How many children go to school? (by Angela)

Click here to listen to Aggeliki describing the graph!

http://www.snapvine.com/bp/PDO0LtDREdyCrgAwSFxxvg

Comparison between Greek and German schools (by Christina)

First of all the marks are different. In Greek schools the best mark you can get is twenty and the worst mark is zero. In German schools it is different too. From the first till the tenth class you get 1-5 (one is the best) and from the tenth class you get 1-15 (15 is the best).
The classes are also split in another way. In Greek schools you go to elementary school (1st – 6th class), then to Junior high school (gymansio) for 3 years and senior high school (lykio) for another 3 years.
Before you go to the next class you take exams in the end of each year.
In German schools you have to do thirteen years, but some regions have changed it to twelve.
Students at German schools have to take exams during the whole year and not in the end.

My school (by Giannis)

My name is Giannis and I go to the first class of junior high school.
I don’t like my school very much because it is old. It has got two buildings. In the first building there are the classrooms for the first and second class, the teacher’s room and the headmaster’s office. In the second building there are the classrooms of the third grade, the biology and technology lab.
In my school there is one good thing. We’ve got very good teachers. They aren’t very strict, they teach with happiness and use simple words for us to understand.
This is my school. I want to make some changes though. The chairs aren’t very comfortable, the computers are old and there isn’t enough place for us, children to play.

Click here to listen to Gianni and me talking about foreign languages

http://www.snapvine.com/bp/7JJSAs40EdyKtAAwSFsOKg

Wie geht man zur Schule? (von Peter)

Die Mehrheit der Jugendlichen geht zur Schule zu Fuss. 21% der Kinder fahren mit dem Bus. An der dritten Stelle steht die U-Bahn und nur 10% fahren mit dem Auto.

Idealschule (von Alex)

Viele Kinder wünschen dass sie eine bessere Schule hätten. „ Die Schule ist ganz langweilig“ sagen die meisten. Andere träumen von einer Idealschule, eine Schule, die sie selbst gründen können, mit Lieblingslehrern und Lieblingsfächer.

Meine Idealschule hätte nur Sport und Chemie. Alle Schüler müssen da nur dreimal in der Woche gehen und es gibt vier bis fünf Stunden. Auf meine Idealschule kann man nicht nur Fußball spielen, sondern auch Handys und alles was wir möchten mitbringen. Am Kiosk gibt es Schokolade, Cola, viel ungesundes Essen und alles was man finden möchte. In meiner Idealschule muss man weder früh aufwachen, noch mit dem Bus fahren. Jeder Schüler hat Privatautos die sie fahren. Also ich möchte dass nur nette Lehrer da wären, mit denen wir sprechen können.
So wünsche ich mir meine Schule. Ich weiß, dass solche Sachen nicht passieren, aber es ist gut zu träumen und immer auf etwas Besseres wünschen.

Talking about school

With Vasiliki, 9 years old!

Click here to listen to us!

http://www.snapvine.com/bp/9vH4zMslEdy_5wAwSFsOKg

Schulsystem in Deutschland

Infos
Die Grundschule dauert in allen Bundesländern 4 Jahre (in Berlin sind es 6 Jahre!) und ist Pflicht für alle Schüler.Danach entscheiden die Lehrer aufgrund der Noten, in welche weiterführende Schule die Schüler gehen: Hauptschule, Realschule oder Gymnasium.Die Schullaufbahn ist damit aber nicht endgültig festgelegt, wie viele Eltern falsch glauben.Gute Schüler können von der Realschule auf das Gymnasium wechseln, oder von der Hauptschule auf die Realschule wechseln, manchmal sogar von der Hauptschule auf das Gymnasium wechseln. Oder Gymnasiasten (das heißt, Schüler an einem Gymnasium) wechseln auf eine Realschule.Nach einem Hauptschulabschluss oder einem Realschulabschluss gibt es viele Möglichkeiten, weiter auf die Schule zu gehen, und die Allgemeine Hochschulreife (Abitur) zu bekommen.Diese Möglichkeiten variieren von Bundesland zu Bundesland.Einige Bundesländer haben auch Gesamtschulen. Hier trennt das System die Schüler nach der 4. Klasse nicht in drei verschiedene Schultypen, sondern alle Schüler besuchen dieselbe Schule. Gesamtschulen bieten nur in einigen Fächern unterschiedliche Niveaus an.

http://www.mckinnonsc.vic.edu.au/la/lote/german/links/topics/schulstruktur.htm

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schulsystem

The schools system in England

created by the BBC

Stages of schooling

All children must, by law, receive full-time education between the ages of five and 16. In the state school system education is divided into different stages.

Pre-school education

Between the ages of two and five, many children attend pre-school. The government’s Sure Start scheme provides free nursery education for all three and four year-olds. The government is working with local authorities to develop a network of children’s centres dealing with early education, childcare and family and health services. Primary EducationChildren start primary school education in the term after their fifth birthday. Primary education is divided into infants (five to seven) and juniors (seven to 11). The two stages can be combined in one primary school or separated into infant schools and junior schools.

Children first start school at the age of five

Secondary Education

Most pupils start secondary school at 11 years old. All secondary schools take pupils through to 16 years of age, when compulsory education ends. At some pupils may stay on until 18 to complete A levels or further vocational study. Further education may also be continued at a college. The three-tier systemSome areas operate a three-tier school system, where pupils attend lower, middle and upper schools. Pupils attend first school from five to eight or nine years old, middle school from eight or nine and then go on to upper school at 12 or 13.

Types of school in the state sector

The types of school in England are defined by who employs the staff, controls admissions and owns the land and buildings. There are four main ways in which a school may be organised, with academies and city technology colleges operating slightly differently

. Secondary schools can also specialise further to become faith schools or city technology colleges, for example.

