ESL Adventures

Teaching in South Korea

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Learning styles

While in college, I worked as a tutor on campus. One thing that we gave each new client was a learn styles inventory. It basically helped us as tutors play to the strengths of the client. You can probably find a variant of the paper/pencil test we used online.

In my blog reading, I came across a post on bloggerdygook. In the post there was the link to one of those nifty little online quiz type things. The quiz is here. It’s not quite the same as the learning styles test we gave, it also addresses left/right brain preferences. But you can still glean some interesting information about yourself from it.

And here are my results:

Your Brain Usage Profile:

Auditory : 50%
Visual : 50%
Left : 68%
Right : 31%

Kathryn, you are somewhat left-hemisphere dominant with a balanced preference for auditory and visual inputs. Because of your “centrist” tendencies, the distinctions between various types of brain usage are somewhat blurred.

Your tendency to be organized and logical and attend to details is reasonably well-established which should afford you success regardless of your chosen field of endeavor, unless it requires total spontaneity and ability to improvise, your weaker traits. However, you are far from rigid or overcontrolled. You possess a degree of individuality, perceptiveness, and trust in your intuition to function at much more sophisticated levels than most.

Having given sufficient attention to detail, you can readily perceive the larger aspects and implications of a situation or of learning. You are functional and practical, but can blend abstraction and theory into your framework readily.

The equivalence of your auditory and visual learning orientation gives you two equally effective sensory input systems, each with distinctive features. You can process both unidimensionally and multidimensionally with equal facility. When needed, you sequence material while at other times you “intake it all” and store it for processing later.

Your natural ability to use your senses is also synthesized in your way of learning. You can be reflective in your approach, absorbing material in a non-aggressive manner, and at other times voracious in seeking out stimulation and experience.

Overall you tend to be somewhat more critical of yourself than is necessary and avoid enjoying life too much because of a sense of duty. You feel somewhat constrained and tend to sometimes restrict your expressiveness. In any given situation, you will opt for the rational, and learning of almost any type should be easy for you. You might need certain ideas explained to you in order to fit them into your scheme of things, but you’re at least open to that!

The interesting this is that I mentioned to my Linux tutor that I sometimes wonder if I’m thick because there are some things that I just don’t quite grasp. Part of it is my perfectionism and the impossibly high standards I hold for myself, especially in learning type situations. But Eric pointed out to me that I try to put together a big picture of how it all works and pay attention to as many details as I can think of. He also noted that this is good, mostly, until it gets in the way. His impression of my learning style seems to fit in nicely with the results of the quiz.

I know that the quiz really is mostly for fun. I have no data on the reliability nor the validity of it. Plus the idea of right brain versus left brain usually fall under scrutiny in the psychological world. But it was an interesting way to spent 10 or 15 minutes.

posted by Kathryn in Off time,Teaching Resources,Web sites and have No Comments

Edubuntu

I was looking through the search terms that brought folks to my blog. One really caught my eye. The person had searched for “linux esl game”. I thought that was really interesting. He/She didn’t find what he/she was looking for here. But it did inspire me to write this entry. And maybe the next person searching for something similar will give Edubuntu a whirl.

I had seen Edubuntu a while back. It’s a spin-off of Ubuntu. It’s aimed at teachers and students, but it would also work well in a home environment. It comes pre-packaged with educational games, the entire Open Office suite and a variety of other things. Because it’s built off of Ubuntu, it’s part of a well established community. I’ve found the Ubuntu forums to be very friendly to those just getting started and a treasure trove of information. The distro also has the advantage of frequent updates. Ubuntu and it’s derivatives work on a 6 month release cycle. The current version is 7.10, code named “Gutsy Gibbon”. Don’t you just love the code names???

The other advantage many Linux distros, including the *buntu family, have is the ability to run it off a “Live CD“. You basically just pop the CD in and reboot your computer. As long as you can boot from a CD, it will load up. It will run slower than if you actually installed it to your hard drive, but it does give you a feeling for what running a Linux distro is like.

I cut my Linux teeth on Ubuntu. I highly recommend it to anyone who’s interested in learning more about Linux. It has excellent hardware support. I started on 7.04 (Feisty Fawn). Aside from it not supporting my weird wide screen monitor’s resolution and a WPA encrypted wireless out of the box, it ‘Just Worked’. Although I’ve upgraded my install to 7.10, I haven’t played around with it much, so I’m not even sure if those minor issues have been resolved. I’m quite happy with Fedora 7 and I only keep Ubuntu around for fun or when I want to see the differences between a Debian based distro (which Ubuntu is) and a Red Hat based distro (which Fedora is). In all honesty, it might be perfectly realistic not to ever touch the command line (aka “the shell”) using a member of the *buntu family. I won’t lie, the shell can be more than a little intimidating. But for some things, it’s much quicker than pointing and clicking through a zillion menus. And let’s face it, kids are flexible. Using the shell is very much like speaking another language. Kids are wired to learn. They absorb new stuff like little sponges. That’s not to say an adult can’t do it. I’m certainly making headway.

