# data[].attributes.body
Students

The students are generally willing to learn actively by participating in the tasks and responding to the teacher’s questions. Overall, their behaviors in class seem to be very good.

Teacher

On the teachers’ face, I can see smiles and shimmering eyes which show their joy of teaching. In their tones, I can also feel their brightness and energy. I think these can be sensed and felt by their students too. Thus I think their positive teaching personas can help motivate their students to learn more actively and energetically.

Resources

I think the teachers are selective in terms of adopting the learning resources that cater to their students’ learning needs. For example, one teacher employs fairy tales and nursery rhymes in her teaching to cater to the cognitive level and learning interests of her very young learners. The right use of resources may be one of the reasons that keep their students engaged in class.

Classroom setup

I observe that some students are sitting on the floor in a few videos. In other videos, the students are sitting on chairs. Yet, their classroom setups have something in common: the students are seated facing each other.

Use of space

The students are all sitting closely with each other.

Teaching language

In some instances, the teacher uses questioning techniques to encourage self-directed learning of their students.

Staging of the tasks

Before the task, some concept maps could be introduced on an interactive whiteboard for example, which help check their existing understanding. After the task, students can self-assess their performance today with the use of the Learning Intentions Wall for example.

What surprises me

I think I am most surprised to find out that the students are sitting on the ground, which I personally feel that their backs may be hurt.

# data[].attributes.body
Three Things I Want to Remember

1 It is nice to see how cultural elements can be infused in language teaching. As a way of illustration, the teacher can introduce some national days of remembrance like ANZAC Day as shown in the video. Yet, I learnt that scaffolding would be crucial to make sure that the students acquire that cultural knowledge. They may not know what ANZAC Day is, like I did before watching the video.

2. I can feel the whole-hearted teaching in the video. For instance, the teacher in a video uses IndigiTUBE as a learning tool which caters to the interests of her students with an indigenous background. This teaching approach reflects her whole-hearted care for her students, and I believe her students would feel it as well. Also, the teacher in another video provides learning tasks of different ability levels to address learner diversity in class. I think that is a genuine care for the students’ fruitful learning experience as well!

3. I really want to remember the importance of creating a safe learning environment for students to share their ideas. The teacher in the video mentions how students will not volunteer to answer the question unless they are 100% sure it is correct. That makes me understand that education may also include reshaping the above mindset into a risk-taking one. For instance, teachers may give verbal feedbacks like “Nice try!”, “That’s interesting answer/” and “Try again” instead of saying “No, it is wrong.”

# data[].attributes.body
Favourite activity of last 2 weeks
-Reading race
-Songs to sing together with secret words to hear

Something you're keen to try
-I am keen to try these activities in a physical classroom, as this may be an important part of our teaching experience too. Also, I am keen to try co-teaching a lesson with my peers. Moreover, I am keen to explore how we can adjust our teaching to cope with learner diversity.

Something you'd love more of
-learning tools that we can use in our teaching, like Wordwall, Jamboard and Zoom annotations.

# data[].attributes.body
Compared to the first peer teaching, I feel more confident to teach this time. Yet, I think I can improve in terms of giving better instructions. There was a long instruction before starting my learning activity. For improvement, I think the long instruction can be broken down into multiple short instructions to facilitate students' comprehension in class.

There are a lot to observe and learn from our peers' teaching. For example, the role plays like interviews and group discussions that need students to reach a consensus are meaningful and interesting. Moreover, I can better set up my real-life context for the lesson like assigning some real-life roles like reporters or editors to the students. This may help students feel a sense of real-life responsibility to produce the learning output and thus better engage in the tasks.

Overall, it is great to hear from my peers that the materials like the pictures we are using in class are interesting. We spent a great time together inventing a short story this morning!

# data[].attributes.body
3 things I learnt about the structure of Australian education

-The Australian education system has some relations to Australian economy. For example, the Australian education system has been highly privatized when compared to other education systems. Private schools enrollment of students in Australia account for  nearly 35% of Australian students’ school enrollment. Moreover, in 2016, the third largest  provider of education to international students was Australia. This generates remarkable revenue to the Australian economy, like $21.8 billion.