Types of mainstream school

Community schools:

These were previously county schools. The LA employs school staff, owns the school lands and buildings and decides the arrangements for admitting pupils.

Foundation schools:

Many of these were formerly grant maintained schools. The school's governing body employs the school staff and has primary responsibility for admissions. The school land and buildings are owned by the governing body or a charitable foundation. A new type of foundation school involves setting up a trust. One of the main differences of trust schools is that the trust appoints the school's governors.

Voluntary-aided:

Many of the voluntary-aided schools are church schools. The governing body employs the staff and decides admission arrangements. The land and buildings are normally owned by a charitable foundation.

Voluntary-controlled:

These are almost always church schools and the land and buildings are almost always owned by a charitable foundation. However, unlike voluntary-aided schools, the LA employs the school staff and has responsibility for admissions.

Alternative school modelsAcademies:

The government wants to replace weak and failing schools with 'academies'. These are schools that are state funded and free to students but they have much more independence than most secondary schools. They are established by sponsors from business, faith or voluntary groups working with the community, and they can be more flexible with their curriculum and staffing to meet local needs. They were originally set up as a way of bringing high-quality schools with heavy investment in facilities and technology to disadvantaged areas. A private organisation must put in £2m and the government will provide the remaining £20m or so. The Labour government has set a target of 200 city academies by 2010.

City technology colleges:

These are funded directly by the government and offer a wide range of vocational qualifications alongside A-levels or equivalents. They teach the national curriculum and focus on science, mathematics and technology.

Types of school specialism

Specialist schools:

Any maintained secondary school in England can become a specialist school in areas such as technology, languages, sports or arts. The schools meet full national curriculum requirements, but have a special focus on the chosen speciality. They raise £50,000 from private sector sponsorship and prepare plans for improvements in teaching and learning. The Labour government wants all schools except for academies to become specialist schools by 2008. The idea is that by specialising in one subject, standards increase across the curriculum. So even if a school specialises in arts, science provision will not be affected.

Grammar schools:

Some local authorities still run a selective secondary school system with grammar schools. Pupils in these areas will sit a test at the age of 11 called the 11-plus. The results of this test will determine whether they gain entry to the local grammar school. There are around 150 state grammar schools in England.

Faith schools:

Faith schools are schools with a religious character. Any new faith schools must have the agreement of parents and the local community, and be approved by the LEA. Nearly half of faith schools are voluntary-controlled. They teach the locally agreed religious syllabus and the LEA is the admissions authority. Voluntary aided faith schools are responsible for setting their own admissions policies and teach religious education according to their religious beliefs. Faith schools admit pupils on religious affiliation but many admit those who are not of the school faith.

Special needs schools:

An estimated one in five children has some form of special educational need. The Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 asserts the right of children with physical or behavioural problems to be taught with mainstream classes. As more children with special needs are taught in mainstream schools, special schools for children with mild or moderate difficulties are being closed. There are still about 1,150 schools for pupils with special needs. Some of these are run by voluntary organisations and others are in hospitals.

Pupil referral units:

A pupil referral unit (PRUs) is a type of school established and maintained by LAs. They provide education to children who may not otherwise receive a mainstream education. A PRU might include teenage mothers or pupils excluded from school, for example. The aim of these units should be getting pupils back into mainstream education. They are run by a management committee made up of a range of people from school governors to representatives from social services.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/actionnetwork/A1181792

Update

Holidays are over unfortunately and I am back to my regular routine. I cannot complain though, my days were really full of fun…
o I have traveled (virtually) to Berlin – we used the “Hallo aus Berlin” video and continued googling on the Internet searching for info and pictures and planning a really interesting trip

o I’ve heard my fortune told (as part of an exercise using future tenses!!!) It’s really fun to hear what the others think of you!!

o I have played Pictionary ( This was a lot of fun and can be used in all kinds of classes, no matter the level or the language)

o I have been dancing and singing with my younger students (using music and TPR) – a bit of exercise can only do good!!

o And last but not least I have celebrated my students’ success on the Proficiency exam! Bravo girls!!

My students and I are working on a new project at the moment - Our subject this time is “School” and everything that has to do with it!

Language Portfolio

When I first heard of that word I just asked myself “What is that and how can it help me in my teaching?”
I quickly realized that I’ve been doing that already without even noticing it!
The idea is to gather some of the students’ best work: compositions, projects, videos, recordings in a file in order to see the progress of the students or the class.
This can be very helpful for the teacher but for the students and parents as well!
As I mentioned before, teachers can see the students’ progress. This is also assistance to the new teacher who can easily plan his/her steps just looking at the class’ former work and according to the students’ level.
Moreover this can be an advantage to the students. They can collect their work, things they are really proud of creating.
Parents have the chance to see the learning development of their children and get to trust the teacher.
You can make your own class portfolio or get some ideas from the following links:
http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/portfolio/default.asp?l=e&m=/main_pages/welcome.html

http://www.nacell.org.uk/resources/pub_cilt/portfolio.htm

(Notes from a seminar held by Olha Madylus – my teacher trainer and by googling!!!)

I have kept a "seminar journal" on another page but since I am closing that account, I thought I could re-post some of it over here)

Lernspiele im Deutschunterricht

Heutzutage findet man in den neueren Lehrwerken immer öfter eine große Anzahl von Spielen und spielerischen Übungsformen. Diese werden oft als eine gute Möglichkeit zur Entspannung, zur Steigerung der kommunikativen Kompetenz und zur Wiederholung eingesetzt.
Lernspiele ermöglichen das Festigen und Vertiefen von Lernstoff in individuellem Tempo, sorgen für entspannte, stressfreie Unterrichtsatmosphäre, erhöhen die Bereitschaft der Schüler zum Üben und ermutigen auch gehemmte Schüler zu Äußerungen.
Aber Lernspiele haben Lerngrenzen und sind kein Ersatz für andere Unterrichtsmethoden.
Sie sollten keine neuen Unterrichtsinhalte einführen und nicht länger als fünfzehn Minuten dauern.
Die folgenden Lernspiele sind für die Grundstufe geeignet und gut um Modalverben und Vokabeln zu wiederholen.

