IN Magazine summer 2012 by IATEFL Slovenia

IATEFL Slovenia Newsletter SUMMER ISSUE 2012, no. 54

Poročila s tekmovanj Poučevanje s pomočjo učiteljice iz tujine Poučevanje gibalno oviranih dijakov Poročilo o izobraževanju v tujini To be up-to-date with what is going on, visit our website: www.iatefl.si

IATEFL Slovenia newsletter Vol. 13, No 54, Summer issue 2012

Dear readers,

“I’ve got sunshine on a cloudy day, When it’s cold outside, I’ve got the month of May…” Yes, I know it’s an old song, but it’s still catchy – I simply cannot get it out of my head. And these first two lines remind me of the following: the first sums up the way I feel each time I attend IATEFL’s conference in Topolšica and the second reminds me that the end of the school year is getting closer by the day. I imagine we agree it’ll be nice to take some time off again? This is the last issue of our newsletter for this school year. As in previous years, you can find information on our competitions, which again were very successful, and read some reflections on our conference and other interesting articles. I hope time flies very quickly till the very last day of your school year. Have a great holiday, we deserve it! Last but not least: I think you all know by now that we at IATEFL Slovenia really care 2 share. So please feel free to share anything you want with the rest of us in the autumn issue of IN ☺. Dolores Malić

Published by: IATEFL Slovenia, p.p. 1677, 1001 Ljubljana Email: info@iatefl.edus.si www.iatefl.si tel: 041 907065 IN editor: Dolores Malić President: Jasna Cepuder Sedmak Email: jasna.sedmak@iatefl.si Language editor: Oliver Sims Printed by: DEMAT d.o.o. Graphics: Petra Turk Articles, letters and other contributions should be addressed to IATEFL, p.p. 1677, 1001 Ljubljana Email: info@iatefl.edus.si IATEFL Slovenia Board Members: Jasna Cepuder Sedmak Sandra Vida Marša Meznarič Eva Pišljar Suhadolc Beti Kerin Jasna Džambić Tjaša Lemut Novak Lea Sobočan Andreja Lakner Dolores Malić ISSN 1855-6833

Contents ‘CARE 2 SHARE’ – IATEFL Slovenia Conference, March 2012 by Beatrix Price ................................................................................................................. 3 ELT Educators’ Workshop 2012 at Georgetown University, Washington, DC by Sandra Vida .............................................................................. 6 What the British Council offers English language teachers every day of the year by Sandra Vida ................................................................... 8 Co-teaching with a voluntary English teacher from Armenia by Andreja Drašler Zorič, Meline Mirzoyan ................................................. 10 Teaching physically handicapped students by Tanja Kejžar ...................................................................................................................................................... 11 Tekmovanje iz angleščine za 7. razred by Andreja Lakner .......................................................................................................................................................... 13 Tekmovanje iz angleščine za dijake 2. letnika by Jasna Džambić .......................................................................................................................................... 14 Tekmovanje iz angleščine za dijake 3. letnika by Beti Kerin ...................................................................................................................................................... 15

V(ery) I(mportant) P(ages) Corner • http://www.anglomaniacy.pl/index.html: lots of printable worksheets and ideas for primary school • http://www.timeforkids.com/: news, kid reporters, quizzes, worksheets and more • http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/: stories, songs, games, printable worksheets and other materials 2

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‘CARE 2 SHARE’ – IATEFL Slovenia Conference, March 2012 by Beatrix Price, committee member of IATEFL Hungary

Looking back on my previous year and rummaging through my notes and papers, I found my motivational letter for the 2011 IATEFL Slovenia Conference that I never sent (thinking “Why would I be lucky enough to get travel funding etc.?”) but kept in my drawer. Later during the year I joined the IATEFL Slovenia Facebook group (not knowing anyone there and having forgotten about the motivational letter in the meantime). So when in March 2012 I was given the chance to represent IATEFL Hungary in Slovenia, I was in seventh heaven. Attending all plenaries and workshops, actively participating in the very lively social evenings, building contacts and making friends was not difficult at all – on the contrary, it was a real pleasure to spend every single second with the organisers, members and guests at the conference titled ‘Care 2 Share’. The title was well chosen, and the conference was a splendid 4-day event, carefully planned, prepared and located at the foot of the Alps among embracing mountains with a wellness centre. I keenly felt the organisers’ intention to care for us and all the presenters’ and participants’ desire to share their research, teaching experience, love for the profession and light for life. On Thursday evening we had country line dancing with the ladies from ‘Country Cats’, Friday night we had a pub quiz with Peter Hopwood (see http://libris-komunikacije.hr/en/ teambuilding/events/) and Saturday night, with the committee taking the lead, there was a games evening. As the leopard cannot change its spots, once again I chose workshops that mirrored my own interests, attending workshops on literature, creative writing, reading, bringing multimedia into poetry lessons, learning English through songs and games, and even the challenges of the 21st century teacher. Before I went to the conference, I had decided to transfer some of the new ideas to my classroom on the very first day after the weekend. But however natural this idea seems at first, in practice it is not so easy (as I have experienced so many times before). One gets such an overdose of information in a short period of time that it’s difficult to select and remember afterwards. So in the workshops I consciously took notes, selected ideas and thought through in which classes I would use what activities in the classroom from Monday on. What I noticed so clearly in the workshops was that the practising school teachers were really enthusiastic and clear about their ideas and practice. Their love and enthusiasm shone through the activities and that really inspired us participants

too. One of the most popular topics of recent conferences is the challenges of the new era, describing the 21st century learner and learning/teaching in the modern context. Several talks focused on the 21st century learner, so we know that he or she: is a multi-tasker, digitally literate, mobile, experimental and social; is good at reading visual images, craves interactivity, likes to learn through exploration; and highly values games and simulations.

