LEARNING NEW TRICKS

A presentation on ‘learning along the way’ as a Teacher

by Nives Torresi

The age old English idiom actually recites «You can’t teach an old dog new tricks» but in fact we teachers can learn new methods of teaching

Teachers not only can but must learn to keep ahead in these technological times

Using technology in all its possible forms to continuously find new ways to ‘engage’ our students

And not just technology but more importantly learning from our peers

Learning to share and venture constructive criticism if we believe ourselves to be part of the learning process

You can teach an old dog new tricks

THROW OUT all misconceptions that involve the Teacher knows IT all

Invite ACTIVE participation from the class Learn to LISTEN to our pupils Understand and accept our LIMITS and theirs Change our perspectives and OPEN OUR

MINDS to learning Open ourselves to CRITICISM and learn from it Introduce yourself in SOCIAL MEDIUMS using

them as a way of hashing and re-hashing your teaching theory and practice

Out with the old and In with the new

Teaching is synonymous to learning : from the moment we are born we begin to learn and then begin to ‘show’ what we’ve learnt.

Toddlers often take pride in showing their parents what they have learnt, for example: that they can use a spoon by themselves!

Teachers ‘show’ what they know to their students and students in turn ‘show’ what they’ve learnt via homework, tests, etc.

Learning and Teaching is a never ending cycle, if for example I learn that taking a particular road isn’t safe from first hand experience then I will tell my peers, hence I am imparting the ‘knowledge’ I have gained.

Sink your teeth into learning

An anecdote: when I was 9 sitting at the kitchen table doing my school homework, my father was reading the newspaper while peeping at my progress. At one point he asks me ‘what are you doing exactly?’ and I proudly repeated ‘doing all the future homework in the textbook so I can finish learning everything there is to learn’. He carefully folded the newspaper and looking me in the eye softly said ‘my dear daughter no-one will ever stop learning, as we will learn something new everyday until we are no more’. In the split second of a fraction in time my brain went from proud to total disillusionment to excitement. That little neuron running around upstairs (in my brain) finally jumped up and down thinking wow continuous learning is equivalent to never stopping. Over the next months my parents introduced me to the public library, now this was 1969, there were no computers running the cataloguing system. But good sturdy Librarians running a tight ship in a silent domain, and I was in my element. So you can just guess what my next statement was to my father «I’m going to read all the books in the world» I could have stopped at one library, but no I had to instil a little anxiety in my father who had to find another way to bring me down a notch or two!

To this day I remember that all important phrase ‘you will never stop learning, there will always be something new to learn’. I still want to keep on learning and Teaching what I learn, instilling the joy of opening new doors into knowledge.

YOU WILL NEVER STOP LEARNING …

1. Having a good time learning collocations with the collo king Jason

2. Taking vocab apart and then putting the pieces back together with Dr Nellie

3. Watching a movie and making the most of it with Maria Ines

4. Taking an earworm tune on board with C. Goodger5. Using language and logic with Drew on his youtube

lessons6. Not flooding students with grammar that may

overshadow vocabulary learning by Dr Christel7. Bringing the house down with Shanthi’s intro into using

Idioms in Business English8. Using any reading material as a vehicle to teach vocab

with Andrew W.

Learning via the ELT-T MOOC The stepping stones along the way….1

9. Turning that flabby textbook into a valued resource by Adir

10. Taking a break with Jason’s 3 RRR’s, Relax Repeat Remember

11. Looking at real life encounters filmed as a teaching resource with M. Marzio

12. Went ‘trippin’ with Mau while ‘surfin n learnin’13. Found the little lost neuron with the help of Sylvia’s

mind map on story telling14. Had a gripping time with Vicki’s tricky vocab videos15. Getting it all stickstuckstuck with a rap song along

the way by Jason

Learning via the ELT-T MOOC The stepping stones along the way….2

But mostly, enjoying it allalong the way

as we shared our thoughts in the chat boxes & on the class

pages!Meeting new faces & making new

friends.

Day by day babies growing into toddlers learn by themselves with a little help from parents

School age children learn at school, in the school yard, after school and at home

Teenagers learn from each other leaning very much on their peers to guide them along

Young Adults go to University and the world of learning opens into another dimension

Adults go into the workforce and learn to work alongside their colleagues

Pensioners learn other ways to spend their time

Learning along the Way …

WE ALSO LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES!

Constructive criticism is essentialFeedback from students & Colleagues is a good habit!

Therefore as humans in an everchanging world continue to learn and adapt, so must we teachers learn to encompass a wide-reaching usage of class material. Be it new resources or new technology.

By learning we open our minds to further enhancement of our lives and hence those of our students, who can only follow and enjoy learning.

Teachers are a part of everyone’s life just as every student is a part of every Teacher’s life.

Conclusion