Marek-Kiczkowiak about Native and Non- Native English Teachers

What makes a good English Teacher?

The Learning Styles

If you were one of those people who struggled through school, you may have felt like you weren’t smart enough and that you’d never be able to catch up to your fellow classmates.

Sadly, it happens all too frequently with students right through high school, college and beyond.

However, if you’ve ever felt this way, then it’s very possible that you weren’t being taught according to your learning style.

Luckily, you can totally avoid this problem with independent language learning. As an independent language learner, you can tailor your instruction in a way that best suits you.

Top 20 Innovation Articles of July 2016

Top 20 Innovation Articles of July 2016
To read.

Here are four more strong articles published the last week of the month:

• How to use Design Thinking to get fit and lose weight – by Jeffrey Tobias
• Innovate by Adopting a Role Model Organization – by Paul Sloane
• Innovation in the World Demands Adaptability in the Workplace – by Andrew Heikkila
• The Daily Routines of Famous Creative People – INFOGRAPHIC

Join our social network!

Join our social network!:
Connect with like-minded to explore new ideas!

M.A. Halina Ostańkowicz-Bazan

halina.bazan@pwr.wroc.pl

Senior Lecturer at Wroclaw University of Technology,

Foreign Languages Department and Department of Polish for Foreigners, since 1976.

http://www.sjo.pwr.wroc.pl/168019,131.dhtml

http://www.sjo.pwr.wroc.pl/89769,131.dhtml

She is  Polish Language Teacher as well as Teacher of English, English Literature, English Drama, Business English and different English Exam Preparation (Cambridge FCE).

Education - University of Wroclaw Poland, Philology, Linguistics Jul 1969.

·       1974 M.A. thesis Efficiency of Polish Phonological Systems, the work was written under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Hab. Jerzy Woronczak. The effectiveness of Polish Phonological and Phonemic Structure: evaluation of the Excellent.

·       1979, she started a Ph.D. thesis on; Theoretical Ground Rules of The Stages of Effective Communication. She had not finished her dissertation.

·       July 1994 – Diploma Proficiency British Consul.

·       June 1995 - Diploma of the Polish-American Postgraduate Study of Communication in The Organization and Management, organized by

Wroclaw Polytechnics, the University of Wroclaw and Central Connecticut State University.

Work Experience

at Wroclaw University of Technology

·       October 1^st, 1976 University Assistant

·       1980 Senior Assistant

·       1986 University Lecturer

·       1992 Senior University Lecturer

·       1995 – 2000 Senior Lecturer at Polish-American Postgraduate Study of Communication in The Organization and Management

·       2011 Premium Teacher on WizIQ

·       October 2013 Freelance Senior Lecturer at Wroclaw University of Technology

She has been teaching Polish as a foreign language and English, since 1976.

M.A. Halina Ostańkowicz-Bazan also gives lectures in English on Polish History and Culture for students from all over the world. She has been looking for some inspiration and learning how to teach using new technologies, since 2010.  WizIQ fascinated her since she found the Platform.

In addition to this, Halina is extremely interested in Cultural Diversity. Furthermore, she believes that teaching language using songs is a powerful and enjoyable way of improving communication skills. Her educational approach recommends singing a language, meaning that we don’t speak the language, but we sing it.

Halina is a long-life learner, so she has been working on improving her teaching/learning skills for a very long time.

Additionally, she is for blended learning as well as flipping classroom techniques. She also finds Virtual Classes tremendously exciting and challenging, as they make attendees feel like having a real meeting and discussion. In Halina’s view, Visual quality and non-verbal communication tools, you can share with attendees are particularly significant. Moreover, an opportunity to communicate online with people from around the world is an overwhelming experience as well as an excellent chance to connect for teaching and learning. An occasion to meet and connect with people from the entire Globe is one of the reasons she appreciates online communication, very much.

 

Enhancing speaking and writing outcomes using Google Apps

Enhancing speaking and writing outcomes using Google Apps

Click on the link to watch the session.
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This practical talk focuses on using a range of Google Apps to support teachers and students in the classroom and beyond. Using collaborative tools, students can benefit from the knowledge of each individual in the group, with the teacher giving real-time feedback, intervention and guidance. Speaking work can be commented on and redrafted quickly and easily, producing extended results. - See more at: 

https://iatefl.britishcouncil.org/2016/session/enhancing-speaking-and-writing-outcomes-using-google-apps#sthash.kAtgrCld.dpuf

ELTJ Signature Event - This house believes that teacher training is a waste of time

ELTJ Signature Event - This house believes that teacher training is a waste of time

Presenter(s): 

Graham Hall

Penny Ur

Session details:

Many people assume that a training course is valuable – even essential – preparation for professional English language teaching. But does training really help ... or is it just a waste of time and money? Should we call a halt to teacher training? Our two speakers will debate the issues. Please come along, have your say, ask questions – and join in the vote.

Speakers: Peter Grundy & Penny Ur
Chair: Graham Hall

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Birmingham IATEFL Live Schedule Wednesday 13th April 2016

Birmingham IATEFL

Wednesday 13th April

0915-1025 OPENING PLENARY BY DAVID CRYSTAL
CHECK YOUR LOCAL TIME

Who would of thought it? The English language 1966-2066

Complaints about a supposed decline in standards of English continue to be made, with increasing frequency, in the British press. Although these are nothing new - as the long history of use of would of for would have illustrates - they do draw attention to the way we seem to be going through a period of unusually rapid language change. This paper illustrates the main changes in pronunciation, orthography, grammar, and vocabulary, discusses the chief factors involved - social mobility, globalization, and the Internet - and compares the changes that have taken place in the past fty years with those that are likely to take place in the next fty.

