Security that  might be helpful. http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2014/07/140709_vwitn_airport_security.shtml

Know the terms and practice sentences to become familiar with them in case of need.

Do not forget to take lots of pictures for commenting on them later.

Enjoy the holidays! Bon Voyage!

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3 Maneiras de lidar com quem não gostamos no ambiente de trabalho

Às vezes temos que enfrentar situações com colegas em nosso trabalho que nos fazem perder a cabeça e nos desencorajam a agir de forma acertada.

Seguem 3 dicas sobre essa  matéria da Revista Time de como agir nessas situações conflitantes.

Espero que sejam úteis para você.

3 Ways to Deal with Someone You Really Dislike at Work

By Jennifer Winter

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Sometimes, our least favorite employees are in that position at no fault of their own. I figured this out when starting a new job as a manager. I had one employee who was outgoing, ambitious, and hard working—and yet, I couldn’t stand her. For the longest time, I had no idea why.

So, I started making a mental note every time she did something that made me cringe and looked for patterns. It turned out, I found her most annoying every time she asked me a question—specifically one I couldn’t readily answer. I realized that, while her constant questions were definitely not on my favorite to-do list, the real issue wasn’t really with her, it was with me—I didn’t like feeling unprepared and put on the spot.

After that, I made a point to bone up on the issues she typically raised and enlisted her help in figuring out solutions to common snags the entire group faced. Not only did I improve my skills and knowledge as a manager, but I empowered her to take on more responsibility—and kept her busy in the process.

If you’ve got an employee you avoid like the plague, try to figure out what exactly it is about that person that’s driving you batty. The answer might surprise you, and trust me, once you realize what’s irking you, it’ll be much easier to address.

Grab a Pen

I’m a big fan of taking notes, and will rarely go anywhere around the office without my trusty notebook and pen in hand. While it’s obvious why this is beneficial in a meeting, I was surprised to realize my notebook had handy meditative powers, too.

A few years back, I was relatively new as a manager, so I hadn’t come across too many employees I didn’t really like, but one guy was a definite non-favorite. Among many other things, he was a talker. Every time he came by my desk to ask me “a question,” I’d find myself nodding off 20 minutes later, without a clue what he really needed. Not good.

So, I started keeping my notebook handy on my desk. Whenever he came by, I’d politely stop him, grab my pen, and start taking notes of our conversation.

My goal was twofold; first, I wanted to keep myself on track and force myself to pay attention to what he was saying—after all, I was still his manager, and I was there to help him—and secondly, I hoped that my furious note taking would help keep him on track, too. After all, it’s hard to ramble on and on when you know someone’s transcribing your every word.

One of the hardest tasks when dealing with your least favorite employees is making sure you give them the attention they deserve. Keep a pen and notebook handy, and you’ll not only make sure you’re paying attention, but you’ll have a sly diversionary tactic to keep your mind off how annoyed you are at the conversation.

Call For Backup

I know, this probably sounds strange, but if done correctly, it can be an elegant solution to dealing with your least favorite employee.

I stumbled across this tactic after I’d been a manager for a while and was lucky enough to have some great people working with me, including my second in command. She was always eager to learn and jumped at any opportunity to take on additional responsibilities. So, when I was getting frustrated with a particularly irksome employee, she asked if she could take a stab at coaching. The issue we were dealing with at the time was minor and, she suggested, a perfect opportunity for her to try her hand at managing.

This, it turned out, was a great approach. Not only did she get the chance to gradually test the management waters, I was able to observe and guide her throughout the process. And an unexpected benefit? I learned a ton watching her deal with this employee. She approached him in a completely different way, which he responded to quite well. I ended up adopting some of her techniques, and he and I eventually ended up getting along pretty well.

The lesson here is, when all else fails, don’t be afraid to call on someone else to pinch hit. Just remember, this should be used as a learning opportunity for both you and your (temporary) substitute, so don’t fall into the trap of just passing off all your difficult employees to other people.

When you manage, all your employees probably won’t be stars, and some of them will likely drive you crazy from time to time. Keep these tips in mind when you’re getting frustrated with one of your employees, and they’ll never have a clue they aren’t your favorite

Read the full article at http://time.com/2945147/tips-employee-management/

BULLYING – O que Escolas e Professores Podem Fazer

Segue um texto para treino de leitura e compreensão sobre um tema bastante atual.