A Spiel: Vokabeln wiederholen
--------------------------------------------------------

Man teilt die Schüler in Gruppen ein ( A,B,C).
Dann nennt man der ersten Gruppe einen beliebigen Anfangsbuchstaben, z. B. S, mit dem sie innerhalb einer Minute, so viele Wörter, wie möglich bilden muss, während diese der Lehrer an die Tafel schreibt. Das gleiche wird mit jeweils einen anderen Buchstaben mit den anderen Gruppen praktiziert.
Die Gruppe mit den meisten Wörtern hat gewonnen.


B Spiel: Merkbildraster
---------------------------------------


Die Schüler spielen im Klassenforum. Ein Spieler merkt sich ein Bild und die anderen müssen es erraten. Errät es ein Mitspieler, ist er an der Reihe.


A. Was kann man damit machen? B. Man kann Krach machen.
Ja, richtig. / Nein, falsch.


Literaturhinweise:
Sigrid Xanthos: Spiele als Lernchance
Holly W. / Schwandler M.: Spielen im Deutschunterricht II

(I have kept a "seminar journal" on another page but since I am closing that account, I thought I could re-post some of it over here)

Deutsch in der Primarstufe

September 2005: „Deutsch in der Primarstufe“ Karin Vavatzanidis

Endlich ist es so weit, dass in Griechenland die 2. Fremdsprache in der Grundschule eingeführt wird. Ab dem Herbst 2005 können die Schüler landesweit in 210 Schulen Deutsch und Französisch wahlweise mit 2 Wochenstunden ab der 5. Klasse belegen. Die Freude ist nicht ungetrübt, weil in den Gymnasien Deutsch und Französisch von 3 auf 2 Unterrichtseinheiten gekürzt wurde. Die Schüler haben mit der Einführung der 2. Fremdsprache ab dem 5. Schuljahr kaum etwas gewonnen. Der Unterricht wurde lediglich vom Gymnasium in die Grundschule vorverlegt und umverteilt.


1. Gym 2. Gym 3. Gym
früher
3 UE 3 UE 3 UE 9 UE
jetzt
2 UE 2 UE 2 UE 6 UE

5. Dim 6. Dim
neu !
2 UE 2 UE 4 UE

Dennoch ist der Schritt zu begrüßen, weil ein früher Fremdsprachenbeginn für das Gehirn neurobiologisch von Vorteil ist. Nach neueren Erkenntnissen beeinflusst das nicht nur die Sprache, sondern die Entwicklung allgemein, sogar des Mathematikverständnisses. Sprache und Denken stehen eben doch in engem Zusammenhang. http://www.goethe.de/dll/mat/fsl/ein/deindex.htm

Macht es einen Unterschied, dass der Einstieg in die 2. Fremdsprache 2 Jahre früher stattfindet?

Und ob! Wer jemals in altersheterogenen Gruppen unterrichtet hat, kann bestätigen, dass sich jedes einzelne Jahr bemerkbar macht. Allgemein ist festzustellen, dass der Lernprozess bei Kindern vom Konkreten zum Abstrakten abläuft. Je jünger Kinder sind, desto weniger haben sie die Fähigkeit abstrakt zu denken. Das heißt nicht, dass sich Kinder keine Theorien bilden, ganz im Gegenteil. Kinder suchen nach Erklärungsmodellen der Welt, aber ganz nach ihren Fähigkeiten und ihrer Vorstellungskraft.

Was bedeutet das für die Unterrichtssituation Deutsch ab Klasse 5?

Der Unterricht muss kommunikativ gestaltet werden, mit entdeckendem Grammatik-Lernen. Spielerisch-kreative Aufgaben motivieren zum Lernen. Achten Sie darauf, dass Sie allen Lerntypen gerecht werden und verschiedene Lernangebote machen. Beste Ergebnisse erzielen Sie über das Mehrkanallernen. Die meisten modernen Lehrwerke beachten diese Prinzipien.

Aber was tun, bis die Bücher eingetroffen sind?

Möglicherweise sind ca.2-3 Wochen zu überbrücken, in denen Sie auf sich selbst gestellt sind. Keine Angst, überlegen wir doch mal gemeinsam, wie man das „schwarze Loch“ füllen könnte!

