https://padlet.com/gizemakman11/6ffcmdc5m2fbcqf1 en-us 2022-08-20 17:09:36 UTC 2022-08-26 09:53:41 UTC hello@padlet.com gizemakman11 https://padlet.com/gizemakman11/6ffcmdc5m2fbcqf1/wish/2266212768 Today's sessions were fun and interesting. Meeting part in the first session was enjoyable. I loved the star activity and I will use it in my classes. I think it will 
be a different icebreaker activity for my students than the usual one which they introduce themselves by saying their names.

Actionbound activity is a quite useful to make learning process more enjoyable for students. It can enhance students' enthusiasm towards language learning 
and boost their self confidence. However, students' access to technology where I teach is limited. They don't have smartphones or tablets. On the other hand, I think
it can be adapted to their situation. Insted of doing it with devices, I can use other materials such as paper.  
 
The session where we learned about Reflective thinking was illuminating for me. Describing and analysing my teaching process provides an evaluation, so I
can assess the outcome and make plans or changes.

Third session where we were introduced to PDC helped me to gain insight about it. Now I have an overall idea about the benefits of this training programme.
It is encouraging to know what it is and what I'm supposed to do as a future facilitator. Also, thanks to this session I can raise awareness of teachers about 
benefits of PDC. Knowing these has affected my approach in a positive way. It gives me hope about the future of ELT.
The part which we discussed possible problems I may face as a facilitator has shown me that I can approach these problems cautiously and find solutions.]]> 2022-08-20 17:09:56 UTC https://padlet.com/gizemakman11/6ffcmdc5m2fbcqf1/wish/2266212768 gizemakman11 https://padlet.com/gizemakman11/6ffcmdc5m2fbcqf1/wish/2266247097 1) Have your ideas about teaching young learners changed in any way? If so, how?
Today's sessions were quite beneficial for me. What I've learnt made me review my attitude towards teaching children. Especially to realise the difference 
between learning and acquiring has shown me how to regulate my approach in teaching. The part where we discussed the characteristics of young learners helped me to gain insight about children's reason for learning English which is a common problem I face. I learnt different ideas and solutions from my peers about this topic through 
Jigsaw technique we did. Techniques we used today such as interpreting visuals, jigsaw reading, questionnaire will be useful for me to create a learning atmosphere
where my students can communicate, collaborate and be active. 

The session where we discussed common challenges children go through in speaking English has changed my perspective. I've realised that I need to revise my approaches about the speaking part to provide my students a better and comfortable atmosphere. I will apply the solutions I've learnt today in my classes. The part where we
focused on using dialogues improved my knowledge about how to create a useful dialogue where my students can communicate in English and improve their speaking 
skills.]]> 2022-08-20 19:34:45 UTC https://padlet.com/gizemakman11/6ffcmdc5m2fbcqf1/wish/2266247097 gizemakman11 https://padlet.com/gizemakman11/6ffcmdc5m2fbcqf1/wish/2266642921
1)Is it possible to  match the stages of this session with the stages of PDC cycle?
Yes, it is possible. The activity we did with toilet papers is a warm up activity and also it can be applied to the review part of a PDC session. The part where 
we discuss Listen and Do/TPR part matches the engage & share stage. For the reflection/evaluation we can apply the part where we completed the tabla on page 28.


2)What changes would you make if you were working with teachers from your PDC on using dialogues more effectively in the primary classroom?
Maybe I would ask them to prepare a back up plan for potential problems. Technological issues may come up or activity may cause too much noise.


1)What needs to be adapted most in your coursebooks to help children to improve their oral skills?

In a coursebook one of the crucial elements for developing the oral skill is the dialogue activity. If a dialogue is well structured, it helps students to learn chunks and phrases easily. Also this will improve their oral skill. However, when I analysed my coursebook, I've found some issues. Some dialogues don't have contractions or social expressions, so the language doesn't sound natural. There are unnecessary repetitions of phrases and some of them are too long for young learners to utter.
Several listening activities don't match students' level. Either speaker talks too fast or has strong accent. So students get demotivated because they can't follow
what is said. Some activities contain too many words that students aren't familiar with. This prevents them from focusing on target phrases and words, so it
creates stress. Context should be clear, short and meaningful.

2)How can PDCs help you with that issue?

Thanks to PDC sessions, I've learnt how to adapt my lesson plan according to my students' levels and needs. Today's morning sessions were beneficial for me because I made alternative dialogues and combine them with practise acitivites to make a useful plan for my students. I've realised that it would change the atmospehere of my classes positively. I believe Listen and Do/TPR part has improved my ability to create fun and meaningful lesson plan because my peers came up with many different 
ideas.]]> 2022-08-21 18:32:01 UTC https://padlet.com/gizemakman11/6ffcmdc5m2fbcqf1/wish/2266642921 gizemakman11 https://padlet.com/gizemakman11/6ffcmdc5m2fbcqf1/wish/2267769884 What do you think? Which opinion do you agree with the most? Why?

