Monday, March 31, 2014

Thoughts on this year's TESOL Macedonia Thrace Conention

Monday morning, 31st of March! A very full weekend has come to an end!! To my surprise I don't feel tired at all... It has been a wonderful weekend full of people, new experiences, new ideas, new friends.

First of all it's been a great honour to be in Kieran Donaghy's plenary talk and presentation! He shared with us so many interesting ideas, I owe him A LOT (My lessons wouldn't be the same without them)







 The Pecha Kucha event... well... what can I say?
It was a frightening experience (LOL)... No, it wasn't, although I froze for a moment and I was really nervous... I have never spoken in front so many people in  my life!! What I said come from my heart (although I think I was the only person who spoke about personal experiences)! A big thank you to all who came and congrats to all my other co-presenters!! You all made a difference in this!




 What made a real difference this year is that I met my dear friend Vicky Loras again face to face. She has been a real inspiration for me, a friend, a supporter,  a mentor, somebody who has been encouraging me again and again...
A big thank you for your mention in your plenary presentation.
I knew she was going to speak about me, but I hadn't actually realize that she values me so much....
Vicky words are not enough... You made me cry from happiness... Thank you...
 I have met some really wonderful educators these past days, I had lots of fun, learned an awful lot, re-charged my batteries... The presentations and the plenaries I have been to were all wonderful and informative. A big thanks to Maria Sachpazian for her continuous support ( I will always say that - ΒΤW Fantastic presentation, I loved it)

 I have to apologize though, because I couldn't go to everybody's presentations. It's not that I didn't  want to, it's that I had to write reports for the TESOL Macedonia blog and I was assigned to different rooms!!!
 I have to thank my dear student Eleni Vasdoka who dedicated her whole Sunday to help me with the interviews and the pictures!! You made the difference dear...

Another person I would like to thank is my partner in crime, Jo Psarra, for co-operating and for your hard work and support. (BTW, Spread Literature into the world was a big hit! Congrats)

My experience as a roving reporter was exhilarating.... Although I was running around all the time, I had so much fun.... Guys, I am going to do this again, that's a threat!!! :P 




All in all I'd like to thank the board for giving me the chance to challenge myself.
Now that everything is over, let's plan our next endeavors...

Thursday, March 27, 2014

The time has come!!!

TESOL Macedonia Thrace convention is just around the corner and  this time I am more actively involved into it  and I just can't wait!!!
I have to say that Thessaloniki's convention is becoming better and better every year with some wonderful speakers around the world.
Four great Plenaries, a Pecha Kucha Event and a reception party.
I will not mention the speakers, everybody who is part of this convention are people with lots of new ideas, determination, willing to share their thoughts with the rest of us.
There will be some very experienced and well known educators, but also some new educators with lots to say.
So this time I would like to ask you people to give a chance to the "new blood" and support them anyway we can  to "open their wings" to the ELT world.

I'd like to thank the board for giving me the chance to take part to the Pecha Kucha, it's a dream come true, actually, although I know that I will be the only person who is going to talk about personal experiences, I will give it a try!!
I'd also like to thank Jo Psarra, George Raptopoulos, Maria Sachpazian and Vicky Loras for their constant support and my new friend Theodore Lalos for his very valuable observations and suggestions!!!
Keeping it short because you will get sick and tired of me (don't forget Jo Psarra and myself will be reporting live the whole weekend from ACT!)
Waiting to see you all this weekend!!!!

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

We are on the air! (TESOL Greece 35th convention)


We're on the air from Theodora Pap

As promised I uploaded my presentation for the 2014 Athens convention! This was a collaborative project between my students  and Georgia's students in Greece and students from 3 more countries; Argentina, Czech Republic and Portugal.

You can find our videos over here
And the views of the colleagues and wonderful educators who took part:
Hana Ticha
Christina Monteiro
Fabiana Cassela
Georgia Psarra
A big thank you to the students and the teachers who participated, to all the people who came to see it and to my friends and colleagues who took all these wonderful pictures and videos, which you'll find on our facebook group

Monday, March 17, 2014

Assessing the unassessed (TESOL GREECE 35th Convention)



Although, this is not exactly my field, I always attend Maria Sachpazian's presentations, since I get to know something new, something that happens beyond teaching, something that has to do with schools as a "business".
This time Maria explores the subject "School assessment"

First question:
Why should a school be assessed?
  • to set quality standards
  • to change infective practices
  • to ensure continuing investment on the outcomes of teaching
  • to make sure we stay on course
Secondly:
How can we tell if a school is good?
What is the difference between experts and non-experts?