- Wir bringen die Schüler mit Internationalismen, wie z.B. Telefon, Film, Marmelade, Krokodil, Pilot, … zum Staunen, was sie schon alles können.
- Aus dem Englischen ist das lateinische Alphabet bekannt, aber die Schüler müssen außer den besonderen Zeichen auch die Buchstaben mit der deutschen Lautung verbinden lernen. Wortkarten können z.B. in alphabetische Reihenfolge gebracht werden. Manche Worte enthalten Laute, die für die deutsche Sprache typisch sind. An ihnen können die Aussprachebesonderheiten gezeigt werden. Wir arbeiten von Anfang an mit den Artikel-Signalfarben.
- Wir nutzen Kenntnisse aus der 1. Fremdsprache. Plakate vom Goethe-Verlag http://www.goethe-verlag.com/poster/ideen.htm mit Ideen für den Einsatz.
- Wir spielen mit Zahlen, z.B. Bewegungsspiel „Ein Hut, ein Stock, ein Regenschirm“ (aus: Die ABC-Detektive) und Zahlenraten.
- Wir führen Lieder ein, z.B. der Kennenlern-Rap „Ich bin ich“ oder das Negationslied „Reis ist kein Eis“ (beides aus: Die ABC-Detektive)
- Das „Taschenspiel“ eignet sich zum Wortschatzüben (aus: Die ABC-Detektive)
- Es ist wichtig, viel Wert auf die richtige Aussprache zu legen. Nachlässigkeiten und Fehler, die sich hier einschleichen, lassen sich erfahrungsgemäß später nur schwer korrigieren, wenn überhaupt. Lieder, Zungenbrecher und Sprechspiele eignen sich hier gut. Selbsttraining mit dem Sprachrohr: http://www.jako-o.de/produkt/de/produkt_detail.mb1?mb_f020_id=1vFgRz9fMb_PQszDsPD8&set=suche&subset=suche&suchtext=Sprachrohr&detail=on&p_id=5002055&mb_v301_g=1&wmnr_show=92&mb_v301_ch=b2843

Wenn dann erst mal die Bücher da sind, lohnt es sich ergänzende Materialien z.B. im Internet aufzuspüren. Einige nützliche Adressen sind:
http://www.goethe.de/dll/mat/fsl/rfl/deindex.htm
http://www.juma.de/v.php?fl=hilfe.htm
http://www.lingoland.net/intro2.php
http://www.multikids.de/index_html
http://www.seitenstark.de/
http://www.goethe.de/dll/pro/station-d/deindex.html
http://www.lingofox.de/de/interaktiv.htm
http://www.kindernetz.de/start.php
http://www.die-maus.de/maus.phtml

Es lohnt sich unterrichtsbegleitende Projekte einzubauen, z.B. ein Besuch des Goethe-Instituts anlässlich einer geeigneten Veranstaltung, wie Kinderkino, Bastelnachmittag oder Bibliothek. Landeskundliche Informationen gehören zum Sprachunterricht. Bei Festen und Feiern kann die Deutschklasse sich entsprechend präsentieren, z.B. Poster, Lied, Waffeln backen, …

(I have kept a "seminar journal" on another page but since I am closing that account, I thought I could re-post some of it over here)

Goethe Zertifikat B2

Leseverstehen – 90min – 25 Punkte
1. LV1 wie ZMP, LV1
Zuordnung von 5 Personen zu 8 Kurztexten/Anzeigen
2. LV2 laengerer Text mit 5 Multiple-Choice-Aufgaben (a, b, c)
3. LV3 wie ZMP, LV3
Text und 5 Fragen “wie beurteilt der Autor…? A/B Antworten
4. Text, dessen Rand nicht lesbar ist; 20 fehlende Woerter oder Buchstabenfolgen werden ergänzt.

Hoerverstehen – 30min- 25 Punkte

HV1 Text auf Anrufbeantworter, wird 1x gehört in Raster 5 Informationen ergänzen oder korrigieren
HV2 wie ZPM, HV2 Radiosendung oder Gespräch, wird 2x gehört, 10 Multiple-Choice-Aufgaben (a, b, c)

Schriftlicher Ausdruck – 90min – 25 Punkte

SA1 wie ZMP, SA1 (jedoch nur Lesebrief)
SA2 text mit 10 Fehlern aus den Bereichen Wortschatz, Grammatik, Wortstellung und “fehlendes Wort”, Fehler sollen korrigiert warden

Mündlicher Ausdruck (evtl. Paarprüfung) – 15min – 25 Punkte

MA1 ähnlich wie ZMP, MA1 mit Hilfe von 2 Bildern über ein Thema sprechen bzw. Diskutieren)
MA2 auf einen provokativen Minitext reagieren


Goethe Zertifikat C1

Leseverstehen – 90min- 25 Punkte

längerer Text in 5 Abschnitten,; aus 7-8 Titeln wird für jeden Abschnitt der passende ausgesucht
LV2 wie ZMP, LV2 Text und Paralleltext dazu mit 10 Lücken
LV3 4 Texte zu einem Thema; dazu ein Raster, in das 10 Informationen aus den Texten eingetragen warden
LV4 wie ZMP, LV4 Lueckentext mit 10 Multiple-Choice-Aufgaben (a, b, c, d)

Hörverstehen – 30min - 25 Punkte

HV1 wie ZMP, HV1 Text wird 1x gehört; Notizen machen
HV2 ähnlich wie ZMP, HV2 Radiotext oder Gespraech; 2x hören; Multiple-Choice-Aufgaben (a, b, c, d)



Schriftlicher Ausdruck – 90min – 25 Punkte

SA1 wie ZMP, SA1 (jedoch nur Aufsatz)
SA2 wie ZMP, SA 2 Umformung mit 10 Luecken

Mündlicher Ausdruck (evtl. Paarprüfung) – 15min – 25 Punkte

MA1 Stellungsnahme zu einem Problem; Diskussion
MA2 2 Themen stehen zur Auswahl; Kandidat sucht sich eins aus und hält dazu einen Vortrag

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GRUNDLINIEN FÜR DEN DEUTSCHUNTERRICHT AN ÖFFENTLICHEN GRUNDSCHULEN

Unterricht – Ziele

Mündliche Sprachkompetenz und Hörverstehen
Lesen und Verstehen von geschriebenen Texten
Heranführung an schriftliche Produktion
Motivation zum Lernen von Deutsch und anderen Sprachen
Förderung eines Inter- bzw. multikulturellen Bewusstseins