-From Foundation (or called kindergarten/preparatory/pre-school) to Year 6 or 7, it is the primary education of Australia. From Years 7 or 8 to 10, it is the secondary education of Australia. From Years 11 to 12, it is the senior secondary education of Australia. Meanwhile, its tertiary education involves higher education and vocational education and training (VET).

-Starting from the year 2010, it has been compulsory for Australian students to finish Year 10 as full-time students in Australian education, training or employment, unless they are 17-year-old young adults

2 things that interested me from the infographics.

-It interests me in terms of how the jobs in the future can be different from the present ones, through the rapid transition and modernization of the world. That reminds me of the importance of raising my students’ awareness about that as a way to prepare themselves for their future career.

-It shows that students’ abilities to solve problems have been an extremely crucial ability desired for their learning and working. In light of this, I think designing more problem-based tasks in class may be a great idea to both enhance students’ language abilities and their problem-solving skills.

1 question I have about Australian education

-Are coeducational schools more common than single-sex schools in Australia?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Considered one of the major variations of the English language, Australian English is the official language of Australia, having originally deviated from British English in the 18th century, after the founding of the Colony of New South Wales. It has been recognised as being distinctive from British English for almost 200 years and emerged as European settlers from Britain, Ireland and Germany mixed with one another.

Linguistic features of Australian English

Generally speaking, Australian English takes features from both British and American English, so it is sometimes considered a combination of the two variations. However, it is important to understand that there are a number of unique features as well, including exclusive vocabulary.

Learning the specific features can be beneficial to anyone planning on travelling to the country, or anyone hoping to find work in the country in future. So, with that in mind, here is our quick guide to Australian English.

Grammatical features of Australia English

Australian English's reputation as an amalgam of British and American English can be understood more clearly when you look at its grammatical features. For example, in terms of spelling, Australian English most closely resembles British English. The 'u' is retained in words like 'colour' and the 'ise' ending is used instead of the Americanised 'ize' suffix on words like 'realise'/'realize'.

Yet, there are plenty of exceptions to this. The word 'inquire' is often used instead of 'enquire', which resembles American English, while the word 'program' is used instead of the British English 'programme'. Furthermore, even though the British English spelling of 'labour' is most common, the Australian Labor Party's name has an Americanised spelling instead.

Much like with British English, Australian English has irregular past tense and past participles of verbs like 'spell' and 'smell', so they become 'spelt' and 'smelt', respectively. However, like with American English, Australians are more likely to say numbers like 1,100 as "eleven hundred", rather than "one thousand, one hundred".

When dealing with collective nouns, Australian English has more in common with the American version of the language. For example, both Australians and Americans would say "the football team has scored a goal", whereas in British English, they would say "the football team have scored a goal".

Interestingly, the naming of rivers follows either American or British conventions, depending on where in the country you are. For most of Australia, the American naming convention is used, so the word 'River' appears last, as with the Hudson River or the Mississippi River. To give an Australian example, it would be the Darling River.

Yet, in Southern Australia, the British naming system is used, with the word 'River' appearing first, as with the River Thames. Therefore, the river mentioned above would be called the River Darling.

Pronunciation in Australia

Australian English vs American English truly takes on a life of its own when it comes to the pronunciation of words and this is why most people with Australian accents sound so distinctive. One of the most noticeable features is the different sound for the 'i' in words like 'night' and 'like'. Instead, it sounds like a less pronounced 'oi', (e.g. 'noight').

The soft 'a', which can be heard in words like 'cat' and 'hat', is usually pronounced similar to 'eh'. As such, this means that the word 'cat' sounds like 'ceht', while the word 'hat' sounds like 'heht'.

Likewise, a similar phenomenon can be observed with the hard 'a' sound, which features in words like 'day', 'way' or 'mate'. In this instance, the 'a' is pronounced somewhat similar to how a British English person might say the word 'aye'. Therefore, the word 'mate' becomes 'm-aye-te'.

