The Dawn of Teaching

ACTION ORIENTED APPROACH & COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH

ADAPTING AND SELECTING MATERIALS

ideas

Natalia Chacón English Teaching

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Tips for teachers

An infographic about those methodologies

The Dawn

The Dawn of Teaching

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ACTION ORIENTED APPROACH INFOGRAPHIC

COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH INFOGRAPHIC

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AN INTERVIEW WITH AN EXPERT TALKS ABOUT THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE MEP’S PROGRAMS OF PRESCHOOL AND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

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10 TIPS FOR TEACHERS ON HOW TO MAKE A LESSON PLAN

10 AN ARTICLE WITH 5 IDEAS ABOUT HOW TO ADAPT AND SELECT MATERIALS

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ADVANTAGE

Through this approach, students become selfreflective and develop critical thinking towards what they and their peers do.

DISADVANTAGE

The student corrects himself, and if he is wrong about something, who tells him that it is wrong? In this instance, it must be the teacher who provides the feedback

ACTION ORIENTED APPROACH

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ADVANTAGE Concept of learning Seeks to make meaningful communication and language use a focus of all classroom activities.

Vocabulary Negotiation of meaning

Concept of language The goal of language learning is Communicative Competence.

Language is “acquired” through interaction as well as “learned” from the teacher.

Students interact with each other to bring about understanding and communication.

SKILLS EMPHASIZED

Role of the mother tongue Can be used. However, whenever possible the target language should be used.

Role of the students Students are communicators, actively engaged in negotiating meaning.

WRITING

READING

LISTENING

SPEAKING

Role of the teacher As a facilator of communication in the classroom, and he also acts like an adviser and a guide.

DISADVANTAGE

Role of grammar Role of pronunciation Speaker’s knowledge and the grammatical rules of a language to have an appropiate use of it in social context.

Discourse.

Represents a shift in focus from grammatical (or linguistic) competence to the communicative competence of language.

Examples of classroom activities -Information gap activities -Opinion sharing activities -Role play

COMMUNICATIVE APPROACH

There is no selfdiscovery, they learn everything from the teacher. As it goes in stages, there is not as much fluidity as expected.

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What is the difference between the objects of study of each program?

The purpose of studying English in our curriculum is oral communication. In the first years in

preschool it is extremely important that students listen and learn to express themselves.

Let us remember that when students are in I or II cycle they enter a process of greater school commitment, therefore, the communicative competence of the students

She has a degree in English Teaching. She has an MA in Educational Administration and a Ph.D. in Educational Evaluation.

as well as the knowledge, skills, abilities, values are required.

What is the purpose of each program in the country's education system?

As the Preschool program indicates, each person has the ability to communicate by speaking and using words as a way of controlling his/her own behavior and transmitting his/her thoughts and feelings.

But what the I & II Cycle program tells us is that the development of communicative competence in

Differences between the MEP Program for Preschool and Elementary School

English is an aspiration and a request of the Costa Rican society upon the educational system.

Could you indicate what is the difference in terms of educational policies of each program?

The educational policy in Preschool is emphasized in the importance of promoting positive attitudes and values during the teaching and learning process.

However, in Elementary School recognizes and reinforces the need of assuring learners of a quality education by paying attention to their personal characteristics, their needs and aspirations, and their learning styles.

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What areas of human development are part of each program, how it benefits students?

In Preschool the areas are: Cognitive, the acquisition of knowledge; Socio-

affective, the beginning of the social relationships; and Psychomotor, where they can develop their abilities and skills.

How is the update planned for both programs?

For the Preschool program, it is something that has undermined the importance that our nation gives to education, it is a lack of educational seriousness and irresponsibility on the part of the Public Education authorities because the last time was updated was in 2007. It has to be updated right away.

On the other hand the schools are based on Philosophical Foundations such as:

On the contrary, the Elementary School program was updated in 2016, even so I

Rationalism, Humanism and Constructivism. Where they continue to develop as

believe that a revision of the contents should be done.

integral people and that arise and help the country to emerge

How do learning theories benefit Preschool and Elementary School programs?

It is simple, preschool children are beginning their development at an educational level and it is important to consider that not all children are the same and each one learns differently. That is why the main theory used is that of Gardner's Multiple Intelligences. Because this way, all children are covered equally, taking into account their specific abilities to learn. It can be kinesthetic, visual, auditory, etc.

According to Mediation Learning, are both programs based on the same emphasis?

