Smolensk Winter Methodology School

Over the weekend, I had the honor of presenting at the Smolensk Winter Methodology School, an event sponsored by the Association of Teachers of English - Smolensk. It was a such a great experience! I got to work and interact with a lot of energetic, kind and dedicated English teachers and three groups of fun, cool and super smart students. I couldn't have ask for a more interactive and fun couple of days.

Below, I have included links to the presentations I gave. Please feel free to contact me via email (jk.esl.uiuc@gmail.com) with any questions.

Lesson Planning Presentation
Communicative Writing Activities

"Shaping the Way We Teach English" Webinar 15.1: Lesson Planning 101

The new series of "Shaping the Way We Teach English" webinars began yesterday. The first webinar was a great introduction to the essential themes and elements for creating effective lesson plans. It was created an facilitated by Katie Bain, a former Fellow and the new Online Projects Coordinator for English Language Programs. While I encourage all of you to join the Ning Network (please email if you are interested), I will also be posting the materials from the webinar to this blog. Again, feel free to send me an email if you have any questions! Thanks! 

Links to Resources from the Webinar

"Planning Lessons" (article by Linda Jensen) 

"Designing Lessons for EFL Listening Comprehension Classes" (article by Justine Ross)

"Lesson Planning 101"  (ppt by Katie Bain)

"Lesson Planning 101"  (pdf by Katie Bain)

Lesson Plan Template

Rubistar (rubric creation resource)

Workshop on Promoting Coherence in Writing

This two hour workshop is designed to help both teachers and students alike to better understanding the concept of coherence in writing by offering lots of examples and a few, standard techniques for promoting coherence in writing, including: outlining, PIE-C structure for organizing paragraphs and raising awareness about logical fallacies. The materials can be found below: 

1. Coherence in Writing PPT (PDF)
2. Five Paragraph Essay Structure Activity (Answers)
3. PIE-C Paragraph Example
4. PIE-C Workshop (Answers)
5. Example Essay Prompts
6. PIE-C Outline
7. Avoiding Logical Fallacies (Practice)

Winter Holidays in the U.S.

We are now in the midst of what is commonly called "the Holiday Season" in the U.S. There are several winter holidays celebrated during the months of December and January including Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza and New Year's. During today's workshop, we will spend some time talking about each of these celebrations, sharing information about traditional celebrations associated with holidays in the U.S. and Russia and enjoying some fun activities and holiday music! I've included the activity links below. 

1. Holiday Discussion Questions
2. Winter Holiday Presentation 
3. Holiday Bingo
4. Holiday Vocabulary
5. New Year's Reading
6. Christmas Reading
7. "Twas the Night Before Christmas" Video
8. The History of New Year's Video
9. The History of New Year's Discussion Questions
10. "The Gift of the Magi" (short story by O. Henry)
11. "The Gift of the Magi" Discussion Questions
12. "The Gift of the Magi" video interpretation
13. New Year's Resolutions
14. Holiday Music

Happy Holidays! 

Course Opportunity: "Understanding Research & Academic Writing"

Here is another announcement from the English Language Office here in Moscow about a course that promises to address the urgent need expressed by many of our colleagues for resources to help make sense of the research and academic writing process. The text below comes directly from the ELO...

_________________________________________________________________________________

Dear Colleagues,

A new online academic writing course sponsored by the English Language Office at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, “Understanding Research and Academic Writing (URAW)” will begin on January 19th. The 12- week course will be conducted by an American Specialist and is designed to prepare participants from throughout Russia who will be in a position to define academic writing curricula, and establish writing labs at their home institutions.

Upon completion of this course, the participants will serve as multipliers and a source of expertise to help their students and colleagues across disciplines to better understand the culture and structure of academic writing in English. The online course will be designed to cover approximately twelve weeks over a six month period (January 19-June 21, with periodic breaks in the program to take into account the busy schedule of the participants and calendar demands). Types of assignments will include online tasks (discussion boards, wiki-tasks), self-editing logs, abstract writing and editing, literature reviews, peer review, and understanding the citation process. Group and one-to-one video conferences with the specialist will also be arranged. The cost of participation in the course will be covered by the English Language Office.

The selection of candidates will be merit based. We are looking for 25 participants that can include representatives of universities and members of EFL professional associations. Potential candidates should be outstanding, active, mature representatives of universities, with experience in teaching academic writing. Successful applicants should have academic papers in progress that can be refined during this course and have the potential to start a writing center or writing lab in their home university or institution.

To participate in the selection process, please answer the following questions:

1. Your name, position, contact information
2. Your experience in teaching AW
3. Names of major articles/ books you have authored and where they were published
4. Have you got an article in progress?
5. Your membership with professional organizations
6. Why would you like to participate in this course?
7. How are you going to disseminate the information gained through this course? What will be your plan to share what you've learned with colleagues at your institution/in your region?

Please send you application forms to lubninaen@state.gov

The deadline for applications is January 11th.

Course Opportunity: "Integrating the Internet into the Classroom" by Michael Krauss

Hi All! Below you will find an interesting opportunity being promoted by the English Language Office on a class offered by Michael Krauss of Lewis & Clark University.

From ELO: An online course “Integrating the Internet into the Classroom” by Michael Krauss will be offered on January 26-February 13, 2015. If you or your colleagues are interested, please apply by December 22, 2014. 

The application form can be found here. Once you have filled it out, you should email it to this address: krauss@lclark.edu.

Information about the course can be found at http://legacy.lclark.edu/~krauss/usia/home.html

If you have any questions (or would like help with your application), please let me know via email at jk.esl.uiuc@gmail.com. Good luck!

Shaping the Way We Teach English Webinar Series 2015!

The very popular "Shaping the Way We Teach English" webinar series starts again this January. This is a professional development created for teachers by teachers. Past versions have been quite warmly received by English language educators throughout the world and this session promises to be more of the same. It's my hope to be able to host viewing sessions at the American Center. To build interest, I've included a list that outlines topics and dates for the six webinars.

Also, if you attend at least four of the six sessions, you will receive a certificate from the English Language Office (which is a great addition to any C.V. and a way to demonstrate your dedication to professional development to potential employers!).

Shaping the Way We Teach English Course 15 Schedule

1). Lesson Planning 101: Mapping Activities for a Clear Path to Learning

Presenter: Katie Bain
Wednesday January 14, 2015
16:00-17:30

2). TBD
Presenters: Russell Barczyk and Roger Cohen
Wednesday January 28, 2015
16:00-17:30

3). Integrating Pronunciation across the Curriculum
Presenter: Char Heitman
Wednesday February 11, 2015
16:00-17:30

4). Content and Language Integrated Teaching
Presenter: Heidi Howland
Wednesday February 25, 2015
16:00-17:30

5). Networking: Making Connections that Last
Presenter: Amy Pascucci
Wednesday March 11, 2015
16:00-17:30

6). Reciprocal Teaching Reading Strategies
Presenter: Rob Danin
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
16:00-17:30 

If you are interested in these sessions and would like some more information, please send me an email at: jk.esl.uiuc@gmail.com. Again, I hope we will be able to participate in these sessions together at the American Center starting this January!