In most cases, the 'ing' ending is not pronounced in full, meaning words like 'singing', 'jumping' and 'catching' are pronounced 'singin', 'jumpin' and 'catchin'. This is a trait that is sometimes seen in informal English in both the United States and Great Britain as well, but it is more common in Australian English.

Finally, Australian English is said to be a non-rhotic variation of the language, which means that the /r/ sound is not pronounced if it is after a vowel and not immediately followed by another vowel. For instance, the word 'card' is pronounced 'caːd', with the /r/ sound being dropped. Meanwhile, the ending of words like 'better' and 'wetter' is lowered, to sound similar to 'ah'. This means you would say 'bett-ah', 'wett-ah', 'riv-ah', and so on.

Australian English Vocabulary

Let's look at Autralian English vs American and British English words more closely: As far as everyday vocabulary is concerned, Australian English once again shares words and phrases with both British and American English, but also has some terminology of its own.

Perhaps the most obvious examples of Australian words which are now recognised in other variants of the language are 'outback', used to describe a remote location, and 'barbie', used instead of the noun 'barbecue'. An example of an Australian-only expression, meanwhile, would be 'doona', which is used instead of the word 'duvet',

Like in British English, Australians say 'aluminium' rather than 'aluminum' and 'mobile phone' instead of 'cell phone'. Australian English also utilises the words 'anti-clockwise' instead of the American 'counter-clockwise' and 'petrol' instead of the American 'gasoline'. The cover on the front of a car is called a 'bonnet', rather than a 'hood', while an Australian will typically say 'holiday' instead of 'vacation'.

Nevertheless, Australian English vocabulary differs from British English in many ways and Australians sometimes use American English words instead. For instance, Australians will usually say 'soccer' instead of 'football' and 'overalls' instead of 'dungarees'. A 'lorry' is referred to as a 'truck' and the word 'pants' is used in place of 'trousers'.

Moreover, there are some phrases which are common in both British and American English, but which very rarely feature in Australian English, if they are used at all. These include the word 'abroad', where an Australian would usually say 'overseas', and 'village', as even small settlements in Australia are usually called 'towns'.

Australian slang words

Last, but not least, it is important to learn a few slang words that are widely used in Australia. Below, we have listed fifteen of the most common Australian slang words and phrases, along with a quick description of what they mean, or how they are utilised in conversation. A little English to Australian dictionary if you will:

1. Amber - Beer or lager.

2. Aussie - An Australian person.

3. Drongo - Used in place of words like 'idiot' or 'moron'.

4. Fair Dinkum - True, or genuine.

5. Gander - To have a look at something.

6. G'Day - Literally means 'good day' but is used as a general greeting.

7. Give It A Burl - Give it a try, or have a go.

8. Hooroo - Goodbye.

9. Oldies - Parents.

10. - A British person (be warned: this word can cause offense as it is generally used in a derogatory manner).

11. Reckon - Used similar to 'absolutely'.

12. Ripper - Similar to words like 'great', 'fantastic' and 'awesome'.

13. She's Apple - It is fine / It will be okay.

14. Tucker - Used to describe food of any type.

15. Yabber - Talk, or chat.

Learn how to speak "Australian" with videos or podcasts

So let's put what we learned above into practice. There are a lot of great YouTube tutorials to help you work on your pronunciation or your choice of words. You can start off with this video that explains how to use abbreviations in Australian slang. Then you can move on with this general short video about the Australian accent. Pete has his own channel called Aussie English and in this video he explains three types of Aussie accents. Browse through his channel and you will find countless videos on Australian slang, expressions that make you sound Australian or information on Australian culture.

If you prefer a good podcast, try one of these:

1. It's a lot with Abbie Chatflied: A conversational podcast about everyday life topics, comedy, dating, mental health and interviews
2. You're Doing Great Sweetie!: The hosts Josie and Mel are talking about the ups and downs of life and give you a virtual audio hug
3. The Australian Money Café: A podcast about business, economics and finance
4. ABC podcasts: Podcasts recommended by Australia's news network ABC from different genres.
5. True Crime: Crime stories from Australia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Australian English: Everything You Need To Know | Lingoda

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Australian English takes features from both British and American English. Here's our guide including its unique features and exclusive vocabulary.