Unterrichtprinzipien
Themenorientiert
Systematische Vorentlastung
Hören und Sprechen vor Lesen und Schreiben
Breiter Einsatz von Gruppenarbeit – Partnerarbeit
Spielen und Agieren
Breiter Einsatz von Aktivitäten zum „öffentlichen“ Gebrauch der Fremdsprache
Korrektur durch konkrete Wiederholung

Ziele im Fremdsprachenunterricht

Das Hauptteil ist eine Basis für zukünftige Fertigkeiten zu bilden. Es gibt Ziele in Bezug auf mehrere Ebenen:
Text:
Einstellungen
Erfahrungen mit einem schriftlichen Text (Abstand zwischen den Buchstaben, Linien, Seiten usw.)
Teilnahme an Alphabetisierungsereignisse und ihre Verbindung mit dem alltäglichen Leben
Satz : Sätze abschreiben und lesen
Wörter:
Basiswörter, die visuell erkannt werden
Erkennen von Wörtern, Buchstaben im schriftlichen Text
Morpheme / Silben: Lieder, Reime hören
Buchstaben / Laute: Namen, Form laut der Buchstaben lernen, Alphabet lernen

Jeder Buchstabe hat:
· Einen Namen „be“
· Eine Form (B, b)
· Einen Laut /b/

Mit Phonetik Lernen sammeln die Kinder Erfahrungen. Sie :
Hören Laute
Identifizieren Laut und Name durch Spiele

Beispiele
1. Anlaut – Binnenlaut – Endlaut
Lehrer kann drei Tische stellen mit Gegenständen die diese Laut erhalten
2. Zungenbrecher
Ein schlaffer Frosch im Schiff in der Flasche im Schiff in der Flasche ein schlaffer Frosch
3. z.B. „h“ präsentieren üben:
Hände wärmen
Vor einem Papier atmen
Unterschied zwischen „h“ und „ch“
Präsentation : Wörter mit „h“ vorlesen
Graphem : H für die Haltestelle
Mit Hilfe von Flashcards oder Bilder
Übungsformen :Lachformen, Diktat

(Referenz: GI Thessaloniki, Deutsch in der Primarstufe, November 2003)

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Teaching FL to young children

The activities must suit the students’ level. Students are not “tabula rasa”. They already have some knowledge of their environment.
The teacher should support dialog. The aim is communication.
The teacher should help all types of students (visual, auditory, kinesthetic) take actively part in learning.
The activities should not be too hard but also not too easy. They must take the students one step further.
The aim must be clear in activities
The teacher should help students be independent. This could either be working in teams or let them express their opinion.
The atmosphere must be pleasant (through games, crosswords etc), but also have rules.
Assessment should be according to teaching (A portfolio could be useful)
The teacher should take into consideration cognitive as well as emotional development of children

(References: Deutsch in Primarstufe – GI Thessaloniki, November 2003)

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Motivation and young children

Very young children readily master:
· Art forms like music
· Symbol systems like language
· Develop complex theories of the universe
· Develop intricate theories of the mind

As long as student chooses goals and expands a certain amount of effort to achieve them, he is, by definition, motivated. What teachers really mean is that students are not motivated to behave in the way teachers would like them to behave.
Motivation comes from within a person. What you can do, is create the circumstances that influence students to do what you want them to do.

· Place the child’s activity at the centre of the agenda
· Give as much as individual attention as possible
· Include group activities
· Try to make learning interesting with:
1. work it out Investigation
2. Adventure in stories
3. Real Usefulness
4. Move – Activity
5. Social Interaction

(Reference: Longman seminar “Energize your students, liven up your lessons!”, Speaker: Judy Boyle, teacher, teacher trainer, author of Treasure Hunt, Longman,
Gardner,H (1991:2) .: The Unschooled Mind: How children Think and How schools should teach, New York: Basic Books

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Germanic languages

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Germanic languages form one of the branches of the Indo-European (IE) language family. The largest Germanic languages are English and German, with ca. 340 and 120 million native speakers, respectively.
Other significant languages include a number of Low Germanic languages (including Dutch, Afrikaans) and the Scandinavian languages (principally Danish, Norwegian and Swedish). The SIL Ethnologue lists 53 different Germanic languages and dialects.
Their common ancestor is Common Germanic, probably spoken in the mid-1st millennium BC in Iron Age Northern Europe. Common Germanic, and all its descendants, is characterised by a number of unique linguistic features, most famously the consonant change known as Grimm's law. Early Germanic dialects enter history with the Germanic peoples who settled in northern Europe along the borders of the Roman Empire from the 2nd century.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germanic_languages

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Total Physical Response

TPR was created by Dr James J Asher. It is based upon the way that children learn their mother tongue. It involves listening and comprehension in combination with various “physical responses”
In L1 acquisition, the parent talks to the baby. Even though it cannot speak during this time, the child is taking in all language. Eventually, when it has decoded enough, the child reproduces the language spontaneously.
TPR attempts to mirror this effect in the language classroom.
It can be accessible to a wide range of teachers and learning environments.
In the classroom the teacher starts by saying a word or phrase and demonstrating an action.
It can be used for learning:
· Vocabulary connected with actions
· Tenses
· Classroom language
· Imperatives / Instructions
· Story telling

With TPR:
· Listening and physical response skills are emphasized
· Humor is injected into the lessons
· Students are not required to speak until they fell confident enough
· Spoken language is emphasized over written language
· Grammar and Vocabulary are emphasized over other language areas

Advantages of TPR
· It’s fun
· It’s memorable
· It’s good for kinesthetic learners
· It can be used in small or large classes
· It doesn’t require a lot of preparation or materials
· It’s effective with both teenagers and young learners
· It involves both left and right brained learning