• • •

We also learnt that 21st century learning is or should be: authentic, social, mental model-building, collaborative, international and holistic.

•

Therefore in our 21st century teaching we ought to: have meaningful and authentic activities; incorporate ICT into the classroom; raise global and cultural awareness; be learner-centred; promote real world questions and problems; teach research and problem-solving; work towards global literacy; set up well designed and managed learning projects (reports, videos, portfolios, journals, presentations, etc.); enhance group/team work; create thematic learning cycles; try cross-cultural teaching; promote intercultural awareness; establish international collaboration; prepare problem-solving learning; and nourish holistic education.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Looking through this list, a question suggests itself: “too much or too little?” Plato’s answer may be relevant here: “Through education we need to help students find pleasure in what they have to learn.” George Pickering’s talks seemed particularly important for the developing teacher. They highlighted the importance not only of our professional development but also of the conscious effort to take care of it. He emphasised the different aims, skills and support we need when we monitor our professional paths. As he noted, we have to clarify what strengths we possess and the skills we need to develop to achieve the best possible result in specialising and helping our professional community. He pinpointed the necessity of self-management and the support of a social network to help people to achieve their goals in an increasingly competitive and pressurised world.

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In one of the times off, I had a lovely swim and chat with Jasna, the president of IATEFL Slovenia. She commented on how important it is that “genuine” teachers feel the need to develop professionally and in so doing improve their practice.“The possibility to grow professionally by learning from our colleagues helps us renew our passion for teaching,” she said. And when I asked her if they always held their conferences at such beau-

tiful places, she answered, “Yes, of course. We should nourish ourselves in order to be able to nourish our students!” So my thanks to IATEFL Hungary for making it possible for me to attend this conference and my very special thanks to IATEFL Slovenia for sharing their experience, good practice, hospitality, friendliness and high-spirits too.

ELT Educatorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Workshop 2012 at Georgetown University, Washington, DC by Sandra Vida

The USA â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the land of opportunity, the place where dreams come true. Well, a month ago, for me these were just popular sayings, and everybody in their right mind knows that it is not as easy as that. On the other hand, having been invited to participate in the Georgetown University EFL programme, it felt like I was in a dream from the first notice on. It was unbelievable, and I still have to pinch myself from time to time even though the programme itself is receding into the past. I learned a lot. Not only about how small and unimportant we are and how big the world out there is, but also about the importance of sharing views, ideas and thoughts with likeminded people from all over the world. I was perplexed for the first couple of days about how different we are, but then again, all being educators, we shared similar concerns, hopes and interests. The new friends I met opened doors and windows I was completely unaware of and changed me forever. The programme started with a getting-to-know-each-other day and identification of topic areas we were interested

in. Student motivation has been my personal concern for quite some time now, so I joined a group with teachers from Argentina and Mexico. We soon discovered that regardless of the geographical distance between us, we face similar students on a daily basis and were eager to see how this is dealt with in schools in and around Washington, DC. On the first day, we listened to EFL classes at Georgetown University. The classrooms and their equipment did not differ much from the ones we teach in, but the prevailing image that stayed with me after the day was to do with the teacherâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;student attitude. All classes were taught in an atmosphere of trust, respect and, at least from the teachers, eagerness to help. Unfortunately, this is not how I remember my university days. On the second day, we visited the Carlos Rosario public charter school. This is a school for adult immigrant learners, and if the reasons for student motivation at Georgetown University the day before were not always evident, here the student motivation was clear at every step. Each corner of the school was impregnated with it as if there was

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something in the air. The students came prepared, eager to learn and participate, thankful for what the teachers offered. It was like every teacher’s dream come true. We concluded that the maturity of students plays a big role in the motivation they bring with them. Meanwhile the teachers supported their motivation by valuing them through their work. They displayed their work regardless of how meaningless it might have been from the global learning point of view.Each effort and achievement of an individual learner was praised because it was their own. Each a small step for mankind but a giant leap for the learner! On the third day, we visited the Lab school, a school for students with learning difficulties, and I have to say, I expected something completely different from what we saw. Instead of treating the students as a difficult and challenging task, the school embraces their differences and addresses them in a way that made me want to go back to school too! In Slovenia we are introducing the concept of “project days”, where students get knowledge in a slightly different way through hands-on experience, stress-free activities and art. In the Lab school, every day is a project day. The doors of the classrooms are open, inviting people to join in, and the walls are full of student art, exhibiting their learning. As for student motivation, in an environment full of positive reinforcement, awareness of meta-cognitive skills and empowerment, it is probably not hard to earn respect as a teacher and motivate. The last day of school visits was at the Sugarland elementary school, which is a state school in a community with many immigrant children with low English language proficiency. At the school, we observed the SIOP model in practice. Again, what struck me personally as the most ef-