What happens to the data collected after an evaluation?
Might evaluation impede teaching?

Evaluation is complicated.
 We should consider:
  • Relationship issues
  • CPP/UR issues
  • student achievement
  •  Added value
  • Accountability
  • Educational issues
One thing is for sure, Maria gave School owners Food for thought!!
And as the person next to me said: "This is  one very sensible lady!"

You can find Maria's presentation (the real stuff) over here!

Spread literature into the world (TESOLGREECE 35th convention)


Since I have been following this project step by step from the very beginning, it was natural that I would be THERE!
Georgia Psarra is on of the most dedicated, committed and enthusiastic people (and educators) I have ever met and George Raptopoulos is a person with vast knowledge and experience and a wonderful presenter.

The project is a wonderful idea of having the students translate or should I say interpret Greek Literature (poems and texts) into English.
Since it is not  a word to word translation, the students get to talk a lot (in the target language ) in order to understand and realise the meaning of each text or poem.

 ( I loved the quality of the paper and the colors in the leaflet, it is definitely something I am going to keep)

Both Jo and George explained to us the steps of their work.
We were then shown videos of the children's views of the project, as well as a song composed by one of their students inspired by the poem they were working on.

This was really a wonderful job by both the teachers and their students. A big bravo!

Six impossible things before breakfast (TESOL Greece 35th Convention)


If I could describe this presentation in one phrase, this would be: "experience counts"
The Presentation started with a dictation.
There was also a question: "Why did I become a teacher?"
We were supposed to write the ones that expressed us the most.
Some of the answers were"
"I like the language and feel confident teaching it"
"It's a secure job"
"I was inspired by another teacher"
"My parents were teachers"
"It's creative and stimulating"

In the end we were explained that this is kind of a personality test, which revealed it the decision came from inside or from outside factors.

Mr. House pointed out that we should make teaching more interesting, for example by personalizing grammar tasks.

 ( Picture NOT from the presentation, but similar)


We were then shown a picture of a horse with the saying: "You can bring a horse to the water, but you can't make it drink"
Why doesn't the horse ( the students) drink? Think about it...
-maybe it's not thirsty
- it doesn't know how
- it can't see the reason for it
- it's too much effort
- It doesn't like  water
- It doesn't like being told what to do
- It doesn't like being watched while drinking
- It is tired being criticized for the way it drinks

Another wonderful task personalizing again:
" I would be famous as..."
- stage or costume designer
- lyricist
- record producer
- dancer
- pianist
- singer's manager
- composer

This way we find out about our student's personalities and can act accordingly.

Some more useful activities:

( Picture NOT from the presentation, but similar)

Show a picture of bored kids in a classroom: this could be a wonderful prompt for a narrative activity
Or
Speaking activity: 5 things to get when the house is on fire!
Or
A power point presentation presenting "my five favorite things!
And lots and lots more...
A wonderful presentation from an incredible educator!!!




Hit Learners with Music (from the TESOL GREECE 35th Convention)

Sometimes when you go to a convention and look at the programme, you cannot really decide where to go. What motivates you to go to a presentation?
I mean, yes, everybody goes to the plenaries and everybody attends the presentation of the "big names", but what happens to the "rest of us"?

I saw Theodore Lalos' title and although the subject did interest me, it was just after mine and I had decided not to attend anything and get some rest...
But, I had the luck of meeting  Theodore earlier in the morning, he was really kind and helped me a lot with technical issues ( I am completely illiterate when it comes to computers), so I attended the presentation after all!

I have to say that I was really impressed with what he did.
He had prepared a 10-page-leaflet with everything in in, theoretical stuff, exercises and all his references.
He did not start with the theory (the "boring stuff" - just kidding), but gave us everything in paper so that we could read afterwards, if the subject interested us.