BullyingBullying can be found in every school. It is often part of how young people interact in our society. Each school must recognize the extent and impact and take steps to prevent that from happening. When bullying is ignored or underestimated, students will suffer permanent torment and harassment. It can cause lifelong damage to the victims. Both bullies and victims are more likely to become criminals. A failure of the school to deal with bullying endangers the safety of all its students, allowing a hostile environment that certainly interferes with learning. There is clear evidence that school can dramatically reduce the incidence of bullying. We need to make schools free of bullying, take immediate action; every student has the right to a safe environment free from bullying.

The size of the problem

Scientific studies show that bullying is an international problem that affects all schools. There is a remarkable similarity in the incidence of bullying from country to country and from school to school. Bullying knows no international boundaries, socio-economic status or ethnic boundaries. This usually has three common characteristics: it is a deliberate and hurtful behavior is repeated and it is difficult for those being bullied to defend themselves. There are three main types of bullying: physical type: hitting, kicking, taking belongings; verbal type: name calling, insults, racist comments and indirect type / emotional: spreading nasty stories, excluding groups.

How to deal with an incident of bullying

Students bullied are typically passive or become so because of intimidation. Avoid concentrating the focus on the shortcomings of the victim of bullying. Focus on the immediate problem is that the behavior of the aggressor. The objective of any intervention must stop the abuse immediately. Make sure that the abuser changes his behavior. Provide support for the victim, ensuring the same access to an environment free of bullying at all times.

Teacher and School Action

Not only the teacher, but all school staff must be committed to a common response to bullying when it happens, because immediate action is crucial. Clear procedures should take place when a case of bullying is discovered. The school needs to provide the necessary support for the individual teacher, so that he is able to maintain a classroom environment safe. There should be clear guidelines that stipulate that teachers have responsibilities when it comes to a case of bullying. A teacher who is conscious of their role should observe when a student is isolated, sad and should seek the reasons for this. Teachers must recognize that a safe classroom is the most effective way to develop a positive learning environment free from bullying. Bullying 2

Sources:

http://www.education.com/reference/article/Ref_Bullying_Schools/ http://www.stopbullying.gov/prevention/at-school/ http://www.popcenter.org/problems/bullying/

 

 

Are you sad or lonely? Find 8 solutions!

Hera are some ideas I have just found on Twitter from Sue Ellson by” The Tiny Buda”. I think they are very true and helpful. I hope you´ll like them.

People are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges.” ~Joseph F. Newton

1. Connect through sports, hobbies or interests.

.Meet likeminded people who share something that you also love. They will make time for you; other people already have full calendars.

2. Borrow or adopt a dog and go walking.

People talk to people with dogs.

3. Talk to senior citizens.

They have plenty of wisdom, time, and advice that they can share. By listening, you are also validating them as well as yourself.

4. Expect it to be challenging.

It may be difficult for you, but don’t give up. Keep going but start with the easiest options first.

5. Find out why you feel lonely. 

Perhaps there is some bitterness, resentment, or guilt that you are carrying around. It is time to forgive and forget.

6. Celebrate

Develop new routines and rituals to celebrate special occasions and reward your new healthy behaviors.

7. Be brave.

It takes courage and persistence to overcome your bad habits—but it all starts with you, not someone else. Ask for help, seek some guidance, but take full responsibility for your happiness.

8. Dream big.

Visualize what you want in the future and watch it materialize. Keep your vision sharp and clear.

Can you see how none of these suggest finding a partner or fixing the one you have? Isn’t that liberating? By connecting through various people, activities, or regular commitments, you are no longer dependent on a partner to complete you or help you overcome your feelings of loneliness.

And you may just find that when you are no longer lonely, you will be happy—with or without a partner.

 

About Sue Ellson

Sue Ellson BBus AIMM MAHRI is the Founder and Director of Newcomers Network, a socially responsible business providing information, events and advocacy for newcomers and networkers in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth. Sue started this enterprise in 1999 as a result of her own difficult transition from Adelaide to Melbourne. Connect directly to Sue via LinkedIn.

Plenary by Sugata Mitra at IATEFL

The 48th Annual International IATEFL Conference & Exhibition

Dear Teachers and English Learners,

Check this conference because it was very good.