ficient thing in terms of student motivation was the fact that teachers explain to the students exactly what they are about to do and what they will learn by doing it. This both brings a feeling of cooperation to the learning and gives students self-esteem. The overall atmosphere is again really positive and respectful, completely different from what schools here in Slovenia usually offer. In all the schools, I particularly liked the active promotion of reading. By reading all the signs about its importance, I felt as if by reading the door to a secret, consecrated circle everybody wants to be a part of, will open. As a passionate reader myself, I understood this as confirmation and praise at the same time. In none of the schools we visited was the course book used really central to the lesson. Rather than focusing attention on the book, the lessons focused on the students and their learning needs, preferences and styles. The use of authentic materials, connecting the topics to the students’ personal lives and real life in general, also had a great influence on student motivation. But don’t think the workshop was all work and no play. After the formal sessions, I enjoyed the company of likeminded people from all over the world in exploring Washington, DC, and learning even more about the ways of this strange nation we all think we know a lot about from the movies. But even more importantly, it gave me an opportunity to learn about myself. Now I know that you need to travel and meet new people in order to find out the truth about yourself and your homeland. For this, I cannot thank enough the U.S. State Department’s EFL Educator Program, the Regional English Language Office (RELO), the Georgetown University teacher trainers and everybody else who made it all possible.

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What the British Council offers English language teachers every day of the year by Sandra Vida, British Council ELT Associate

Some of you out there may remember the good old days whenthe British Council offered numerous workshops and training opportunities to English teachers in Slovenia, helping us become better educators, informing us about changes and providing materials to use in class. I am sure everybody will agree that the world has changed since those times and many will say with nostalgia that the “good old days” are nowlong gone. But I have good news for you. Not only are the good old days still with us, but they have improved in accessibility, in flexibility and in the size of their offer. The problem essentially is that many of us don’t use the resources on offer simply because we don’t know where to look for them. So if you are not interested in getting free training, materials and support, you may as well stop reading this article, but if you are interested in how to teach or learn English and you are at the same time at least one of the following – parent, friend, learner, teacher, linguist or simply curious person –, then carry on. I’ll show you where to find the paradise lost☺. There are three different sites the British Council offers in terms of learning English, directed at three main age groups: kids, teenagers and adults. If you are looking for materials for kids, explore http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/home The site offers a wide selection of language games as well as listening, reading and writing activities you can either use in class or work through with your own children. If you are a parent or you need more support on how to help your child learn English, you simply flip the page to get to http: //learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/ 8

If your children are gettinga bit too old for such games, want to be treated as adults but are not yet really interested in serious subjects, try http: //learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/ This is a new site with materials ranging from language learning and exam practice all the way to games. My teenagers loved the site, and I am sure yours will too. If you don’t have the time or facilities to work through the materials in school, simply assign them for homework and watch your students’ language improve as they put in the extra hours of English language exposure. Meanwhile there is a similar page for adult learners, covering language practice activities as well as professional topics of interest for businesspeople trying to brush up their English. Find them at http: //learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/ and offer them to your adult learners as additional practice and self study. Of course if you are a teacher, I can imagine you’llalready be pretty happy with what we’ve looked at so far, but this is not all the British Council has to offer: they are indeed still taking care of your professional growth, offering a range of resources, training and literature about our profession at http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/ The British Council also is up to date with what’s happening right now, so you can also find materials on the Olympic Games on their site. So before you say again that the British Council has disappeared from ELT, take a moment (it will have to be a long one, I’m afraid!) to check outthese sites. I’m sure you’ll change your mind!

Happy surfing!

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ENGLISH FOR THE GAMES

Athletics (ﬁeld) Hammer throw Javelin

This article is part of a series produced by the British Council to help you learn English and enjoy the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Find out more about the different jumping and throwing events at the Olympics. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS So I see that on the athletics programme they have ﬁeld events – that sounds like a picnic! If they were in a ‘ﬁeld’ maybe but here it means the events that take place in the area inside the running track. The jumps and throws? Yes, there are four jumping and four throwing events for both men and women. The jumps are the high jump, long jump, triple jump and pole vault.

Bar

And the throws? Javelin, discus, shot put and hammer throw. But anyone can jump or throw! Exactly! At the Ancient Olympics the most important event was the pentathlon, and three of the ﬁve events were ﬁeld athletics events – the long jump, and the javelin and discus throws, as well as a running race and wrestling. The winner would

Pole

Pole vault

ACTIVITY

be crowned Victor Ludorum, ‘the winner of the games.’ Wow! So ﬁeld athletics is big time? Yes! Some of the biggest stars in Olympic history have been ﬁeld athletes. Jesse Owens and Carl Lewis were both long jumpers, for example. Not so many famous throwers, though? That’s true, but many deserve to be. And don’t forget Dick Fosbury.

1. How many ﬁeld events take place in the area inside the running track? A. All of them

Doesn’t ‘ﬂop’ mean a failure? That doesn’t sound very successful! But it was, and is! He won the gold medial in Mexico City in 1968. Since then it’s the style that all jumpers use.