I'm going to give you an example, when a person is born and you want he/she learns the native language, you don't start by giving him writing classes. The first thing that is taught is to listen (the sounds of the words) and then she/he

In Elementary School, the socialization process plays a key role when learning as well as connections with prior knowledge, which is why Lev Vygotsky's

reproduces them (speaking). In the same way it is done in Preschool, they are taught to listen and to produce their words.

theory of socio-constructivism is used in this program. building is important

In Elementary School, listening, reading, spoken interaction, spoken

and this in turn socially. Thinking of the student, group, school and community.

production and writing.

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Why

do both programs use different approaches? If both

programs are for children This topic is very interesting since, at Elementary School the approach that is used is the Action-Oriented Approach, this approach emphasis on what learners know and do to communicate successfully by completing tasks using real-life scenarios.

An eclectic approach is used in the Preschool Program. This means that they use the best of some approaches to adapt the classes, with the perspective that they

Explain us, what are they based on to choose the contents of each program?

When you are a child the important thing is to know who I am, and what a child discover every day helps to his/her cognitive growth. This is what the Study Block

the Preschool is based on.

For Elementary School, the content is aimed at students being able to communicate both verbally and in writing. And the contents are based on developing communication.

can experiment, ask, observe and discover what they learn. It's like, the best of all worlds rolled into one.

Based on both programs, what can we expect from each programs?

For elementary school students we can hope that they are self-contained in their learning and that they can continue to build their learning through interaction with their peers.

With Preschool students, we can expect them to develop as many skills as possible, and learn how to communicate and express in the best way possible.

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Be organized

Be prepared Get to know your students

Measurable

t T

IPS FOR

Check your lesson plan

Be clear

EACHERS

Focus on reality

Concordance Flexible

LESSON PLANNING

Dynamism

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1. Be prepared

6. Catch their attention

Every teacher must be more than prepared to teach the class.

You must show confidence about what you are explaining and do it in a simple and easy way. So students will not see what they are studying as complicated.

We must ensure that everything that is included in the planning is of interest to the students, we must be up to date on the things they like or what is in fashion and include it in the lesson plan.

2. Be organized The organization implies several things among them, the time in which each stage of the planning is going to be developed, the materials or equipment that will be used during the class, the space that will be needed to carry out the activity.

3. Get to know your students

7. Be flexible We must be aware that at any time they will suggest unforeseen events, meetings, there is no electricity, etc. Have the ability to carry over what is being done to another class, leave it as homework, or simply modify the class and continue.

8. Coherence

Everything that is done in the planning must have coherence between It is one of the most important, since if we take time to get to materials-activities with the established objectives, with what we want know them, in the way they learn and the different difficulties they the students to achieve. may present in the teaching process.

4. Check your lesson plan

4. Dynamism

When you think you have your lesson plan ready, try to see that lesson through the eyes of your students.

Class fluidity is important, going from the simplest to the most complicated, so that everyone goes at the same pace and in this way the students gradually understand what is being explained to them.

5. Focus on reality

10. Mensurable

All teaching or practice that takes place within the class must be Although it may seem incredible, it is something that sometimes we do in accordance with the possibilities and limitations of the not take into account, but all activity that takes place inside or outside students, group, school and community. the classroom must be measurable. Always think about this: What and how can I measure the skills of students with this activity?

LESSON PLANNING

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How to adapt and select materials?

As teachers we must take into consideration

4. Match or congruence. When

6. If I need to adapt, modify or reorder the

the importance of learning that occurs

choosing the material that he/she is going

material, you can change the order, colors,

through the use of teaching materials.

to use, it must be analyzed if the game or

numbers, clues; all this depending on the

activity fits with the objectives of the class.

previous points.

How

teachers

select

and

adapt

that

material? Well, there are some aspects:

7. Keep in mind the level for which the

1. Teachers must take into account the

Let's consider the content we want to

adaptation is being made, the group and the

characteristics of the students, the physical

cover, the aesthetic aspect that if it is

time.

environment, the size of the class.

attractive to students, and if it can be

8. Throughout the years teachers have a

2. The topic and objectives are chosen for

handled with ease.

backup of material, and it is important to

the lesson plan.

have it, because if you need something, you

3. According to this, the teacher selects

5. You need to know if you have the

which strategy or technique is going to apply

resources to develop the class or if you

for those objectives.

need to adapt it.

ideas of how you can do it

already have it or you can modify it again.

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