I think third opinion is the most effective approach. Both focusing on meaning and using phonics is essential in teaching English. Since it doesn't have a direct correspondence between letters and sounds, it can be hard for children to combine them to create the word. So they may learn easily by recognizing words as a whole. Also it would be time consuming for teacher to expect students to create the target word just from sounds. 
On the other hand, it would be useful for students to be aware of the fact that words are made up of sounds. This can help them later to recognize words having
letter clusters such as 'ch' or 'sh' sounds. This can improve their reading writing skills.  

Do you think Shared Reading is a suitable procedure to use with L2 children? Why?/why not?
I think Shared Reading is helpful for L2 students. One of the key purposes is to support children to read the whole text by asisting them and this activity is a perfect opportunity for them. It is also encouriging for shy and embarrassed students because whole class will participate. Colorful visuals, gestures and positive feedback will turn it into a fun activity. Also it's stimulating because we ask them to predict what happens next or want them to interpret the illustrations. This enables them to express their ideas. All of these aspects will help them to develop their reading skills and create a positive attitude 
towards English. ]]> 2022-08-22 18:33:07 UTC https://padlet.com/gizemakman11/6ffcmdc5m2fbcqf1/wish/2267769884 gizemakman11 https://padlet.com/gizemakman11/6ffcmdc5m2fbcqf1/wish/2270560709 1) What is the one thing on the list you often do and consider beneficial when managing activities?

Demonstrating how the activity works in practice is effective because students need to understand what they're going to do and this will prevent chaos in the class.


2)What is one thing on the list that you often ignore when setting up tasks in your classes?

I often ignore using numbers or words to reinforce students' understanding. Thanks to the sessions, I've realised this is effective for making them understand their
tasks.


3) What is the most valuable tip you have learnt having done this task?

Doing an activity isn't easy even if we have a plan. Setting and managing are important parts also. Without these we only get a chaos and unhappy students. Setting
will prepare students for the activity and it'll help us to create a positive atmospehere. Things we'll do for managing the activity will enable us to carry out 
the activity successfully.   ]]> 2022-08-24 20:13:49 UTC https://padlet.com/gizemakman11/6ffcmdc5m2fbcqf1/wish/2270560709 gizemakman11 https://padlet.com/gizemakman11/6ffcmdc5m2fbcqf1/wish/2270561885 1) Are there any tips or techniques from the sessions today that you could use to manage your PDCs positively?

In the first session, we discussed the steps of managing the activity as before, during and after. I think these steps are crucial for
effective class management. I can use these ideas to manage my sessions. If we consider a whole PDC session as an activity and divide it into these three steps, 
warm up and review parts correspond to 'before' stage. It involves organizing the group, getting attention, giving clear instructions and so on. 
Second step we discussed as 'during' corresponds engage & share part because we'll guide, support and monitor through this part. We can think the 'after' 
step as reflect and evaluate part of a PDC cycle, since it involves elements such as feedback, self evaluation.  


2) Are there any other elements of classroom management in your PDCs that you will have to think about 
(managing feedback for example).

Feedback is one of the key elements both for managing the class and the activity. We assess and then we give feedback. It should be motivating and informative
also because it's important to raise awareness if there's something missing or needs to be improved. So feedback will help me to answer the questions and fill the gaps. On the other hand, getting feedback will be beneficial for my part in terms of finding out if the session is succesful or not.  

]]> 2022-08-24 20:15:43 UTC https://padlet.com/gizemakman11/6ffcmdc5m2fbcqf1/wish/2270561885 gizemakman11 https://padlet.com/gizemakman11/6ffcmdc5m2fbcqf1/wish/2271855871 1) Has your view of assessment changed? How?

My attitude about characteristics of the assessment has changed in terms of creating more child friendly tests for my students. Creating some test items such as
matching, filling the blanks or translating aren't effective for assessing students' learning. So for me the most effective element is to provide motivating, fun and 
stimulating tasks for students. These tasks should be similar to activities they usually do in the class. 


2) What do you consider the greatest benefit of being in a Professional Development Community for teachers of English in your local context?

The district where I work is underdeveloped. Students come from different backgrounds, some of them have no access to materials or technology. Most families have economic challenges, so students don't get enough care. These hardships sometimes prevent teachers to provide an effective learning atmosphere in the class, so it can be unmotivating both for students and teachers. However, joining this PDC training has been an eye opening experience and a turning point in my teaching career. I've got lots of new great ideas, have changed my view about being an effective teacher, have found solutions for my local problems. I feel refreshed and motivated because now I know I have useful tips and tools to enrich my classes and I can adapt these for my students' needs.  


3) How do you expect the PDC sessions in the programme would help you deal with possible problems about planning and conducting PDCs in your teaching context?

Sessions have broaden my idea about what a PDC is, how it should be planned and applied. We've discussed the planning part of a PDC and have done sample tasks
so far. While doing these creating a PDC tasks, I've realised what should I improve and work on. Also the micro teaching will help me in this sense because I'll 
get feedback. So if there will be a problem, I'll learn how to deal with it.]]> 2022-08-25 19:25:57 UTC https://padlet.com/gizemakman11/6ffcmdc5m2fbcqf1/wish/2271855871