# data[].attributes.body
1. I have 3 elder sisters.
2. I love durians.
3. I don't like the taste of that popsicle.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Jamboard is a digital whiteboard that lets you collaborate in real time using either the Jamboard device (a 55-inch digital whiteboard that works with G Suite services), web browser or mobile app.

Work together in real time

You can share a jam session with collaborators whether they are on a Jamboard device, mobile app or web browser.

People in up to 50 user sessions can work on a jam at once. When using a web browser, each Jamboard browser tab counts as a session.

Using a Jamboard device, you can:

Write and draw with the included stylus.

Search Google and insert images or webpages.

Drag and resize text and images with your fingers.

Sketch a box, star, cat, or dragon. Image recognition technology converts your sketch into a polished image.

Using Jamboard on a computer, you can use a web browser to:

Write and draw using a mouse or trackpad.

Search Google and insert images or webpages.

Drag and resize text and images.

Present your jam to a Google Meet video call.

Open your jam on a Jamboard device.

Using the Jamboard mobile app, you can:

Write and draw using your touchscreen.

Drag and resize text and images with your fingers.

Open your jam on a Jamboard device.

Work with Google Drive

Using a Jamboard device, mobile app or web browser, you can also add Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides to a jam.

And since your jam files are automatically saved to Drive, You can view and edit your jams from anywhere with an internet connection. Your jam work saves automatically.

Host video meetings

Using a Jamboard device, you can:

Display upcoming Google Calendar events on Jamboard.

Tap an agenda item to start a scheduled meeting.

Present your whiteboard to people viewing remotely.

Collaborate with any device

Create, edit, and share jams from your phone, tablet, or computer.

Open a jam on a nearby Jamboard from your phone or tablet.

Connect your computer to Jamboard device. Jamboard displays your screen and lets you control the computer from the board's touchscreen.

Pick up where you left off earlier or email your jam session when you finish.

Find Android and Apple® iOS® mobile apps to use with Jamboard.

Where to get Jamboard

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Jamboard is a digital whiteboard that lets you collaborate in real time using either the Jamboard device (a 55-inch digital whiteboard that works with G Suite services), web browser or mobile app.

# data[].attributes.body
Two truths and one lie

# data[].attributes.body
This morning has been a great pleasure for me to meet the Aussie students and exchange our cultures! Our group's activity is teaching them some Cantonese greetings and it is great to see in the choral drilling that they managed to use the greetings well. I am also excited to see how they learnt about Cantopop and Hong Kong dim sums!  I also get to know their aspects of Aussie culture, like how often they eat rice a week.

Such cultural exchange has made me feel connected to these friendly and responsive Aussie students. We both have a great time together and I can see that the Aussie teacher and the Aussie students are having a good relationship. This has given off a comfortable classroom vibe as well.

# data[].attributes.headline
Peer Teaching 1 Screenshot of Peer Feedbacks

# data[].attributes.subject
Peer Teaching 1 Screenshot of Peer Feedbacks

# data[].attributes.body
How did you feel in PT?
It is amazing to see how online tools like Wordwall, Jamboard and zoom stamps can help make the lesson much more interesting. I think that inspire me to think of more ways to encourage active learning of students. Also, I feel so excited to see my peers' creative ways of teaching! There has been a lot to learn from my peers during the peer teaching. Their generous feedbacks are valuable for improving my teaching too!

What are you proud of?
I am proud of the experience today. It empowers me that virtual classroom can be  such engaging and meaningful. Also, I am proud of the different approaches to teach Aussie food, like the above online tools. This gives me more confidence in my future learning like my practicum.

What might you adapt?
I may adapt more hand gestures and personalization in my future teaching. I think these are cognitively manageable for my young learners like primary students, and thus make my teaching more related to their personal lives.

