“Oh the Places You’ll Go” is one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books.
While officially a writer of children’s books this book seems to be SO popular with adults that I really am curious as to how children rate it among the Dr. Seuss books.
This version, from “The Burning Man” festival gives the beloved words a great twist!
ENJOY!!!
I find it fascinating to follow Chia Suan Chong’s detailed descriptions of her “unplugged” lessons during this “Dogme Teach Off” challenge that she is taking. Chia describes her impressive lessons in such a way (including pictures of the white board and a sense of humor!) that it is the next best thing to being a fly on the wall in her classroom.
Now that we are up to day 6, I’ve begun wondering.
Remember “The Boat Paradox”? How many parts of a boat can be replaced and one can still call it the same boat?
If I take these lessons as a sample of how a series of Dogme lessons should unfold, which elements can I change and to which extent (still keeping a skilled teacher like Chia, of course!) while expecting a reasonable degree of success?
Chia is teaching quite a small class. I wonder, would these lessons would work as well with 18, 25 or 40 students? 40 students is not a hypothetical number, my colleagues in “regular” classes have 40 students!
Now, let’s imagine that the students were all teenagers who lived close to each other and have gone to school together for years. I have tried isolated Dogme lessons myself and found that my teenagers reacted well to them. However, it would seem to me that some elements of Chia’s lessons would be problematic (or would at least be treading on treacherous waters). Teens are sensitive and very concerned with what their peers think of them. Asking a simple question about their weekend activities could be a very hard point to expand on. Particularly when you have students from very different socio-economic levels in the class. Some students might say they slept and played on the computer. Some might relate great activities they went on with their families while others flatly refuse to cooperate with the lesson as it reminds them of the glaring difference between those lucky kids to what happens in their own homes. It seems to me that the lessons such as Chia has been teaching could work well with teens with the addition of an imaginative component such as “tell the class about a great weekend you would like to have”, but I would really like to hear from someone who has taught unplugged with teens.
Taking this further, what if Chia was teaching 8 year olds? They certainly love to talk about themselves! Obviously the topics that would come up would be different, but can you sustain a series of unplugged activities at this age?
I could go on, but the point is that I’m asking these questions because I really DO want the boat to be recognizable as the same boat!
This week I’m honored to say that you’ll find my post on the exciting iTDi Blog!
Every two weeks a topic is examined from different aspects by six different educators.
Such a treat to be able to participate in this!
I certainly recommend browsing while you are there!
Since I just finished reading Nathan Englander’s excellent collection of short stories (see last Saturday’s post) I was reminded of my mixed feeling about reading one short story after another, particularly by the same author.
I really enjoy reading short stories. One of the many nice things about reading the New Yorker Magazine is getting the weekly short story. There are so many different authors, including short stories translated from many languages. It’s a real treat to get one a week.
However, I sometimes feel that reading an entire collection of short stories by the same author impairs my enjoyment of the stories that appear later in the collection. As varied as the collection may be, the author’s distinctive style, or use of imagery remains and leaves less of an impact on me as I read.
In addition, after a powerful short story, I need a break of a day or two before I can continue reading. In short stories, words are often even more powerful than in novels and I need time to take in what I just read. Or sometimes I almost feel afraid that the next story will dispel a feeling that the previous story has left me with. This rarely happens with novels.
Despite that, there are distinct advantages to reading such a collection during the school year. It is great when you can read a whole story “at one go”, instead of forcing yourself to stop reading in the middle of a chapter because there are things to be done.
Nonetheless, I’m glad that the next book I’m about to read is a full length novel!
These were taken from our recent trip up North.
The Paeonia Mascula flower only blooms for two weeks a year. We are the southernmost point in the world where it blooms.
Those ARE Cherry Tree blossoms – right here, two hours away from home!
Since I began giving homework online almost two years ago I have established an email connection with the students.
Homework must be handed in by email. In addition, some of the students write to me when they are absent, agonizing over a test or desperate to know whether I’ve checked their tests already.
I always answer in them in English.
In class we communicate in Hebrew and in Israeli Sign-Language. The students write to me in Hebrew. I know for a fact that they paste my replies into Google Translate and read them in Hebrew.
I still write to them in English.
A student recently asked me point blank if I was aware that everyone reads my letters using Google Translate. When I replied that I was, he wanted to know why I continued writing in English.
I replied that I am an English teacher.
I’m not sure that suffices as an educational rationale for doing something. I certainly can’t supply the students with an explanation for why this is beneficial for them.
I still think it is the right thing to do.
WOW!
and again: WOW!
I find that I need a break of a day or two after reading each story in this collection to get my breath back.
I’ve read the first four stories. Reading them goes quickly and easily but then time is needed to take in what I have just read. Time is needed to understand how Englander has brought me from here to there without me quite realizing it.
So far, the first story “The Twenty-seventh Man is the one that has left the most powerful impression on me.