Disadvantages of TPR
· It can be embarrassing for shy students. The teacher must be prepared to perform the actions
· It is only really suitable for beginner levels (although it can also be used in Advanced levels, e.g. different ways of walking – stumble, stagger, tiptoe – or cooking verbs – whisk, stir, grate.
· You can’t teach everything with it (e.g. “abstract” language)
· It can be repetitive and bore students

(References: www.englishraven.com/method_TPR.html
www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/methodology/tpr.shtml )

(I have kept a "seminar journal" on another page but since I am closing that account, I thought I could re-post some of it over here)

Fit für Europa mit Hilfe von Deutsch

Podiumsdiskussion – Deutschlehrerkongress 2006 – Griechenland

Anhand des Griechischen Deutschlehrerkongresses fand eine sehr interessante Diskussion statt, über die Rolle der Deutschen Sprache in Europa.
Es wurde erwähnt, dass in Europa
34% Englisch
12% Deutsch und
11% Franzosisch
als Fremdsprache gesprochen wird, obwohl die Mehrheit der Europäer Deutsch als Muttersprache hat und nur 13% sind die Englischmuttersprachler.
Um Fit für Europa zu sein, braucht man Mehrsprachigkeit, d.h. man soll fähig sein mehrere Sprachen zu benutzen. Eine weitere Definition der Mehrsprachigkeit wäre die Koexistenz von verschiedenen Sprachgemeinschaften in einem Ort.
Deutsch spielt eine große Rolle sowohl im Studium, als auch im Handel, denn viele Deutsche Unternehmen investieren in Griechenland, so werden viele Arbeitsplätze geschafft, für Leute die die Deutsche Sprache beherrschen.
Im Studium ist es nützlich, sowohl in verschiedenen Fächern, wie zum Beispiel Archäologie oder Philosophie, um Fachliteratur zu verstehen, als auch für einen Aufbaustudium in Deutschland.
Deutsch wird meist in Nord- und Osteuropa als Fremdsprache gesprochen, viele Osteuropäer lernen Deutsch als zweite Fremdsprache nach Russisch.
Es wurde noch besprochen über die Tendenz in Deutschland Altgriechisch und Latein als Pflichtfächer in Gymnasien unterrichtet zu werden. Das wurde sehr kritisch beurteil, denn diese sind „Tot-Sprachen“ und dienen nicht zur Kommunikation. Die Hypothese, dass man besser romanische Sprachen durch Latein lernen kann ist nicht zu beweisen.
Es wurde noch vorgeschlagen dass Latein durch Französisch, Italienisch oder Spanisch und Altgriechisch durch Neugriechisch ersetzt zu werden. Diese Sprachen können auch als Wahlfächer angeboten werden, wenn man sie braucht für ein späteres Studium.
Überraschend ist es dass in Frankreich, Spanien und Italien ist Latein kein Pflichtfach!
Zum Schluss wurde die Situation in den Schulen in Griechenland diskutiert. In Griechischen Schulen wird Deutsch als zweite Fremdsprache nach Englisch angeboten. Man kann wählen zwischen Deutsch und Franzosisch. Dieses Jahr hat auch ein Pilotprogramm an Grundschulen angefangen, die Deutsch (oder Französisch) bieten.
Die Diskussion endete mit dem Motto: Englisch ist ein Muss-Deutsch ist ein Plus

Sprecher:
· Prof. Dr. M. Legutke – Universität Giessen
· B. Sellin – Cedefop Thessaloniki
· Dr. Vosswinkel –Padagogisches Institut Athen
· D. Athanasiadis – AKK Thessaloniki
· A. Daniels – Goethe Institut Zentrale

(I have kept a "seminar journal" on another page but since I am closing that account, I thought I could re-post some of it over here)

Some fantastic historical photos...

Construction of Eiffel Tower , 1887-1889

Brooklyn Bridge, 1914

Construction Workers lunching on a crossbeam, 1932

Times Square , 1919

Albert Einstein explains his new mass-energy theorem, 1934

Crowd in Queens listens to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., March, 1968 The New York Times Photo Archives

The Big Three: Marshal Joseph Stalin, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Tehran , 1943 U.S. Army

(A big thanks to Eva for sending me these!)

John the Baptist

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Saint John the Baptist (also called John the Baptizer) was a 1st century Jewish preacher and ascetic regarded as a prophet by four religions: Christianity, Islam, Mandaeanism and the Bahá'í Faith. The title of prophet is asserted in the Synoptic Gospels, the Qur'an and the Bahá'í writings. He is commonly referred to as John the Forerunner or Precursor by Christians who consider him the forerunner of Jesus Christ

Birth and infancy
Main article: Zechariah (priest)
The Gospel of Luke includes an account of John's infancy, introducing him as the son of St. Zachary/Zachariah and St. Elizabeth, who previously "had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years" Luke 1:7 His birth, name, and office were foretold by the angel Gabriel to Zachariah, while Zachariah was performing his functions as a priest in the temple of Jerusalem. According to Luke, Zacharias was a priest of the course of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was of the daughters of Aaron (Luke 1:5); consequently John automatically held the priesthood of Aaron.
Luke states that John was born about six months before Jesus, and that Zachariah's disbelief over the birth of his son led to him losing his power of speech, which was only restored on the occasion of John's circumcision (Luke 1:64). On the basis of Luke's account, the Catholic calendar placed the feast of John the Baptist on June 24, six months before Christmas.
According to Luke, Jesus Christ and John the Baptist were related, their mothers being cousins Luke 1:36; there is no mention of this in the other Gospels, and the scholar Raymond E. Brown has described the relationship as 'of dubious historicity ; Geza Vermes has called it 'artificial and undoubtedly Luke's creation.