We worked on a song by Adele, "Rolling in the Deep"
Although I personally don't like the song (it reminds me of very painful abdominal exercises at my gym, but this is only a personal trauma), he did a wonderful job with the song.

As an intro we listened to a Medley with Adele's sons, then had to talk to each other about the artist, we then sung on karaoke using Lyricstraining.com.

We worked on vocabulary, listening and pronunciation exercises, the presentation was really interactive, we had to actively participate during the whole thing.

In order to summarize what he presented us, he used a really wonderful programme (I think quizlet?), highlighting the main points.
I am not going to describe in detail, I am sure that Theodore will upload his presentation soon!
I really enjoyed the presentation and I hope there will be more great jobs like this in the future.
http://lalostheodore.wordpress.com/

Theodore's recorded webinar over here.

Back to Thess. Reflections

Home sweet home!!
This post is going to be about my personal thoughts about this weekend. Reports on professional presentations will follow during this week.

Every time I go to Athens, I see that every Convention is becoming better and better.
A big congrats to the TESOL Greece board for organizing this event, for their valuable help and a big bravo to all these wonderful volunteers. Without you guys I don't know if everything would go so smoothly.

This year I have spent the whole weekend at the convention - I tried to see as many presentations as possible. I have to say that I have gained a lot, learned a lot and met some wonderful people.
Some people surprised me pleasantly, some others not so pleasantly, but... that's life, we can't get along with everybody...

This year though was different.
I felt that I belong somewhere. I felt team spirit.
Everybody was kind to me, but I really have to give a shout-out to the Thessalonikians, who stood by me, supported me and were there for me. It felt like I was with family. Thank you so much for everything (you know who you are!!)

I have decided not to write anything about the plenaries, everybody attended them, they were broadcast live (and I am sure there will be recordings at the TESOL Greece page). I am going to focus on the individual presentations I attended and on the people.
I am also going to upload my own presentation soon (for those who weren't able to attend)
Take care

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Animate a character #30GoalsEDU


Reading of what M Jesus Garcia San Martin has done with her students animating dialogues from Platero and animating characters from El Greco paintings, reminded me what I did with my son a few years back to get him talking in English.
Giannis was 5 years old and we couldn't use "serious" characters from literature or art, but, I had discovered a great app in the iPad called Toontastic, where you can actually draw your own characters (or use the ones that already exist in the platform), make them move and record your own voice!

It is pretty simple and gives children the chance to be creative and make their own stories, use new grammar and vocabulary and produce language through play.

This is one of Giannis' videos


Sunday, March 2, 2014

Blog challenge


Yes, 11 facts again...
This time tagged by dear colleague Vicky Papageorgiou. We met each other on Facebook and lately in person as well, since we live at the same city! I think Vicky is a wonderful educator, who cares a great deal about her work and her students!

Here we go!
  1. Name a book that made you cry.
    I think it was Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse. All this anguish, pain and agony mad me feel sad. But in the end I felt relief somehow...
  2. Name one book that you…regret having read ! Give details please.
    Minority Report by Philip K. Dick. I made the mistake of watching the movie first. I loved the film, but I couldn't quite understand what was going on in the book!
  3. Name your favourite song and tell us why.

  4.  
    This has a really special meaning for me since it was the last song I used when I stopped teaching my spinning class at the gym. It was the end of a "era", the end of a dream that will never come true
  1. Which city or country in the world could you easily live in, apart from your current city  ?
    I think it would be somewhere in Germany! Cologne maybe? or Berlin? 
  2. If you weren’t an educator, what else would/could you be?
    An educator maybe?? LOL!
  3. What is the riskiest thing you have ever done in your life?
    Go to Austria alone at the age of 17!!! I met friends over there but I was terrified untll I actually got there!
  4. Describe your favourite library : where is it, how is it, why do you like it?
    Hm, I am afraid I haven't been to a lot of libraries and I don't have a favourite!
  5. If you could write a book, what would it be about?
    The story of my life?? No, just kidding!!! Study cases of students is more like it!
  6. Which is your favourite ELT website? Provide the link, please.
    British council's Learn English kids! It has saved me a lot of times and kids love it! 
  7. An embarrassing moment in your professional career. When, where, what? 
    When I started looking for a job, everybody was looking for a more experienced teacher. After 3-4 unsuccessful interviews, I just broke out in tears - I couldn't help it... I regret it now of course, but I still keep getting emotional sometimes!
  8. Describe one of your best moments in your teaching career.
    One of my pest moments is the Xmas movie party I organized, 8-9 years ago - a lot of students came (former and current), brought presents and it really felt like Xmas with me "extended" family!! This was not exactly a "teaching" moment, but it had to do with students so it's unforgettable!

