The First Draft

All the stages we go through during the process of writing is the main reason to generate ideas, in case you don't want to hear..."I can't think about anything". Through small steps you break down any barrier for learning.

The teacher can draw a mind map with student's ideas on the board. It is a very good tool to show and share their thoughts.

Now, give them a chance to write their own first draft, I mean individually. This is a moment they have to express their opinion and learning experience. Grammar rules, spelling and punctuation should be ignored at this stage. Any difficulty with vocabulary the learners are allowed to write in their L1.

Remember to make available a good dictionary. The words or even phrases that they may have written in L1, they can find out among themselves if you give them another 5 minutes to share their draft.

Since the students have their first sketch, it is going to be easier to organize the text. Bring an example of the same genre you are working on. Discuss with the class the main topic of each paragraph and let them group similar ideas in one paragraph.

The students will get used to generate a second draft, or and a third one if it is necessary.

It is a good recommendation to have a code to signalise each type of mistake, so that they have a chance to reflect about their own writing. We usually learn through mistakes.

Writing

When I think about L2 learners, I am always concerned about bringing up the main four skills; speaking, listening, reading, and writing to the learners. Some learners can find writing challenging as the English progresses. Why Writing?

Writing involves, genre, grammar, spelling, and language convention. Genre can be discussed in reading and writing classes. The learners can compare and recognize the variety of texts , such as menus, formal and informal invitations, examples of letters, resumes, articles, poems, abstracts, researches, medicine instruction, dictionary, comic strips...which can be in groups, in pairs or, with the teacher. It also can be used between L1 and L2, so that the students can find out the differences.

When you have defined what exactly type of writing you want to develop, you start from your planning class.

Example: Write a small paragraph about your Trip to Glasgow.

1st stage - Brainstorm. Prepare some questions about the subject, and discuss with your students. Give an opportunity for every one to participate.

2nd stage - Prepare an interview about a trip, but to somewhere else, and give them a chance to interview each other.

3nd stage - Change partners and let them to share their stories.

4th stage - Working on revisions - make a remarkable review about the subject, the similarities, the differences, an amazing fact, etc.

5th stage - Edit

Observe the stages above are planned in advance to flow smoothly through the practice.

Finally EDIT it , or if you wish, draw THE FIRST DRAFT.

Realia

I have had a lovely time in Scotland and I would like to share some of my experience. 

We all have an idea of what interdisciplinary means. We bring a topic to the classroom and through some other subjects, we work on it. 

Lets give an example: EXCURSION. 

This topic can be very good to teach English. We can include Geography as the parallel discipline to bring up some knowledge about the place we are going to visit, for instance, reading a map, searching for location, population, roads and distance. History will help to develop our knowledge about time, facts, people and relevance of the area. Through Science we are going to find out how to preserve the environment, and exactly how we should behave ourselves. 

I could extend this topic as much as I need, but I want to register the brilliant idea the TESOL teachers in Scotland are offering to the students. We went to Glasgow to visit The People's Palace, The Oldest House, and St Mungo's Museum of Religious Life and Art. As part of the program, we also were in Edinburgh to see the Castle and The Parliament. We walked around those gorgeous streets of Edinburgh and we were delighted with such  magnificent architecture. If you are surprised, I will tell you more. We visited the spectacular exhibition and the recreation of the voyages of the Royal Research Ship Discovery, built in Dundee to take Captain Scott to Antarctica,  the Discovery Point. The Verdant Works a heritage museum tells the story of Dundee's jute industry, the glorious Jute time, that represented a lot not only for the development of Dundee, but also of the world. 

Are you wondering about "Realia"? That's right!!! "Realia" in EFL (English as a Foreing Language) terms refers to any real objects we use in the classroom to bring the class to life. How rich is the unique experience to live the environment in its real sense. I can't forget to mention about the occasion when a Scottish Policeman came to introduce himself, and talked about his job, his career, and informed foreigners about basic British law, which everybody should know. Talking about career, The Career Centre can help you to find the way. Astonished!!!! Next week we are watching a play in a Theatre. Brilliant!!! This is "Realia". Enjoy yourself and make your class fun, educational, and motivating. This way you expose the students to more language than simply destinations.

TESOL Teachers

I would like to offer this space for all TESOL  (Teaching English for Speakers of Other Languages) Teachers. It is a place to exchanging ideas, planning classes, bringing relevant topics, doubts, grammar, and lots of activities.

I have been using the internet since 1994 to research, to make friends and to be in touch with colleagues, but I never thought that one day I could have a blog and express myself world wide.

When I arrived in Scotland in 2006, I had lots of free time, and I thought to look for an Educational Community which I could belong to. I sent an e-mail to the principal of a school, Angus College in Arbroath, requesting a meeting to introduce myself. I received a phone call back on the same day confirming the date and time for the appointment. I was very glad to know that everybody in the school was friendly. In a few hours I was with the ESOL Team Leader and to the Librarian Manager. I was allowed to use the computers any time I wanted and I was welcomed to the Course and to the school community. For two weeks I observed the English classes, and then I started working as an English Teacher Volunteer with Polish, Russian and Czech Republic students. I would like to say that teaching English for speakers of other languages makes more sense when you are in an English speaker country. It was part of my job to support written English classes to prepare the students to write articles for a magazine, which was part of a project for the conclusion of the ESOL course. 

A Dream Coming True

I had dreamed all my life to have an experience abroad with English native speakers, and I thought it would be the best way to become proficient at speaking the language. 

In 1994, I enrolled in a foreign exchange programme with EF Student Exchange Programmes. It was an intensive two-week-summer course in London, which gave me plenty time to include Cambridge and Canterbury in my short tour in the UK. I was amazed and fascinated by the old and new architecture, as well as by the colourful gardens, forms, shapes and styles of so many historical buildings. 

I was young, enthusiastic and very motivated to return to the Uk after living the British culture briefly for two weeks. I would need a longer period to develop my own personal life experience. In fact, you never know when it is the right moment to live the dream as life circumstance changes without warning you. 

For some time, I explored a variety of pathways to work and to study abroad. I looked at work permit, student scholarship, tourism and meeting new friends online. I also tried a visa to The United States of America, for three times it was denied and I saw my dream fading away. It was not as easy as many people might find.

The opportunity came much later in life,  when I moved to Scotland in July 2006.