10:30    live studio starts

10:50    interview with Nicky Hockly

11:15    interview with Pete Sharma

11:30    interview with Adam Kightley

11:45    interview with Zeyneb Urkun 

12:00    interview with Silvana Richardson

12:15    interview with Jim Scrivener

12:30    interview with Gavin Dudeney

12:45    interview with George Pickering

13:00-14:00    break

14:00    interview with Hugh Dellar

14:00    interview with David Crystal

14:15    interview with Tessa Woodward

14:45    interview with Hornby scholars: Allwyn D'costa and Erkin Mukhammedor

15:00    interview with Hornby scholars: Mohammed Bashir and Abdallah Yousif

15:15    interview with Gail Ellis

15:30    interview with Hornby scholars Parwiz Hossain and Shoaib Jawad

15:45    interview with Alison Barrett

16:00    interview with Alan Maley

16:15    interview with Tim Phillips

17:20 - 18:25 BRITISH COUNCIL SIGNATURE EVENT
CHECK YOUR LOCAL TIME

Shakespeare lives: love, hate, death and desire in English language classroom

Speakers: Lisa Peter (The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust), Dr Christina Lim (lecturer, researcher and teacher educator), Shaheen Khan (actor), Lisa Peter (Shakespeare Birthplace Trust), Tonderai Munyevu (actor). Chaired by John Knagg, British Council.
Join the British Council to celebrate Shakespeare's work on teh 400th anniversary of his death. We will ecplore how Shakespeare has relevance to our society, students and classrooms today and how Shakespearecan speak to people from all around the world about universal human experiences like love, hate, death and desire.
The event will be practical, thought-provoking and fully interactive with the opportunity join in the discussion before, during and after, either in person and online. The audience will help to shape the event and on the day and participants will take away ideas to use in the classroom on how to address issues which feature in much of Shakespeare's work yet remain relevant today.

- See more at: Birmingham IATEFLBirmingham IATEFL

About WizIQ

The technology is growing wide, and I feel overwhelmed.
Perhaps not as amazed as some people because my job gives me the opportunity to be a life-long learner and technology is a huge part of my present teaching.  Now we are told to “just look it up on the web”, “go online”  or “google it”.
Well, online takes more time and effort than talking to a friend, listening to the radio, or watching the television.  Connected means I have to use my computer or my smartphone or another electronic device.  Moreover, it seems that every electronic device is different and every three months a new model comes out that requires another learning twist. How will I ever keep up? That learning challenge is becoming superior and harder to manage. This is why I highly recommend WizIQ.
WizIQ’s Virtual Classroom lets you collaborate in real time during online delivery of classes and training sessions. With our powerful platform’s features and range of useful tools, you can:
Increase student engagement with real-time audio-video communication, text chats, and advanced interactive whiteboards.
Integrate smoothly with your existing website or LMS (e.g., Moodle, Blackboard, Sakai) using our APIs & plugins.
Deliver live classes on-the-go from any mobile device using WizIQ Android and iOS apps.
Manage your classes and students easily with handy features like Attendance Reporting, Recording, and Notifications.
Reuse lectures recorded by using WizIQ’s recording and secure content facility.
Access WizIQ from any internet browser, without downloading any software.
WizIQ’s Virtual Classroom lets you collaborate in real time during online delivery of classes and training sessions. With our powerful platform’s features and range of useful tools, you can:
Increase student engagement with real-time audio-video communication, text chats, and advanced interactive whiteboards.
Integrate smoothly with your existing website or LMS (e.g., Moodle, Blackboard, Sakai) using our APIs & plugins.
Deliver live classes on-the-go from any mobile device using WizIQ Android and iOS apps.
Manage your classes and students easily with handy features like Attendance Reporting, Recording, and Notifications.
Reuse lectures recorded by using WizIQ’s recording and secure content facility.
Access WizIQ from any internet browser, without downloading any software.
https://youtu.be/QGIyxX5xw_c?list=PL2JR-WMV8l6cMK37z5_gJuR_4jevfj1uk
 
 
ZOOM
The biggest advantage of using Zoom is that it provides excellent connection, which is especially advantageous if you have low bandwidth. Additionally, the use of the annotations when sharing a screen (to be used as a whiteboard) can make the lesson much more interactive. One cool feature is that you can record your lessons, which are saved on your hard drive. You can schedule recurring lessons, add events to your calendar, use chat and have it sent to you, and there are many other features too.

The dashboard for Zoom is simple and easy to use. Here is what you can do:
– Start a lesson with or without your video (you can turn your video on and off during the lesson/meeting) – Schedule a meeting – Join a meeting
When youschedule a meeting, you can choose to make it recurring. This is a great option to have for learners who take lessons at a set time each week.
You will receive a meeting ID and a link when you schedule a lesson, and this can be shared with your student(s). Additionally, you can automatically add it your online calendar.
Your learner will need to download Zoom to be able to connect with you.
Settings
There are many settings inside Zoom; the vast majority are similar to other video conferencing software (like audio, video,etc.).
The recording feature is something I highlighted in the video. Youcan record your lessons automatically to a specified folder.
The Class Experience
Here is what you can do during your lesson with Zoom:
– Chat – Use video – Share your screen – Use annotations while your’re sharing your screen (like a whiteboard) – Share your computer audio; this is a great feature when playing a video
Zoom is free to use for most uses. The only reason to upgrade is if you are taking group lessons that last over 40 minutes and/or you want to use it for a webinar.
Reasons to Use Zoom
There are many advantages to using Zoom:
– The quality of the call is very good
– The annotations for screen sharing is very useful – It is lightweight with no real problems/bugs – You can create recurring meetings and use the same link for your learners
The one drawback is that it is not well known. This means that you will have to educate your learners on how to use it, and they will have to download the application first.
However, this can be easily done through a one page PDF or quick video that you can give your learners with instructions on what to do.