    I am not going to tag anyone... Thank you

A little self-reflection??


I was reading the TDi blog the other day, this time the topic is "the whole" teacher". I always enjoy reading the TDi blogs, this time I decided to write something about it as I lived the subject.
I was particularly  interested in the questionnaire Kate Cory-Wright, although I did left a comment telling how useful I think the particular post was, it did not get approved.
I decided to go through answering the questionnaire though, because I know that it would do me good and help me evaluate myself somehow.
So here it goes:

-->
1. Do you forgive yourself if a class goes badly?
Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. It depends on the day and on the incident. When something goes wrong, I really think hard about it, I wonder what I should have done, what the reactions might have been. In the end, I try to find ways to correct things. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.
2. Do the majority of your lessons bring you a sense of joy?
Yes, my lessons usually make sense to me and to my students, and yes, they make me happy.

3. Are you adaptable? If an activity goes well and you can see a way to continue with it, are you happy to run with the ball (even though it wasn’t on the lesson plan)? 
Equally, if an activity doesn’t go well, can you adapt it spontaneously/in real time?

I do that all the time, I never stick to the lesson plan, especially if my students produce language. That's why I don't stick to exam books so much. I always have extra activities - games with me in case something goes wrong...
 
4. Do you ever experiment with new ideas?
I always experiment with new ideas, I try new things all the time.  

5. Are you able to let go of total control during your classes?
I am master of that too! LOL! I don't like "military discipline" in my classroom / with my private students as well. I prefer "creative noise. As I mentioned I never stick to the plan, but all of this combined to each other makes perfect sense.

6. Do you “connect” with most of your students? Do you genuinely care for them?
I do connect with my students. Most of them talk to me about their problems and joys. I keep in touch with most of my former students, as well. Some of them come to visit or call me to see how I am doing and this brings a lot of joy. I do care about them, I see them as an extension of my family.
7. Do you ever put yourself in your students’ shoes and reflect on how they feel?
All the time. I can feel the pressure and their fears, that's why I try to talk to them and be close to them 

8. Does an element of the “real you” come across in your lessons?
I think my lesson is all "me", I am not good with other people's rules, I don't do what I am told and this brings conflicts sometimes.  Some trust my decisions and some don't. 

9. Do you feel a passion for teaching and for your subject? Does it show?
I do and I think it does show most of the times
10. Do you take enough care of your health and happiness outside of class?
I exercise regularly and I try to watch what I eat (generally but not lately). If you don't feel good with yourself, how can you expect to make other people confident about themselves??


Well I think this was a real boost to myself!!!
More to come!


Saturday, March 1, 2014

When things get tough, the tough get going!

Guest blog-post by Georgia Psarra

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Two weeks left until our presentation and things are getting tough. The first challenge I had to encounter; how will I say the things I want to say?
I sat down and started writing… three hours later I was looking proudly at my notes…six pages crammed with asterisks, footnotes and scribbles. Armed with confidence I went on to the next stage preparing my PowerPoint; everybody has one in their presentation, don’t they? I really felt smart when I figured out how it works! I want it to have a nice, neat layout after all!
Now, I am at the stage of trying to coordinate the parts of my body, rehearsing the words (without notes!) and changing the PowerPoint pages on the projector. The last straw was when George asked me (very politely I must mention) to add his notes in the PowerPoint presentation so that it has consistency… Needless to say that he has already everything ready and he is thinking of our next project!


Georgia Psarra and George Raptopoulos are presenting at the TESOL Greece Convention 
You can find their interview at the TESOL blog over here!

Good luck!!!

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