What question/s do you have?
I am curious to explore if there are more online tools similar to Wordwall and Jamboard! Also, I am also curious to know how to maintain classroom discipline when my students are actually primary kids.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Separate:
Separate the
egg whites
and yolk

Beat: Beat the
egg whites
and salt until
stiff peaks
form

Beat: Beat ¼ of a
cup of sugar at a
time with the egg
whites until the
mixture is thick and
glossy

Beat: Beat
cornstarch, vinegar
and vanilla essence
separately and
combine with the
mixture

Scoop: Scoop
the mixture to
form desired
shape

Bake: Bake
the pavlova
until lightly
browned and
cool it down

Serve: Serve
with whip
cream and
berries! Enjoy!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The version of the browser you are using is no longer supported. Please upgrade to a supported browser. Dismiss

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
2.2.2 Peer Teaching 2 Activity outline_updated

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Pt2 - Olivia

1 / 6

Sign in

Set background

Clear frame

Normal

1 / 0

Restore this version

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The version of the browser you are using is no longer supported. Please upgrade to a supported browser. Dismiss

# data[].attributes.body
I hope I can plan the lessons in a more effective way, like by giving clearer instructions or setting up more real-life contexts

# data[].attributes.body
How did you feel in PT?

For this week’s peer teaching, we scripted our instructions for our activity. This has made teaching smoother and helped us better manage our time. With such solid preparation before class, I can feel a boost in confidence which may be shown in my teaching tone too. Moreover, by observing my peers’ teaching, my activity log has been enriched. As a way of illustration, I am amazed by the way how my peers use boardgame as a tool for students to take turns and give short speeches on various interesting topics!

What are you proud of?

I am proud of the staging of my lesson. Before the speaking activity, we have strategies to grab students’ attention, to set the scene and to share the activity purpose. ICQs are used to check their understanding of instructions. During the activity, we have designed ways to let students interact. Also, we have planned to check and monitor their interactions. After the activity, we have corrected and reflected on their performance, as well as connecting to the next task.

What might you adapt?

I might work on giving clearer instructions and better manage my teaching materials. Moreover, I might better facilitate my students’ completion of the activity by closer monitoring of the task.

What question/s do you have?

Can this activity be adopted in the physical classroom without any adaptations?

# data[].attributes.body
Ey mate. Just avanavo for brekky. Whadchu gonna do s’avo
I’ll tryna make choccy big s’arvo. Whadchu doin this satdee. Im goin to bring ma lappy to cafe and havva cuppa morno

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
PT 4 Olivia's lang analysis and lesson plan

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
5C Unit 3 Grammar Point 2 "How long...?", since, for

# data[].attributes.body
I am hoping to learn more about different aspects of Aussie culture!

Also, I am curious to know how we can merge the cultural themes into our language teaching.

# data[].attributes.body
1 story and poem

https://www.storyberries.com/category/poems-for-kids/australian-poems/

https://ozpoemaday.wordpress.com/2012/08/14/spring-awakening-by-miriam-green/

https://www.aussieeducator.org.au/curriculum/poetry.html

2 more GTKY activities

-personalised questions like “What is your favorite poem or story?”