The rules of athletics ﬁeld events are simple: the athlete who jumps the longest or highest, or throws the furthest, is the winner. In the vertical jumps (high jump and pole vault): An athlete must clear (go over) the bar without knocking it down.

B. Only the jumping events C. Only the throwing events 2. How many athletics men’s ﬁeld events are there in total? A. 4

An athlete is eliminated if she has three failures at the same height. An athlete can pass her attempt. The bar is raised (made higher) after all athletes have either cleared, passed or failed their attempts at a height.

B. 8 C. 16 3. How many events did the Victor Ludorum compete in at the Ancient Olympics? A. 3

When one athlete remains, she can choose how much to raise the bar. If two athletes have cleared the same height, there is a ‘tie’. The winner is the athlete who has needed the fewest attempts to jump the highest height, and then, by the total number of failures at all heights.

B. 5 C. 8 4. How many events in the pentathlon at the Ancient Olympics were not ﬁeld events? A. 2

In the horizontal jumps (long jump and triple jump) and all throwing events: All jumps and throws must be made from behind a line.

B. 3 C. 5 5. How many famous throwers are mentioned? A. None B. 1

Speaking of pole vaulting, I know a joke. Two athletes meet in the Olympic village. ‘Are you a pole vaulter?’ one asks. ‘No, I’m German, but how did you know that my name was Walter?’

Who? Dick Fosbury. He revolutionised the high jump with a new style – the Fosbury ﬂop.

RULES FOR ATHLETICS FIELD

Choose the correct answer to each of the following questions and statements.

Anyone else? How about Sergei Bubka – the greatest pole vaulter of all time? He broke the world record 35 times!

All jumps and throws must land in a speciﬁed area. Crossing the line or landing outside the speciﬁed area makes the jump or throw invalid.

WORDSEARCH

M M

Find these words in the grid hammer throw clear javelin triple

bar shot failure discus jump

Each athlete gets three attempts. The top eight athletes then get three more attempts.

C. 4

Answers 1. A; 2. B; 3. B; 4. A; 5. A

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To find out more visit www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish

9 © British Council 2012 Brand and Design/B200

Co-teaching with a voluntary English teacher from Armenia by Andreja Drašler Zorič, Meline Mirzoyan, OŠ Dr Vita Kraigherja, Ljubljana

Imagine not having to correct your students’ homework, because you have another capable teacher to do it for you. Imagine that there’s an English teacher in your class who doesn’t speak Slovenian, but who can assist you with teaching at all times. It sounds great, doesn’t it? Well, I have been privileged to have a young and diligent voluntary English teacher helping me teach this school year, and since it is an experience I would recommend to any teacher of English, I decided to share it with you by co-writing this article with Meline, who gives her view on volunteer co-teaching below.

the visiting teacher is to assist, letting the main teacher do the actual teaching. Aware ofMeline’s rights and responsibilities, we have mainly employed the “One Teach–One Assist” teaching model. Moreover, Meline had not taught at a primary school before, so I organized her teaching in such a way that she gradually gained an insight into our school system first by observing my lessons, which was slowly upgraded by assisting me with monitoring the students during their work, e.g. pair work, and ended with her doing micro-teaching, team teaching and even some teaching on her own while I observed her.

I have been teaching English since 2005, but until this year had only done bits of co-teaching and team teaching with our school librarian (we participated in the Global Teenager Project), and never with an English teacher. Even though team teaching has been around for a while, it was only drawn to my attention last year, when professors from the English Department of the Faculty of Arts (University of Ljubljana) asked me if two teacher trainees could do some team teaching as a part of their teacher training practice programme. Well, why not?

One of the advantages of co-teaching with Meline is that she is a skilled English teacher who has given me feedback on my own teaching, which has consequently made me reflect on my teaching more. Also I have learnt a lot from her by merely observing her teach and assist. And I have learnt a lot about Armenian culture, too. As for the students, the fact that she does not speak Slovenian has forced them to communicate more in English, which is what matters most in the end.

As I firmly believe that good practice stems from a good theoretical background, I would like to shed a little theoretical light on co-teaching, which is not interchangeable with team teaching in our case. According to Cook and Friend (1995), co-teaching can follow five models:

• • • • •

One Teach–One Assist (one teacher leads the lesson and one observes and assists students), Alternative Teaching (one teacher works with a large group while the other is working with a small group of students), Parallel Teaching(the class is divided in two; both teachers planinstruction jointly and teach the same lesson at the same time to the different groups), Station Teaching (teachers divide instructional content into several segments and present the content in separate stations around the classroom), and Team Teaching(both the general educator and the special educator share in the instruction of students; one teacher may lead the discussion while the other models or demonstrates).