Ministry
All four canonical gospels relate John's ministry, his preaching and baptism in the River Jordan.
Most notably, according to the Bible, he is the one who recognized Jesus as the Messiah, and on Jesus' request, baptised him. The baptism marked the beginning of Jesus' ministry.
The Gospels of Mark, Matthew and (less clearly) Luke relate that Jesus came from Galilee to John and was baptized by him, whereupon the Spirit descended upon him and a voice from Heaven told him he was God's Son.
The problem that Jesus, considered without sin, received John's baptism, which was for the forgiveness of sins, is addressed in the Gospel of Matthew's account, which has John refusing to baptize Jesus, saying "I need to be baptized by you." until Jesus convinces him to baptize him nonetheless (Matthew 3:13-15).
The Gospel of John does not describe John baptizing Jesus but has John introducing Jesus to his disciples as the "Lamb of God" (John 1:29-34).
The Gospel of John reports that Jesus' disciples were baptizing and that a debate broke out between some of the disciples of John and another Jew about purification with John explaining that Jesus "must become greater" while he, John, must become less (John 3:22-36). Gospel of John then points out that Jesus' disciples were baptizing more people than John (John 4:2).
Later, the Gospel relates Jesus regarding John as a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. (John 5:35).
The book of Acts portrays the disciples of John as eventually merging into the followers of Jesus(Acts 18:24-19:6), a development not reported by the Synoptic Gospels
On various occasions the Gospels relate John denying any claim to be the Messiah and clearly acknowledging his inferiority to Jesus. However, scholars such as Harold W. Attridge contend that John's status as a "self-conscious and deliberate forerunner of Jesus" is likely to be an invention by early Christians, arguing that "for the early church it would have been something of an embarrassment to say that Jesus, who was in their minds superior to John the Baptist, had been baptized by him".

Imprisonment and beheading

Main article: Beheading of John the Baptist
According to the canonical Gospels, John the Baptist's public ministry was brought to a close when he was imprisoned on orders of Herod Antipas, probably about seven months after he had baptized Jesus.[citation needed] The synoptic Gospels state that Herod reacted to John's condemnation of Herod's marriage to Herodias, the wife of Herod's brother Philip (Luke 3:19; Matthew 14:3-5}. Josephus locates John's imprisonment in the fortress of Machaerus on the southern extremity of Peraea, nine miles (14 km) east of the Dead Sea (Josephus, Jewish Antiquities XVIII:5:1–2).
Matthew relates that the imprisoned John sent messengers to Jesus to ask him whether he was the Messiah. Jesus indirectly answered in the affirmative and described John in terms of a return of the prophet Elijah (Matthew 11:2-15).
Regarding John's death, Josephus states that Herod had John killed to preempt a possible uprising. Matthew links John's death as well with Herodias, as he related that her daughter Salome so much delighted Antipas with a dance that he vowed to grant her any wish to which, after being prompted by her mother (Herodias), she demanded the head of John the Baptist. (Matthew 14:6-8)
The Gospels date John's death before the third and last Passover of Jesus' ministry (between 30 AD or 33 AD). Josephus places John's death no later than 36 AD. Some scholars[attribution needed] believe that Herod Antipas did not marry his brother's wife until his brother Philip died in 34 AD, placing these events after the their date in the Gospel count.
Neither Josephus nor the Gospels state where John was buried, though the Gospels state that John's disciples took his body and placed it in a tomb and then told Jesus all that had occurred (Matthew 14:3-12).
In the time of Julian the Apostate, however, his tomb was shown at Samaria, where the inhabitants opened it and burned part of his bones. The rest of the alleged remains were saved by some Christians, who carried them to an abbot of Jerusalem named Philip.

EPIPHANY: THE BLESSING OF THE WATERS

by Gary Van Haas

The Greek Festival of Epiphany, or 'The Blessing of the Waters', is held every year on January 6 throughout all of Greece.

This is the special occasion when many daring young Greek men brave the chilly waters to dive for a cross after it has been blessed by a priest and thrown into the water.

For his gallantry, the first man who recovers the cross is said to have good luck throughout the coming year.

The day long festival also features the blessing of small boats and ships, and later on affords entertainment, music, dancing and food to all those present.
But Epiphany is not just a Greek event, it is also celebrated around the world on January 6 by the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches as well.

In Tarpon Springs, Florida for instance, this particular event is held in high regard and has become a world class tourist attraction, which draws more than 40,000 visitors a year.

Of course, Tarpon Springs has never looked like a typical Florida community to begin with and it probably never will.

As one strolls along Dodecanese Boulevard, it tricks one's senses as the aroma of freshly baked Greek pastries and festive Greek melodies fill the air.

Fishermen, shopkeepers and other businessmen exchange greetings in Greek. No need to double check your passport, this is Florida, even though one has the impression of strolling through a seaside Mediterranean village on the Greek islands.
The Epiphany festival is said to have originated in the Eastern Orthodox Church, where it is also still recognized as the anniversary of the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Western churches. Epiphany principally commemorates the revelation to the Gentiles of Jesus Christ as the Savior, as portrayed by the coming of the Three Wise Men. Most of the major festivities of Epiphany in Greece are held in the large Athens port of Piraeus, however, activities are also held in many towns and villages throughout Greece.

http://www.gogreece.com/learn/ephiphany.htm

http://www.explorecrete.com/traditions/christmas-epiphany.htm

http://www.vasilopita.gr/?name=Pages&op=page&pid=50

Kallikantzaroi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Kallikantzaros (Καλλικάντζαρος) pl. Kallikantzaroi is a malevolent goblin in Greek and Cypriot folk tradition. They dwell underground but come to the surface from 25 December to 6 January (from the winter solstice for a fortnight during which time the sun ceases its seasonal movement). Its name is possibly derived from "kalos-kentauros, or "beautiful centaur."
It is believed that Kallikantzaroi stay underground sawing the World tree, so that it will collapse, along with Earth. However, when they are about to saw the final part, Christmas dawns and they are able to come to surface. They forget the Tree and come to bring trouble to mortals.
Finally, on the Epiphany (6 January), the sun starts moving again, and they must go underground again to continue their sawing. They see that during their absence the World tree has healed itself, so they must start working all over again. This happens every year.
There is no standard appearance of Kallikantzaroi, there are regional differences on their appearance. Some Greeks have imagined them with some animal parts, like hairy bodies, horse legs, or boar tusks, sometimes enormous, other times diminutive. Others see them as humans of small size smelling horribly. They are predominatly male, often with protruding sex characteristics.