I’ll leave you with a few screen shots of Edubuntu. Click the pictures for a full size version.

The Desktop

The Desktop

Nautilus File Browser

Nautilus File Browser

Kalzium

Kalzium

GCompris Math

GCompris Math

posted by Kathryn in Games,Linux Adventures,Teaching Resources,Web sites and have No Comments

Rock Around the Clock

One thing that we do daily with our students is sing a pop song. That’s only just a bit difficult for me as I really don’t like any of the current pop music out there. I’m a country girl through and through. Yes, it comes from living in Austin for graduate school. But I digress. Last week I finally managed to put together a mix CD from the music I own. There are some pop-ish country songs out there that I put on the CD. I do have some older pop music that I put on there. And I also put on some oldies from the 50s, 60s and 70s.

The one that I’m doing with all of my preschoolers right now is “Rock Around the Clock” (the history of the song is actually quite interesting). I’m also doing it with A4 and B4 because it’s a pretty easy song. It’s also a good song for the kids. Koreans who are learning English tend to have lots of trouble with the R sound. So it’s a great song for reinforcing correct pronunciation.

rockaroundtheclock.png

We’re also supposed to have the kids try to read the lyrics. Inevitably, kids lose the papers you give them. And I wanted to make this as “fun” as possible. So I printed up some lyric sheets that include images relating to the song and laminated them. I then keep them and hand them out to each class. No more “Teacher! I don’t have my paper!” for me. Click the picture for a nearly full size image. And click for a downloadable copy in Open Document format, or Microsoft Office format.

posted by Kathryn in Activites,Fun things,Language,Music,Teaching,Teaching Resources and have No Comments

Interesting sites

I’ve recently come across three sites that have a lot of potential to help students with vocabulary as well as speaking and writing.

The first is Live Mocha. It’s a site that combines both the social aspect of the web and the wish to learn another language. It’s currently in beta, but I’ve found it to be quite stable. Right now, there are a limited number of languages modules available, but there are more to come. I’ve been going through the Spanish one. I’ve found it to be very effective in jogging my memory (yes, 4 years of high school Spanish for me). I think it would be interesting to see how effective it is for learning a new language. Each class is broken down into lessons. And each lesson consists of 4 parts. The first is just presenting the new vocabulary and sentence structures. The second is reading where you match a word or sentence to a picture. The third is listening where you match a spoken word or sentence to a picture. And the fourth is writing where you use “word magnets” to write out a sentence. You can also write short essays on assigned topics and upload them to the site. A native speaker then “grades” them and offers feed back. You can also chat with other people learning the same language or with native speakers. That’s where the social aspect of the site comes into play.

The second is Free Rice. It’s actually amazingly simple. A word is presented with a choice of four possible synonyms. It’s your job to identify the correct one. For each one you get correct, the site donates 10 grains of rice via the United Nations World Food Program. The nice part about the site it that it tailors the presented vocabulary to your level. The first couple of words go to determining your vocabulary level. After that, the level is adjusted dynamically based on how many words you get right or wrong. Get three in a row correct, you move up one level. When you get some wrong, you drop back down. According to their FAQ, this keeps you right at the upper bounds of your vocabulary level where the most learning takes place. Make sense to me.

The last is the Word of the Day provided by Dictionary.com. I’ve been a happy email subscriber to the Word of the Day for a couple of years now. I’m amazed at the words I don’t know, but even more amazed by the words I do know. I’ve recommended this to many of my upper level students because it not only gives the word, the definition and a couple of example passages. But it also gives the origin of the words. This can help students figure out unfamiliar words in the future.

Enjoy!

And if you know of any other sites like this, please pass them along in a comment.

posted by Kathryn in Fun things,Language,Teaching Resources,Web sites and have No Comments

Open House – The Hospital

The Hospital

Characters: Mother, Child, Nurse, Doctor

Mother and child enter the hospital

Mother:  My son/daughter _______ is sick.

Nurse:  Please give me your medical insurance card.

Mother:  Here it is.

Nurse:  OK.  Wait a minute please.  The waiting room is over there.

Mother and child sit down in the waiting area.

The nurse returns and shows mother and child to the exam room.

Child:  Hello doctor.

Doctor:  Hello.  How are you?

Child:  Doctor, I’m sick.

Doctor:  What are your symptoms?

Child:  Ouch!  My head hurts!

Doctor:  Why are you sick?

Child:  Last night I watched TV until midnight.