Since Meline came to our school through the EVS (European Voluntary Service), there are certain rules a hosting school has to adhere to, one being that a volunteer teacher must not teach or take care of the children on their own, meaning that another teacher or a mentor must be present while he or she is teaching at all times. Mainly, the role of 10

Meline’s story When I first found out about the EVS project, I was 22 years old, still a student at the University of Foreign Languages (Faculty of English Language and Intercultural Communications), a member of three non-governmental organisations and a very active young woman, involved in activities ranging from supporting awareness-raising campaigns to teaching foreign languages to moderately handicapped young people. I helped to organize discussions, debating clubs and games with teenagers, assisted children from families in need with their school homework, and helped in fundraising and finding sponsors for them. I also participated in a couple of international youth training courses on religion, diversity, faith and dialogue, which provided me with new non-formal educational tools, competences and practical skills not previously familiar to me. I come from Armenia, a former republic of the Soviet Union, where non-formal education is something very new. Still following the Soviet system of education (though I have noted some changes of late), we are used to believing that education should be based on much theory and little practice, the latter to be obtained later, through experience in the desired field. EVS is a “learning” service: through experience, you can improve or develop skills that help towards personal, professional and educational development. It supports a transnational youth and voluntary service, fosters the development of solidarity and promotes tolerance among young people, primarily to reinforce social cohesion, and improves mutual understanding among young people.

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When I learnt about the vacancy in my present EVS project, I knew it was a big opportunity for me to develop my professional skills. Here I get to observe the several differences in the educational systems of the two countries, and the tools I pick up here I will carry home. One of the major differences between the educational systems of the two countries is that, as far as I can see, Slovenian pupils exercise more rights than those in my country. This is clearly expressed in the curriculum of non-compulsory homework and the teachers’ demonstration of their own procedures and methods of motivating. The students express themselves more freely, argue, protest and demand. Still I wouldn’t describe this as a display or sign of disrespect. It’s more an issue of “we are aware we have more rights now”. As already mentioned above, another difference is that we put the stress on theory more than practice. We study more classical poems, novels, short stories and proverbs. During English classes we seldom use the CD player and our textbooks are based on grammar, texts and written exercises. I consider listening an important component of learning a language, so this is something that should be improved in Armenia. Also, the movies and songs make the lessons more interesting and fun and therefore, I like to think, more effective and productive. Teenagers find it more crucial to study the English language. As for the younger learners, I again notice more practice than theory in Year 2, where I teach English in the so-called day care (podaljšanobivanje) and where I am also sometimes present in certain other activities. Children here are offered much more in the way of outdoor activities, arts and crafts classes, and more active participation in the social and artistic life of the city. And this is something I would heartily encourage. Another difference I’ve noticed is that the pupils wear slippers. Also, in most Armenian schools there is a sort of a snack bar or pastry shop, where you can buy pastries or snacks and sandwiches, but no hot meals are served at our schools. Before I applied for the EVS project, I knew little about Slovenia, and the idea that I might create a home so far away from my home was very appealing to me. I learn not only from the programme itself, but also from the people living in the country and other volunteers of various cultural backgrounds. They teach me new values, and learning about other cultures and different lifestyles presents me with new challenges and experiences.

• • • •

Sources: Cook, L. and Friend, M.(1995).Co-Teaching: Guide for Creating Effective Practices, Focus on Exceptional Children. http://www.magonline.org/CoTeachingInTheClassroomREVMAGPresentation.pdf Johnston, B. and Madejski, B. (1990).“A Fresh Look at Team Teaching”.The Teacher Trainer Journal, Vol. 4, No. 1, http:// www.tttjournal.co.uk/uploads/File/back_articles/A_ fresh_look_at_team_teaching.pdf Villa, R. et al. (2004). A Guide to Co-Teaching: Practical Tips for Facilitating Student Learning. http://www.sagepub.com/ upm-data/6847_villa_ch_1.pdf http://www.evs.si/sl

Teaching physically handicapped students by Tanja Kejžar, CIRIUS Kamnik

CIRIUS Kamnik is a specialised centre for students who have physical disabilities, such ascerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, spina bifida, chronic illness or multiple impairments. Depending on the level of assistance needed, a physical disability can be mild, moderate, severe or profound. The majority of the physically disabled students attending CIRIUS have severe disabilities, as those students with mild disabilities should be integrated into the regular school system. Most of our students have physical disabilities with associated learning difficulties, visual impairment, chronic illness, speech and language impairment, or emotional and behavioural disorders (in 2009/10 the figures were physical impairment only – 28%; physical impairment with associated disabilities – 72%). Each student gets an individual education plan, which is a legal document drawn up to ensure that those who work with the students understand their physical and learning limitations. It sets specific educational goals, and may include classroom modifications, curriculum modifications and provision of various therapies. There are many classroom modifications associated with teaching such students, such as modified furniture (adjustable desks and chairs) and equipment, use of computers (adapted keyboards), using a whiteboard which can be moved up and down, photocopies (large print, 18–22 point fonts), access to lifts and ramps, and so on.

Small groups of 4 to 12 allow an individual approach to students. Here are some suggestions on how to be more effective when teaching:

• • • • • • • • •

allowing more time for students to complete activities; letting them work at their own pace; giving a lot of encouragement; giving short and precise instructions; identifying each student’s areas of strength; giving less or no homework to some students; giving completely oral or completely written tests; allowing extended time for tests; and a lot of revision.

If a student has speech problems, verbal descriptions and directions should be clear and slow, while you should read

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aloud anything that is written on the board for a student with poor sight. I also think including examples of people with physical disabilities in lessons is a good idea. We also watch and discuss films on disabilities, for example Inside I’m Dancing (muscular dystrophy), My Left Foot (cerebral palsy), TempleGrandin (autism) or Smehljaji (stereotypes). However, you need to incorporate such topics into lessons very carefully. Some students also need a personal assistant who takes notes, opens books, helps with mobility and everyday tasks, writes tests, helps with homework, and so on. The assistants usually have a very positive influence on the whole group of students.