The Kallikantzaroi are creatures of the night. There were ways people could protect themselves during the days when the Kallikantzaroi were loose. They could leave a colander on their doorstep: if a Kallikantzaros approached for his evildoings, he would instead decide to sit and count the holes until the sun rose and he was forced to hide. The Kallikantzaroi also could not count above 2, since 3 is a holy number, and by pronouncing it, they would kill themselves. Another method of protection is to leave the fire burning in the fireplace all night so that they cannot enter through there.
Legend has it that any child born during the twelve days of the Saturnalia (17th through 26 December) was in danger of transforming to a Kallikantzaros for each Christmas season, starting with adulthood. The antidote: Binding the baby in tresses of garlic or straw, or singeing the child's toenails.
In Greek Kallikantzaros is also used for every short, ugly and usually mischievous being. If not used for the abovementioned creatures, it seems to express the collective sense for the Irish word leprechaun and the English words gnome and goblin.

Projects with my students

Another year has gone by and I was just taking a look at my blog and all the projects I did with my students.
We covered various subjects:
- Favorite things (Lieblingsding)
- History and biographies
- Games with clothes
- Environment and Greenpeace
- Love and hate videos
- Newspaper articles, googling and descriptions
- Cooking recipes, videos, Jamie Oliver project
- Free time project (Freizeit)
- Film and book reviews
- Songs
- Movie evenings

And during the last month the famous
“Xmas project”

I want to thank all the students who took part and are still contributing to my crazy ideas.
It’s because of you guys that I am able to put in practice whatever comes into my head!!!
The projects are going to be continued in 2008. I have a lot of things in my mind and I hope they can help my students to express themselves in the foreign language without thinking exams all the time!!Have a wonderful 2008 everybody

St Basil vs Santa Clause

VS

New Year's day today and it seems that everybody was celebrating the coming of new year yesterday.

January the 1st is a special dayin Greece. We celebrate St Basil's day. There seems to be a misconception about St. Basil. Everybody "takes" him for Santa Clause and that's why most Greek children get their gifts on New Year's Day instead of Christmas.

So I present you with some facts about the two Saints so that you can tell the difference:

Basil of Caesarea

For other persons named Saint Basil, see Saint Basil (disambiguation).

Saint Basil of Caesarea, also called Basil the Great (between 329 and 333 - January 1, 379) (Greek: Άγιος Βασίλειος ο Μέγας; Latin: Basilius), was the Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, and an influential 4th century Christian theologian. Theologically, Basil was a supporter of the Nicene faction of the church, in opposition to the Arians on one side and the Appollanarians on the other. His ability to balance his theological convictions with his political connections - especially with the Arian Emperor Valens - made Basil a powerful advocate for the Nicene position.
In addition to his work as a theologian, Basil was known for his care of the poor and underpriveleged. He is considered a saint by the traditions of both Eastern and Western Christianity.
Basil, Gregory Nazianzus, and Basil's brother Gregory of Nyssa are collectively referred to as the Cappadocian Fathers. The Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches have given him, together with Gregory Nazianzus and John Chrysostom, the title of the Three Great Hierarchs, while the Roman Catholic Church has named him a Doctor of the Church. He is also referred to as "the revealer of heavenly mysteries" (Ouranophantor).[1]
Basil established guidelines for monastic life which focus on community life, liturgical prayer and manual labor. Together with Saint Pachomius he is remembered as a father of communal monasticism in Eastern Christianity

Santa Claus

Santa Claus, also known as Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle, or simply "Santa", is a mythical, historical and legendary figure in folklore who, in Western cultures, is described as bringing gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, or on his feast day, December 6. The legend may have its basis in hagiographical tales concerning the historical figure of Saint Nicholas.
The modern depiction of Santa Claus as a fat, jolly man (or elf) wearing a red coat and trousers with white cuffs and collar, and black leather belt and boots, became popular in the United States in the 19th century due to the significant influence of caricaturist and political cartoonist Thomas Nast. This image has been maintained and reinforced through song, radio, television, and films. In the United Kingdom and Europe, his depiction is often identical to the American Santa, but he is commonly called Father Christmas.
One legend associated with Santa says that he lives in the far north, in a land of perpetual snow. The American version of Santa Claus lives at the North Pole, while Father Christmas is said to reside in Finland. Other details include: he is married and lives with Mrs. Claus; that he makes a list of children throughout the world, categorizing them according to their behavior; that he delivers presents, including toys, candy, and other presents to all of the good boys and girls in the world, and sometimes coal or sticks to the naughty children, in one night; and that he accomplishes this feat with the aid of magical elves who make the toys, and nine flying reindeer who pull his sleigh.
There has long been opposition to teaching children to believe in Santa Claus. Some Christians say the Santa tradition detracts from the religious origins and purpose of Christmas. Other critics feel that Santa Claus is an elaborate lie, and that it is unethical for parents to teach their children to believe in his existence. Still others oppose Santa Claus as a symbol of the commercialization of the Christmas holiday, or as an intrusion upon their own national traditions.

(source: www.wikipedia.org )