An ending comment

The last class we had was given by Virgínia and Ângela, my English teachers at UFTM. They talked about CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning) and Portable Devices.

They showed us our colleagues' videos, and some websites which allow us to create a new world inside the computer.

How to perform the video clip as a lesson

The subject we most talked about was the professions, our aims, our likes and dislikes, right? So, how could we perform the video clip as a lesson for our students?

We talked about many professions, like lawyer, psychologist, teacher, actor and so on. What if we could play another job?

That's why I thought about the 'Conditional tense'.

Let's see if it works ;)

To make a conditional sentence, just put the auxiliary WOULD before the main verb in the sentence. The conditional tenses can be:

Simple
SUBJECT +WOULD + INFINITIVE without "TO"
Ex: I would study.

Continuous
SUBJECT + WOULD + BE = V-ING
Ex: I would be studying.

Perfect
SUBJECT + WOULD + HAVE + PAST PARTICIPLE
Ex: I would have studied.

The conditional tenses are used with other verb tenses, and the conjunction IF allows this relationship. If the verb in the sentence is in the simple present, the other verb will be on the present future.
Ex: If I can, I will study psicology.

With the conjunction IF, the other verb is in the past future.
Ex: If I could, I would study Law

Imersion

Here we have all the students from the Spanish and English course, with the guest. She is a flamenco dancer. Very interesting.

Teaching resources

Nowadays, we have many resources to appeal students. Why not to use them?
In a classroom, we can both teach English in a traditional way - which I think it's not an old fahioned way, it works if well done - and a modern way, with computers, internet, and so on.
But teachers have to be open to the technology. I confess that I'm not good at this. But going forward, I'll have to get used to it.
Maria Nilce's lecture gave us an idea of some of the most modern board we have, the E-board. I've tried once, when I went to Cultura Inglesa some months ago. It is incredible how teachers there were amazed! Although it is hard to plan a lesson on it. But once it's done, there's no other problem. Lesson planing for using a website is very different from planing using a coursebook.
I think that in a few years, we'll be probably using only technology in class. Things are running so fast, that we are forced to be aware.

The teacher's role

Teaching is both a science and an art!
Understanding the language system and finding the best way to explain it is some kind of scientific behaviour.
And it really works when the relationship that is created between teacher and students, and between students in a group, is at its best.
The teachers need to be both adaptable and able to perform different roles at different lesson stages. They nedd to be prepared, reliable, etc. And they have to continue to acquire knowledge, resources, classroom equipment, knowledge of the language system... Keeping up-to-date.

Prodocência started with a lecture given by Maiza Fatureto. She works for Cambridge University Press. She lectured about "limits" in english classes. She proposed we accept our limits as a first step before going beyond them. Limits are there to be tried and tested, there is always room for changes and improvements. And when it comes to limits in english classes, no better location for improvements than the classroom.
After her speech, Mrs. Fatureto suggested a follow-up reading over Penny Ur's articles which would provide theoretical support to our disccussion.

She also played a song that fits perfectly on what she's said. Is a song by Kelly Clarkson, called Break away.

'I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly.
I'll do what it takes till I touch the sky.
Make a wish, take a chance,
Make a change, and break away.
Out of the darkness and into the sun.
But I won't forget all the ones that I love.
I'll take a risk, take a chance,
Make a change, and break away '

After the lecture, there were some books being showed. I took a book from the new version of the FCE test. It'll help me to study for the test I'll attend next December!

Teaching vocabulary

'Why are words important?'
Words are what a language is made of!

Students have to be encouraged to look carefully at the context in which words occur so that they can try to work out what they mean.

Play a communicative activity:

1) FAMILY

• Do you have any brothers and sisters? What do they do?
• Have you ever had a big argument with someone in your family?
• Describe a person in your family

2) CLOTHES

• Where do you usually bye clothes?
• What would you wear if you had an important interview?

3) SPORT

• Do you do any sport or exercise?
• What sport do you like watching on TV?
• What's the most exciting sports event you've ever seen?
• Wnat sport would you like to be good at?

And so on...