Teaching students with special needs can be difficult, but it is also very challenging and rewarding. You can learn a lot from your students, because each of them is unique. With the increasing number of students with disabilities who are integrated into the regular school system, I hope my experience and the suggestions above might be useful for mainstream school teachers too.

Students with complex disabilities may also need various therapies, such as physiotherapy, hippotherapy, occupational and speech therapy, aquatherapy and respiratory therapy, along with medical and nursing support. All the students are, of course, expected to take part in all activities, including field work. Organising excursions, for example, thus takes detailed planning (e.g. travel arrangements, looking for accessible activity sites, checking for lifts and providing extra staff ). We have had two Comenius international exchanges so far, and in 2009 a group of ten students went to Oulu in Finland. There were two students in wheelchairs in the group, so we proved it is possible to travel in spite of severe physical disabilities. I asked one of my students to put down her impressions on being a student at CIRIUS Kamnik. I agree with Marušathat over-protection and a lack of proper social interaction with peers outside the school might be the main disadvantage of being a student at CIRIUS. On the other hand, students who do not have any disabilities can also attend secondary school here. The students who stay at CIRIUS are also separated from their families, which can be a problem at the beginning.

“I came to CIRIUS Kamnik when I was seven years old. At that time the institution was called ZUIM Kamnik. I was not scared when I saw so many disabled people, because I was used to seeing them every day whenI was in kindergarten. Ithink the best way to describe the way I felt is by saying I was curious because everything was so big. Back then I did not know what was going to happen in all these years, but now I am about to finish my education period at CIRIUS and I can say that while studying here has both advantages and disadvantages, looking from my perspective, it has had more advantages. Some say that attending school in a centre like CIRIUS is easier because we do things at a slower pace. However, our classes are smaller (3–10 students in one class), which allows the teachers to give more personal attention to each individual (for example explain things again to those who do not understand the first time), so the teachers can be more efficient. There are also many other people who take care of our health and development, such as physiotherapists, psychologists, speech therapists and others who help us grow up. They all play a very important role in our lives. However, at the same time they have some sort of control over us andthat can be very annoying sometimes. I would say that this control is the only disadvantage of being a student at CIRIUS Kamnik.” Maruša Rejc, 4.b

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Tekmovanje iz angleščine za 7. razred by Andreja Lakner, koordinatorica tekmovanja za 7. razred OŠ

Letos smo v našem društvu prvič organizirali tekmovanje v znanju angleškega jezika tudi za 7. razrede. Tekmovanje je potekalo v decembru, tema pa je bila »How to learnEnglishsuccessfully?«, ali »Kako se uspešno učiti angleščino?«, kjer ste učenci pod vodstvom svojih mentorjev povedali, kako se sami učite angleščino in na ta način poskusili pomagati svojim sovrstnikom širom po Sloveniji. Svoje izdelke ste pripravili v aplikaciji »voicethread«, jih objavili na spletni strani http:// tekmovanje7razred.pbworks.comin nam tako omogočili ocenjevanje. Priznati moramo, da nismo pričakovali tako velikega odziva. Tako je 3-članska komisija ocenjevala kar 93 izdelkov, kar je bilo visoko nad našimi pričakovanji. Ker so bile skupine sestavljene iz dveh do petih članov, je tako sodelovalo 380 tekmovalcev pod vodstvom 58 mentorjev iz 54 osnovnih šol iz vse Slovenije. Prispele izdelke je tekmovalna komisija ocenjevala glede na naslednje kriterije: sporočilno vrednost, jezikovno pravilnost, bogastvo besedišča in pravopis, pravilno izgovorjavo in gladkost, strukturo izdelka, ustreznost njegove dolžine, in splošni vtis. Tekmovanje je bilo organizirano na dveh ravneh, šolski in državni. Na šolski ravni so učenci prejeli bronasta, na državni ravni pa smo podelili srebrna in zlata priznanja. Bronasto priznanje je osvojilo 92 skupin oz. 331 tekmovalcev. Za srebrno priznanje je bilo potrebno osvojiti 85% točk in več. To priznanje je prejelo 23 skupin oz. 87 tekmovalcev. Število zlatih priznanj je omejeno glede na število vseh tekmovalcev. Zlato priznanje so tako lahko prejele štiri skupine, oz. 16 učencev. Točkovna meja za osvojitev zlatega priznanja je bila 100 točk.

Statistika na kratko: Število sodelujočih šol Število izdelkov, ki smo jih prejeli na državno tekmovanje Število vseh tekmovalcev Število bronastih priznanj Število srebrnih priznanj Število zlatih priznanj Število mentorjev

54 93 380 (109 skupin) 331 (92 skupin) 87 (23 skupin) 16 (4 skupine) 58

Vse izdelke si lahko še vedno ogledate na že zgoraj omenjeni spletni strani. Poudariti je treba, da so sedmošolci pokazali zelo visok nivo znanja angleškega jezika, saj so bili njihovi izdelki izvirni, vsebinsko bogati in zanimivi. Kar nekaj jih je takih kot so uporabnih v razredu, bodisi pri pouku tujega jezika ali pa pri razredni uri. Tak je bil tudi naš namen, zato bomo v prihodnje skušali obdržati teme, podobne letošnji. V imenu tekmovalne komisije vsem tekmovalcem iskreno čestitam za njihove dosežke, mentorjem pa se najlepše zahvaljujem za njihovo sodelovanje in podporo.