3 activities with poems

-A letter to the poet

-Acrostic poets

-Matching pictures with the vocabulary in the poem

-Summarising each verse

-Reading the poem aloud

-Mini-drama

4 macro skills

-Read, Write, Listen, Speak

# data[].attributes.body
WALT

Read aloud for all age groups

Support our students' reading through a variety of strategies

use pictures

ask great questions

read aloud with meaning

use our voice to engage

add music to help students find their own voices

WILF

5 reasons why we read aloud with our students

-building vocabulary

-developing genre awareness

-introducing culture

-developing pronunciation

-learning about sentence structure

4 strategies to support reading

-read aloud for all age groups

-use our voice to engage

-use pictures

-ask great questions

3 things I change in my voice to change meaning

-pitch

-pauses

-point of emphasis

2 more Aussie stories

-Animalia

-Diary of a Wombat

1 famous Aussie story writer

-Sally Morgan

1 famous Aussie poet

-Banjo Paterson

# data[].attributes.headline
Recording: The Ant Explorer by CJ Dennis

# data[].attributes.subject
Recording: The Ant Explorer by CJ Dennis

# data[].attributes.headline
During PT5: Others' recordings on Vocaroo

# data[].attributes.subject
During PT5: Others' recordings on Vocaroo

# data[].attributes.body
https://voca.ro/16QOwuBMzVqV

https://voca.ro/15vmCXvYAUFc

https://voca.ro/1mOwddk8saDA

https://voca.ro/1k00fAxSyLsV

https://voca.ro/15SOqh9iSDwB

https://voca.ro/18Z9fIIUcePH

https://voca.ro/14Mmpm4ZG7AC

https://voca.ro/1oOyjyIATTca

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Once a little sugar ant made up his mind to roam-
To fare away, far away, far away from home.

He had eaten all his breakfast, and he had his ma's consent
To see what he should chance to see and here's the way he went

Up and down a fern frond, round and round a stone,
Down a gloomy gully where he loathed to be alone,

Up a mighty mountain range, seven inches high,
Through the fearful forest grass that nearly hid the sky,

Out along a bracken bridge, bending in the moss,
Till he reached a dreadful desert that was feet and feet across.

'Twas a dry, deserted desert, and a trackless land to tread,
He wished that he was home again and tucked-up tight in bed.

His little legs were wobbly, his strength was nearly spent,
And so he turned around again and here's the way he went-

Back away from desert lands feet and feet across,
Back along the bracken bridge bending in the moss,

Through the fearful forest grass shutting out the sky,
Up a mighty mountain range seven inches high,

Down a gloomy gully, where he loathed to be alone,
Up and down a fern frond and round and round a stone.

A dreary ant, a weary ant, resolved no more to roam,
He staggered up the garden path and popped back home.

LET'S CHAT ABOUT THE POEM ~ IDEAS FOR TALKING WITH KIDS

1. Why do you think the little sugar ant found some of his adventures so scary?

2. What do you think would have happened if he had kept adventuring?

3. Was it good for him to return home if he was too scared to go on? Why or why not?

Poem for Kids written by CJ Dennis
Courage, Independent Thinking Illustrations from Rawpixel and Pixabay, with thanks

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Ant Explorer by CJ Dennis | Bedtime Stories | Kids Poems

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Once a little sugar ant made up his mind to roam- To fare away, far away, far away from home.

# data[].attributes.headline
Showcase: links for the post-video activity

# data[].attributes.subject
Showcase: links for the post-video activity

# data[].attributes.body
https://lyng.me/HilzhbWEYi?ibc!OliviaBlue

https://www.gamestolearnenglish.com

https://quizlet.com/416584557/match

# data[].attributes.body
What did you learn about video projects?

I learnt that we can make use of different tech tools to make amazing videos. For instance, we can use Powtoon, Canva or Prezi to make different videos.

What did you learn from your peers’ presentation?

In their presentations, lovely acronyms like SARA and AIR are very unforgettable. Also, their suggestions for different aspects of teaching are very useful and practical. Also, I learnt to use my voice better in presenting my ideas, which can better engage my audience.

Could you host a mini-conference with your Ss?

Yes, I think I could. That’s a great way for students to co-construct the learning of the day. It also better prepares them for any conference in real life. Additionally, I may combine a role play with the mini-conference as one of the many ways to design the mini-conference. For example, student A can take up the role as an environmentalist, and student B can be a businessman. With a topic related to land reclamation, their mini-conference can be full of sparkle!

# data[].attributes.body
Show and Tell

Star stories

#Me

My favorite...

Picture Story

# data[].attributes.body
Jumping up or dancing to the music with some secret words

Clapping hands according to the teacher's rhyme of clapping her/his hands

Practicing yoga/ deep breathing together

Tongue Twisters

Cameras on/off

Shouting out dictation

# data[].attributes.body
Ping pong questions

Bingo sheets to discover the hobbies or favorite things of their peers

Altogether now

2 truths 1 lie