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Sugata Mitra is Professor of Educational Technology at the School of Education, Communication and Language Sciences at Newcastle University, UK. His interests include Children’s Education, Remote Presence, Self-organising systems, Cognitive Systems, Physics and Consciousness. Professor Mitra’s work at NIIT created the first curricula and pedagogy for that organisation, followed by years of research on learning styles, learning devices, several of them now patented, multimedia and new methods of learning. Culminating and, perhaps, towering over his previous work, are his “hole in the wall” experiments with children’s learning. Since 1999, he has convincingly demonstrated that groups of children, irrespective of who or where they are, can learn to use computers and the internet on their own using public computers in open spaces such as roads and playgrounds. He brought these results to England in 2006 and invented Self Organised Learning Environments, now in use throughout the world. In 2009, he created the Granny Cloud of teachers who interact with children over the Internet. Since the 1970s, Professor Mitra’s publications and work has resulted in training and development of perhaps a million young Indians, amongst them some of the poorest children in the world. The resultant changes in the lives of people and the economy of the country can only be guessed at.

The future of learning

In this talk, Sugata Mitra will take us through the origins of schooling as we know it, to the dematerialisation of institutions as we know them. Thirteen years of experiments in children’s education takes us through a series of startling results – children can self-organise their own learning, they can achieve educational objectives on their own, they can read by themselves. Finally, the most startling of them all: groups of children with access to the internet can learn anything by themselves. From the slums of India, to the villages of India and Cambodia, to poor schools in Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, the USA and Italy, to the schools of Gateshead and the rich international schools of Washington and Hong Kong, Sugata’s experimental results show a strange new future for learning.

– See more at: http://iatefl.britishcouncil.org/2014/sessions/2014-04-05/plenary-sugata-mitra?utm_source=09+April+2014&utm_campaign=ConstantContact+26+March&utm_medium=email#sthash.E9cGUDDK.dpuf

5 Ideas for Classroom Management

Às vezes fica difícil para professores organizarem suas aulas de forma atraente e eficaz, principalmente com um orçamento limitado.

Aqui seguem 5 boas ideias de http://www.scholastic.com

These ideas are from Scholastic.com. We can find many more useful tips there.dscn04171.jpg

Classroom management can be a challenge, especially for those on a budget. Here are five tried-and-true ideas that have seen me through many years of teaching kindergarten. Follow these guidelines to make managing your classroom an inexpensive and painless experience.

1. Give privileges, not prizes or presents

This goes for individual and group rewards, as well as for birthdays and holidays.

Ideas for individual privileges:

  • Choose where to sit
  • Play a game instead of working on an assignment
  • Play on the computer

Ideas for group privileges:

  • Special activity
  • Outdoor fun
  • Show and Tell

I make punch cards so students can pick a reward and then earn it. Once a reward is cashed in, they can pick a new reward. Punches are free for birthdays and holidays.

2. Keep a music player and a well-stocked music library.

Music can be used for many different things. Examples include:

  • Play slow instrumental music to create a peaceful environment
  • Play upbeat tunes for a mood or energy boost
  • Celebrate an accomplishment by singing and dancing
  • Designate a song that is used for transitions

3. Make a variety of ways to motivate and encourage students, or to prevent certain behaviors.

  • Quiet as a Mouse Bubbles (bubble solution, bubble wand)
  • Smarty Spray (spray bottle, water)
  • Speedy Clean-Up Spritzer (spray bottle, Alka-Seltzer tablet
  • Helping Hands Soap (pump dispenser, foaming hand soap)
  • Magic “Pay Attention” Mist (mister, water, peppermint extract)
  • Tattletale Repellent (can of air freshener)
  • Fear Extinguisher (spray bottle, water, vanilla extract)

4. Buy snacks with small pieces for longer use.

Some snacks that work well are:

  • Cereal
  • Goldfish-type crackers
  • Pretzel sticks
  • Cheez-It crackers
  • Popcorn
  • Chex Mix
  • Raisins
  • Graham crackers

5. Use cheap toys and tools for fidgety kids.

 

Good items for kids who can’t sit still (something that appeals to each of the five senses):

  • Silly Putty
  • Headphones
  • Sand timer or sensory bottle
  • Leftover candy canes
  • Chewing gum
  • Stuffed animal or pillow (musical ones are a bonus!)

Source: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/top-teaching/2014/02/5-ideas-classroom-management-budget?eml=INTL/e/20140407////INTLeNews//clsrmmgmt////&ym_MID=1523843&ym_rid=12982663