Survey results

English Staff Survey
PESSIMISTIC TEACHERS` ATTITUDES.

This survey was applied in the Liceo San Antonio del Humo. This is a new high school in San Antonio; a town located three kilometers from Roxana and 15 kilometers north from Guápiles; in which the main economic activity is the agriculture, specially banana and pineapple plantations; this town has also basic public services such as CEN-CINAI, school, E.B.A.I.S, and now the high school; but as others towns it has some problems that are affecting the citizens that include: familiar, educative desertion, alcoholism, drug addiction, employed, and social risk.
On February 1st, 2009 was found the Liceo San Antonio, but this project was rejected and was until March 18th, with the principal Lic. Andy Flores Castro, eleventh teachers and 50 students, that this high school was accepted; with the vision of created students in an educative institution of excellence to get the integral development of the people in their own context; and with the mission of implement the educative politic to attend the interest and necessities of the different levels of our high school.
Nowadays, there are 325 students, and three groups of seventh graders, three groups of eight graders, two groups of ninth graders, one group of tenth grader and one group of eleventh grader.
So, the teachers accept to realize the survey and the results are divided in two graphics the first part is represented in the following graphic:


And the second one shows the variables that affect the teachers attitude in the classroom and it is represented in the following graphic:

Teachers attitude and Innovation

Teaching is an activity that demands a lot from a person, sometimes it is very difficult to face it, but I would say that the main reasons to feel or experience this is what the reading (defining innovation and teachers attitude) explain us about the attitude of teachers and innovation could affect students and the class.
Teachers attitude is a variable that can make the difference in the teaching process, because let say for example, lack of motivation in the teacher for any reason, is going to affect students interest in the class. In this process the teacher is the one in charge of plan it. And sometimes professors create something that contrast totally with the reality of the classroom and the students. And teachers start having problems like the class environment, students’ attitude, and another.
Teachers should have to react in the best way to the learning process and adapts themselves to the reality, and don’t get frustrated or another uncomfortable feeling. There are many reasons that can change the way of thinking and the motivation in a teacher but if he or she has the correct attitude to face them, nothing is going to happen.
Innovation is one good way to have and give a good attitude not just to the teacher but also to the student because if the teacher is affected by any reason it is going to affect them automatically due to the role of each one. And innovate in the class helps to build a good attitude in the teacher and also in the student. This is a matter of challenge, because if it is not a goal to achieve there is not going to be a reason to teach and there is not a best goal that: teach students in the best way.
As teacher you can use many different methods, approaches, techniques, etc but if you still doing the same and having a wrong attitude nothing good is going to happen, but if use the different tools in the best way you can make a change in your class and the students learning is going to be better.

Desertion Hypothesis

HYPOTHESIS: SOCIO CULTURAL ENVIRONMENT IS THE MAIN ISSUE THAT PROVOKES DESERTION IN OUR STUDENTS. IT’S ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS WHY THEY QUIT FROM HIGH SCHOOLS.

Teaching Demo

Phrasal Verbs Plan
Outline

1. Lead in
Put 3 dashes on the board _ _ _.
Tell student to guess the verb (get). Elicit an example of a ‘get’ phrasal verb that they know e.g. get on with.
Students then brainstorm phrasal verbs they already know with get.
Write these on the board.

Tip: Tell students there are around 10,000 phrasal verbs in the English language
and elicit from students why they are so important. Highlight the following
information:
1) English speakers tend to use the phrasal verb rather than the Latin based
equivalent (e.g. give out /distribute, put up with/ tolerate etc) and so they are
high-frequency.
2) Understanding phrasal verbs therefore is very important but often it is difficult to understand the meaning of a phrasal verb from their individual components e.g. put up with.

2. Presentation of phrasal verbs
Provide a context for ten phrasal verbs with get which the students will use in later stages of the lesson.
The dialogue on worksheet 1 also provides a model for the dialogue writing activity in stage 5.
Tell the students they are going to read a conversation between two people. Hold up flashcards of two people and students guess their job. They are actors. Elicit names for the actor and actress (e.g. Peter and Susan). Tell the students the two actors are now working on a film together and are having a chat about working on their latest film.
Write the following questions on the board.
Are Peter and Susan enjoying working on their latest film?
Hand out worksheet 1. Tell the students to read the dialogue and answer the above question.
Feedback from the students that Peter and Susan are not enjoying working on their latest film.
Now ask the students to read the dialogue again and underline all the phrasal verbs with ‘get’.
After completion students compare with their partners to check they have underlined the same verbs.

3. Checking Meaning
Handout the worksheet 2 to the students. Allow students 5 minutes to complete the exercise.
Feedback answers together.
Answers: A – 7, B –8, C – 4, D – 1, E - 9, F – 10, G – 2, H – 5, I – 6, J – 3

4. Gap Fill
Give the students the gap fill worksheet 3.
Allow 5 minutes to complete the exercise. Check answers as a class.
Answers
1) get off lightly
2) get rid of
3) get away with
4) got over
5) get out of
6) get through
7) get up to
8) get wound up
9) get on with

5. Preparing the written conversation
Working in pairs, students need one piece of paper between them.
Tell students that they are going to create a written conversation similar to the Brad and Nicole dialogue.