Doctor:  Oh no!  Let me see.  Please lie down.

The doctor “examines” the child.

Child:  Can you cure me?

Doctor:  Yes.  I can help you.

Child:  What should I do?

Doctor:  Get some rest.

Child:  Anything else?

Doctor:  Take these pills and vitamins two times a day, in the morning and at noon.

Child:  Thank you doctor.

Doctor:  Goodbye.  And have a great day.

The doctor leaves.

The mother and child go to the desk.

Mother:  How much do I pay?

Nurse:  The medicine is 1500 Won and a the doctor visit is 3500 Won.

Mother:  Here you go.  Oh.  I forgot my medical card.

Nurse:  Sorry.  It’s in your medicine packet.

Mother:  Thank you.

Nurse:  Goodbye.  Take care.  Hey,  ______.  You had a great hospital visit.  This is for you.

The nurse gives the child a small treat. 

posted by Kathryn in Activites,Fun things,Language,Teaching Resources and have No Comments

Open House – The Supermarket

The Supermarket

Characters: Attendant, Mother, Child
Areas: Snack boot, Ice cream booth, Drinks, Counter

Mother and child enter the supermarket

Attendant: Hello, good morning. How are you?
Child and Mother: Great, thank you.
Attendant: Here are shopping lists! You can follow them today. Do you understand the list?
Child and Mother: Yes, I do./No, I don’t.

If they don’t understand their lists, the attendant gives a brief explanation.

Child: Wow! There is my favorite snack.
Mother: OK. Let’s go see it.

Child and Mother walk to the Snack booth.

Attendant: We have a special offer on Cheetos. If you buy one, you’ll get one free. It’s a limited time offer. Hurry up!
Child: Wow! Buy one, get one free!
Attendant: Would you like a sample?
Child: Yes please. Come here Mom. Try this.
Mother: Do you like it?
Child: It’s great!
Mother: Do you want it?
Child: Yes, I’ll take it.

Child and Mother walk to the Ice cream booth.

Child: Mom, I want ice cream.
Mother: Not too much.
Attendant: Here is a sample corner. Would like a sample?
Child: Yes please. Come here Mom. Try this.
Mother: Do you like it?
Child: It tastes good!
Mother: What flavor do you like?
Child: I like strawberry (or any other flavor).
Mother: OK. Let’s get it.

Child and Mother walk to the Drinks.

Child: I’m thirsty.
Mother: What drink do you want?
Child: I want milk (or any other drink).
Mother: Is that all?
Child: Yes.

Child and Mother walk to the Counter.

Child: How much are they?
Attendant: They cost 5000 Won. It’s a really good deal.
Child: Here it is.
Attendant: OK. Have a nice day.
Child and Mother: Good bye

posted by Kathryn in Activites,Fun things,Language,Teaching Resources and have No Comments

Open House – The Restaurant

The Restaurant

Characters — Waitress, Customer 1, Customer 2
Waitress: Hello, welcome to Leehwa Restaurant. Table for how many?
Customer: Two (or however many)
Waitress: Follow me.

The waitress leads the customers to a table.

Customers make conversation.

Customer 1: This restaurant looks nice.
Customer 2: I like it here.
Customer 1: Smells good!
Customer 2: I’m starving

Waitress: Here’s the menu.

Waitress leaves.

Customers make conversation about the menu items.

Customer 1: Wow, the chicken looks yummy.
Customer 2: Wow, the fish looks good.
Customer 1: Yum! Hot dogs!
Customer 2: Ewwww! Frogs!

Customers make conversation about food in general.

Customer 1: Do you like hot dogs (or any other food)?
Customer 2: Yes, I do./No, I don’t.
Customer 2: Can you eat frogs (or any other nonedible thing)?
Customer 1: No, I can’t.
Customer 2: Salad is good for you (or any other healthy food).
Customer 1: Hot dogs are not good for you (or any other junk food).

Waitress returns.

Waitress: What would you like to order?

Customer 1: Chicken and fish please (or whatever foods are on your menu).

Waitress: And what about you?

Customer 2: Salad and soup please.

Waitress: Anything to drink?

Customer 1: Milk please (or whatever drinks are on your menu).

Customer 2: Juice please.

Waitress: That will be _______ and _______ and _______ to drink.

Waitress leaves and then returns with the food.

Waitress leaves and then returns.

Waitress: How is everything?

Customer 1: Excellent!

Customer 2: Delicious!

Customer 1: Bill please.

Waitress hands customers the bill.

Waitress: Here’s your bill. That will be a total of 5,000 Won. I hope you had a good time in our restaurant.

Customer 1: The food was great!

Customer 2: We’ll come back!

Customers leave.

posted by Kathryn in Activites,Fun things,Language,Teaching Resources and have No Comments