But there are five more stories I haven’t read.
Haven’t a clue as to where Englander will take me next.
Certainly planning to find out!
***Note from a week later: The story “In this way we are wise” left me gasping for air as much as the “tweenty seventh man” did.
As someone who has rarely missed attending the Jerusalem ETAI Summer Conference over the past 26 years, I can certainly say I firmly believe in the benefits of attending conferences.
I still haven’t filled out the speaker proposal form because a question has been bothering me.
Do conferences have to be devoted solely to “input”? One goes from session to session, sets up an attention device and prepares to receive input. That is the pattern. Sometimes there will be more than one speaker, sometimes questions from the audience will be answered but the pattern remains.
Is it possible to have an “output” session?
Perhaps I could suggest a few topics to be voted on before the conference over our teachers’ mailing list. Let’s take “Error Correction” as an example of a topic chosen.
Perhaps there would be a session (or one on each day?) devoted to hashing out a set of Do’s and Don’ts related to that topic that could be posted on the conference site after the conference, as a combined effort teachers output of that particular conference. I think the number would have to be limited – we would have to come up with no more than seven or ten strategies / attitudes that are recommended, and the same number which most certainly are not. If we use this example we would perhaps need to produce a separate document for talking and writing. Short lists will be a useful document to have as an “output”.
In addition, having a limited number will make it more into an interesting discussion or debate. While I would call on everyone to be very polite, accepting everything said (sort of “anything goes” attitude) will not lead to an actual meaningful debate over what is effective or less so. Actually, its adding the element of polite dissent to brainstorming (I posted about this here).
On the other hand, this seems a very risky proposition.
I don’t know if teachers are as interested as I am in debating issues of classroom strategies.
I don’t know if the number of teachers in a session at a time should be limited for such a thing.
I don’t know if I can moderate such a session and keep the discussion on track and civil.
I don’t know if I’m simply trying to recreate the amazing dynamics of an #eltchat at a face to face conference without the help of the marvelous moderators we have there.
Has anyone encountered such a session?
I’ve been encountering mentions of this book for the past few years and had not had the opportunity to read it until now. After finally realizing that this is not a standard “whodunit” murder mystery book I was delighted when a dear friend lent me the book.
I finished the book in five days.
After I read the first five pages I stopped for a minute and studied the very large photo of the author on the inside cover. I was a bit concerned that the book was going to be patronizing – a white man writing about life as a female African in Botswana sees it. But the storytelling is great and the combination of the tales of the heroine’s own life and the cases she solves is fascinating so I forgot about such concerns. I wanted to read more.
So, when discovering book number two “Tears of the Giraffe” at the library (needed to stock up on books for the holiday!) I broke my own tradition of not reading two books by the same author in a row and began it at once.
It isn’t as good. Besides the fact that I think the author didn’t keep the clever balance between personal stories and stories told through cases, now I’m bothered by the authors patronizing tone. Not regarding Africa, regarding the USA. He is really trying to “ram down your throat” a message that America is only about a “grab grab” empty consumer culture. I would like to remind him that American television does not represent a huge percent of American people in this HUGE country!
Perhaps I should have stuck to my original rule – never read two books by the same author in a row!
There is a delightful article by Stephen Reilly in the March-April 2012 issue of “Voices” entitled “I remember you”.
Reilly says, regarding adult learners:
“Beginner-lever learners posses a wider and deeper word-base of English than they realize and unearthing this offers them foundations they can build on”.
I heartily agree that “unearthing” these words gives the students a sense of pride that they actually DO know some English and can serve as a “springboard” for learning.
Photo by Omri Epstein
However, when using internationally –known words, the teacher must be constantly alert for cultural interference. When the student’s face lights up and he “crows” “Oh, I know this word”, is that student ascribing the same meaning to that word in English that you are?
In the United Sates, a cottage is a very simple form of dwelling. Something you might have by the lake as a fishing retreat, very modest. In Israel you would hear someone say: “Did you see that awesome cottage he just moved into?! What a place!” Most certainly not a plain, modest, rudimentary abode!
The word test in Israel refers to the written part of the driving exam. Students are often confused when they encounter the word in texts and try to find a connection to driving. As this meaning seems to be so entrenched I have resorted to placing little signs with the word “test” on the desks during exams. Having the word at the top of the students exam papers had no effect at all.
In fact, the word student itself is a problem. In Israel students are only those who study at university. A sentence describing a first-grade student can be very puzzling!
There are many more examples.
I would like to add a word of caution regarding use of such words as a tool for learning the sounds of the letters. Many words entered the language from English in a somewhat mangled form. How many people properly pronounce the letter “H” in hamburger? Many would swear that is an “ambuger”!
I’m assuming that this phenomenon is true in other countries as well, as it seems logical that it would be.
Can you tell me if my assumption is correct?