Tell students to write down;
1) the names of two people (students in the class, or famous people).
2) the place where these people are having the conversation
3) the topic they are talking about

Now demonstrate the activity in front of the whole class with a student. Elicit where they are having the conversation (e.g. in a museum) and what they are talking about (e.g. football).

Now ask students the following instructions checking questions about the activity:
• Do you discuss together what you write? (no, it is a spontaneous written conversation)
• Is it like chatting on the internet? (yes)
• Does each person write? (yes)

Tell students to write a conversation between their two people as demonstrated. Tell the students they have to include 6 phrasal verbs with ‘get’ in the conversation.

Give the students around 15 minutes to write the conversations. The teacher needs to monitor this task carefully paying particular attention to the students’ use of the phrasal verbs.
Tell the students that they will now perform their conversations in front of the class. Allow the students time to practice reading them out. Students then perform the conversations in front of the class.

6. Card Game (Extended speaking practice)
Before the lesson chop up the discussion cards (on worksheet 4).

Students work in groups of 3 and have a set of cards between them. They put the cards face down on the table between them. Demonstrate the activity with two students. Nominate one of the students to pick up the first card. He/She asks the question on the card to you and the other student.
You both answer the question. Take it in turns to pick up the question cards and ask the questions.

Tip: This activity should take approximately 15 minutes. The teacher monitors the
speaking activity making notes on any mistakes (and very good use of language)
made with the phrasal verbs.

After the speaking activity the teacher writes a few mistakes (and very good use of language). Give students time to correct the mistakes. The teacher then elicits ideas and corrects the sentences as necessary on the board.

7. Suggested follow-up activity
discuss strategies which students have already used when learning phrasal verbs. It’s a good idea to give your own suggestions



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Plan Analysis

A teacher is a person who provides schooling for others. A teacher who facilitates education for an individual student may also be described as a personal tutor. The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out by way of occupation or profession at a school or other place of formal education. Teachers may use a lesson plan to facilitate student learning, providing a course of study which covers a standardized curriculum. But do a lesson plan is kind of difficult sometimes when you realize that you have a family to dedicate time, you have social life out, and the most important you do not have time to prepare a innovative lesson plan.
As a profession, teaching has very high levels of stress which are listed as amongst the highest of any profession in some countries. The degree of this problem is becoming increasingly recognized and support systems are being put into place.
There are many factors that contribute to stress among teachers. These factors include the amount of time spent in class, preparing for class, prepare a lesson plan, counseling students, and traveling to teacher conferences; working with a large number of students with various needs, abilities, disabilities, and cognitive levels; learning new technology; changes in administrative leadership; lack of financial and personnel support; and time pressures and deadlines. While trying to deal with these issues teachers also have to deal with personal problems and issues. These stresses can also affect teaching quality.
There are many healthy and unhealthy forms of stress management. Finding time and ways to relax, developing a healthy lifestyle, accepting what cannot be changed, and avoiding unnecessary stress are all ways to deal with the stresses of teaching.
For those reasons, this plan really helps in many ways to innovate in the teaching process, because it is easy to apply and work on it. It gives different practices that help students to learn step by step because it is well organized in order to develop the knowledge. Sometimes teachers do not want to complicated their jobs and they keep doing the same practices without taking into account what students want and with this plan students can feel identify with some of the practices because are implemented for students interest. And in many of the practices or exercises the student is the one who built the knowledge. Something very important is that students really learn or become interested in the class because unfortunately most of Costaricans teachers are always fallow the same routine (which make students get bored), maybe because they are scared of innovate or something else, however as this plan show us, you can innovate by doing simple things and challenge yourself to find new things.
This plan really innovates and helps us to enjoy with our students a lesson totally different from the other ones.

Mary McLeod Bethune

Mary Jane McLeod Bethune (July 10, 1875 – May 18, 1955) was an American educator and civil rights leader best known for starting a school for black students in Daytona Beach, Florida that eventually became Bethune-Cookman University and for being an advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Born in South Carolina to parents who had been slaves, and having to work in fields at age 5, she took an early interest in her own education. With the help of benefactors, Bethune attended college hoping to become a missionary in Africa. When that did not materialize, she started a school for black girls in Daytona Beach. From six students it grew and merged with an institute for black boys and eventually became the Bethune-Cookman School. Its quality far surpassed the standards of education for black students, and rivaled those of white schools. Bethune worked tirelessly to ensure funding for the school, and used it as a showcase for tourists and donors, to exhibit what educated black people could do. She was president of the college from 1923 to 1942 and 1946 to 1947, one of the few women in the world who served as a college president at that time.
From. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_McLeod_Bethune

I admired this women, because she was dedicated not just in the idea of be a teacher. She also fought for people rights in difficult times and also fought for his own believes agaist many things. I think that, this is what teachers sometimes need to realized (that they are not just people for one specific role and to fight for anything or anybody), they sometimes have to do different activities but as a conscious and responsible person find the ways to achieve any kind of goal or purpose.
Teachers are always and everywhere teachers, that feel proud about his o her work and that’s why I thing that she is an example for any teacher!!!