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Tekmovanje iz angleščine za dijake 2. letnika by Jasna Džambić, koordinatorica tekmovanja za 2. letnik srednje šole

Na tekmovanju za drugi letnik je letos sodelovalo 12 šol, ki so poslale skupno 20 filmov. Letos se je v pripravo tekmovanja vključil British Council, saj prav letos praznujemo 200-letnico njegovega rojstva. Tako smo tudi pri tem tekmovanju želeli počastiti tega pomembnega pisatelja in smo skupaj pripravili tekmovanje za 2. letnike. Naloga je bila posneti igrano-dokumentarni film na tematiko Charlesa Dickensa in/ali obdobja, v katerem je živel in ustvarjal, pri čemer pa so morali dijaki uporabiti tudi predpisanih deset besed. Predpisane besede v kategorijah A in C so bile: TABOO, FICTITIOUS, TO INTERFERE, TO RELEASE, THE INTERNET, TO DEVOUR, ECLECTIC, STANDSTILL, VIRTUE, DAUNTING. V kategorijah B in D pa je bilo potrebno uporabiti naslednje besede: INDUSTRIAL, AWKWARD, MODESTY, SEVERE, TO PREDICT, TO DISTINGUISH, CROSSROADS, TO SPOIL, TEMPER, CARELESS. Kriteriji pri izbiri najboljše skupine (tako na šolski kot na državni ravni) so bili naslednji: pravilnost uporabe podanih besed, ustvarjalnost/domiselnost pri uporabi podanih besed, jezik, izgovorjava, informativnost prispevka, splošni vtis in tehnična izvedba. Dijaki so žal tekmovali samo v dveh kategorijah A in B, čeprav so imeli možnost tekmovati tudi tisti, ki spadajo v kategorijo C ali D. Prav tako smo na žalost morali letos zaradi neupoštevanja bodisi tehničnih bodisi vsebinskih navodil diskvalificirati tri skupine, saj želimo, da so pravila in navodila dosledno upoštevana in enaka za vse.

Število priznanj po kategorijah Priznanje A B zlato 1 0 srebrno 1 1 bronasto 11 0 skupaj 13 1

skupaj 1 2 11 14

A za tekmovalce drugega letnika, ki se učijo angleščino kot prvi tuji jezik in obiskujejo katerokoli gimnazijo vključno z evropskimi oddelki B za tekmovalce drugega letnika, ki se učijo angleščino kot prvi tuji jezik in obiskujejo katerokoli 4-letno strokovno šolo, ki se zaključi s poklicno maturo C za tekmovalce drugega letnika, ki so več kot eno leto bivali na angleško govorečem področju in tiste, ki so v oddelkih mednarodne mature D za tekmovalce drugega letnika, ki se učijo angleščino kot drugi tuji jezik in obiskujejo katerokoli gimnazijo ali 4-letno strokovno šolo.

Dijaki in dijakinje so se pri pripravi filmov znova zelo potrudili, saj je bila tematika letos še posebej specifična. Veseli smo, da tudi take tematike tekmovalce in tekmovalke pritegnejo in jim predstavljajo izziv, nam pa obilo zadovoljstva pri ocenjevanju. Iskreno čestitamo vsem sodelujočim, vsem mentorjem pa se najlepše zahvaljujemo za pomoč pri izpeljavi tekmovanj. Hvala tudi vsem sponzorjem za prispevane nagrade, predvsem MINT International House in British Council-u. Nasvidenje do prihodnjega leta!

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Tekmovanje iz angleščine za dijake 3. letnika by Beti Kerin, koordinatorica tekmovanja za 3. letnik srednje šole

Letos se je regijskega dela tekmovanje udeležilo 543 tekmovalcev. Naloge na tem nivoju tekmovanja so se nanašale na bralno razumevanje, poznavanje viktorijanskega obdobja v britanski zgodovini in uporabe jezika (časi, besedotvorje, transformacije in popravljanje napak). Najboljših 15% tekmovalcev po posameznih kategorijah se je udeležilo tekmovanja na državnem nivoju, kjer so se pomerili v slušnem razumevanju in pisnem delu, v katerem so napisali krajši sestavek kot nadaljevanje podane zgodbe, ter esej. Regijsko tekmovanje je tokrat potekalo v sedmih mestih, in sicer se je dosedanjim šolam organizatoricam tekmovanja pridružil še Maribor. Tekmovanje je potekalo na naslednjih šolah:

• • • • • • •

Gimnazija Nova Gorica, koordinatorka Martina Kobal Gimnazija Murska Sobota, koordinatorka Mateja Štefanec Grm Novo mesto, Center biotehnike in turizma, koordinatorka Sonja Golob Ekonomska šola Ljubljana, koordinatorka Jasna Cepuder Sedmak Gimnazija Jesenice, koordinatorka Renata Bok Zelenjak Srednja šola Slovenska Bistrica, koordinatorka Nataša Gumilar Papotnik II. gimnazija Maribor, koordinatorka Klavdija Krempl

Vsem regijskim koordinatorkam se zahvaljujem za pomoč in sodelovanje, brez vas izvedba tekmovanja ne bi bila mogoča. Prav tako se zahvaljujem vsem mentorjem za pomoč pri pripravi dijakov na tekmovanje in pri izvedbi tekmovanja na obeh nivojih. Tudi vsem tekmovalcem se zahvaljujem za sodelovanje in vam čestitam za dosežen rezultat. Ponosni smo na vaše znanje. Prepričana sem, da vam bo odpiralo vrata na vaši poklicni poti.

Število tekmovalcev Kategorija Regijsko tekmovanje A1 371 A2 51 A3 12 B 93 C 16 skupaj 543

Državno tekmovanje 58 10 10 14 10 102

Število priznanj po kategorijah Priznanje A1 A2 zlato 9 1 srebrno 10 1 bronasto 39 8 skupaj 58 10

A1 za tekmovalce tretjih letnikov, ki se učijo angleščine kot prvega tujega jezika in obiskujejo katerokoli splošno gimnazijo oz. so v evropskih oddelkih A2 za tekmovalce tretjih letnikov, ki se učijo angleščine kot prvega tujega jezika in obiskujejo katerokoli strokovno gimnazijo A3 za tekmovalce tretjih letnikov, ki so več kot eno leto bivali na angleško govorečem področju in tiste, ki so v oddelkih mednarodne mature B za tekmovalce tretjih letnikov, ki se učijo angleščine kot prvega tujega jezika in obiskujejo katerokoli 4-letno strokovno šolo C za tekmovalce tretjih letnikov, ki jim je angleščina drugi tuj jezik (tretje leto učenja)

A3 1 2 7 10

B 2 2 10 14

C 1 1 8 10

skupaj 14 16 72 102

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Zakaj s Twin-om v London:

Turistična agencija TWIN se s kulturno-izobraževalnimi potovanji ukvarja že 17. leto. Ker v Veliko Britanijo potujemo pogosteje kot večina ostalih slovenskih organizatorjev potovanj, ponujamo odlično in preverjeno izvedbo. Naše cene običajno tudi že vključujejo javni prevoz, večino vstopnin in eno večerjo. Cene so odvisne predvsem od termina odhoda in vaše fleksibilnosti pri odhodu.

Pogosti in redni, zagotovljeni odhodi v London. Twin organizira šolska potovanja v London že 17 let, v povprečju imamo na mesec vsaj 3 zagotovljene odhode v London.

Odlično vodstvo. Pri Twinu se zavedamo, da je odlično poznavanja običajev in turističnih znamenitosti Londončanov le prvi korak k odlični izvedbi. Naši vodniki imajo tudi bogate izkušnje pri vodenju šolske mladine. Naj še dodamo, da sta vodnika, ki vodita večino skupin, Špela in Robert tudi zaposlena pri TWinu, zato odlično poznata vse sestavine programa, saj jih sama pripravljata in je izveda tako toliko boljša. Naj še omenimo, da boste v Sloveniji težko našli vodnike, ki v London vodijo tako pogosto kot Špela ali Robert.

Nastanitev, ki presega običajno turistično kategorijo. Pri Twinu se zavedamo, da je dober spanec pomembna sestavina izleta. Vsi naši hoteli so hoteli s 3* in pri večini udeležencev presežejo njihova pričakovanja. Kot specialist za London lahko zagotovimo vsaj en bogat angleški zajtrk (običajnih zajtrki v Londonu so skromni kontinentalni).

Nikoli naknadno ne spreminjamo pogojev. Naša cena je vedno znana že ob prijavi in se nikoli ne spremeni zaradi spremembe cen dobaviteljev, goriva, manjšega števila prijavljenih ali drugih razlogov v drobnem tisku.

Vedno ponudimo kakšno dodatno storitev – brezplačno. S program zagotavljamo minimalni obseg storitev oz. ogledov, vendar nikoli ne izvedemo samo minimalnega obsega – vedno, pri vsaki skupini dodamo nekaj posebnega, kar ni zapisano v programu. Prav tako v naših programih nikoli ne zapišemo “če bo čas dopuščal”, kajti vse naše programe vedno v celoti izvedemo. In ker si London zelo pogosto ogledujemo, poznamo tudi optimalno zaporedje ogledov brez nepotrebnega hitenja.

Vsaj 183 osnovnih in srednjih šol je že potovalo z nami. Več kot 50 šol potuje vsaj enkrat povprečno na vsaki 2 leti. Če želite neobvezujoče vzpostaviti stik z organizatorjem na eni od šol, ki je že potovala z nami, vam bomo z veseljem posredovali kontakt.

Ponujamo 3-dnevni program, kjer je zajamčeno potreben le en dan izostanka od pouka.

Več informacij na www.twintur.com ali na brezplačnem telefonu 080 1025 ali v poslovalnici na Poljanski cesti 22 v Ljubjani.

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