Why I started this blog... Why you should teach..or not :)

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. 


     Explore. Dream. Discover.

- H. JACKSON BROWN, JR.

I have always wanted to contribute, to help people- I never thought that I would be given that proverbial gap through the privilege of teaching. My teaching experience began some years ago, as a teacher catering for the needs of children aged five to eight, the focus- art. (...and stopping little boys from climbing the tree in my garden/running across the pool net...)

I have had the opportunity to teach English as a foreign language, for a short two years and seven months- yet still going strong. Life has manifested so many blessings, teaching has provided me insight into the fact that we are all learners- all students grabbing at a sky of dangling dreams; I have learnt that it is a duty of some- to help others reach their dreams ( That ''some'', being the teacher! Yes! The teacher, like a candle, does expend itself to light the way...)

When I was working on my T.E.F.L certification through I-to-I , It dawned on me that this was really something I loved. 

To all budding TEFL Teachers-teaching is not part-time, nor is it a get rich quick scheme- you will not get paid well, but the rewards stem deeper- it is a vocation,  a profession in which you sacrifice and work hard at providing people with a means to expand their horizons- cultivating open minds, building confidence and gauging their ability to speak proficiently,

I started this blog out of pure and raw passion for people and teaching English, with the intention of helping beginner TEFL teachers and Foreign language learners gain some ground in their quest. Teaching has become my life- a source of contentment.

We all have bumps in the road and days of exhaustion, after all, we have to invest much time and energy if we want to succeed at anything in life- 

I always say , ''soldier on!'' and bear in mind- that critical to the success of the student/teacher relationship is the ability to focus on the specific needs of the student- inside and outside of the classroom. I did mention sacrifice, did I not? Love it or leave it! 

Very different circumstances will prevail within the classroom setting-so adaptability is key- it takes energy and certainly patience ( a little something I have learnt in my tenure as a TEFL teacher.) 

My ambitions as teacher and facilitator,are always to set realistic goals, encourage positive self-evaluation and ultimately steady levels of confidence. This blog provides me with a means to share useful information freely- a little extra for people who want to do some after class studying.

So as a teacher- passion is key- as students, your key is motivation.

Vocabulary Acquisition---> The five R's and How to memorize+ Adverb and Adjective combinations

Vocabulary acquisition has long since been a question of ''how to'' and ''how do I remember?''....

A simple solution is to read, another is to choose two to three collocations that you feel will serve you best, then try using them repeatedly in conversations and writing. The best way to memorize, is to make use of repetition.

Today we are going to go through the five R's and follow that up with some vocabulary with which you can work- specifically, Adverb and Adjective combinations/collocates.

PASSIVE AND ACTIVE vocabulary:

Passive (or receptive) vocabulary = words that you understand when listening or reading

Active (or productive) vocabulary = words that you use when speaking or writing

Your passive vocabulary is much larger than your active vocabulary.

To use a word, you need to know more than just its meaning.

THE 5 R'S

Read

Research

Record

Revise

Recycle

READ

Reading is the best way to find new vocabulary.

If you don't like reading very much, try short texts (e.g. magazine articles or web pages) on subjects that interest you.

RESEARCH

You can learn some information about a word without looking it up.

The word class (noun, verb, adjective, etc.) may be clear from the sentence.

In this sentence can you guess the word classes of expressed and ventral?

The water is expressed through the plates by pressure from the ventral pouch and tongue.

Answer: expressed is a verb (past participle) and ventral is an adjective.

MEANING

You may be able to guess the meaning from the context.

Racquet and shuttlecock

Can you guess the approximate meanings of shuttlecock or racquet from this sentence?

Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their opponents' half of the court.

Answer: a shuttlecock and racquet  are used in the game of badminton

OTHER CLUES

The word may be similar to other words that you know (in English or another language), or contain prefixes/suffixes that you recognize.

You probably know the words gate and house, so what is a gatehouse?

When the Tower of London's gatehouse collapsed in 1240, the locals celebrated.

Answer: a house built at or over a gate, e.g. at the entrance to a park or castle

USING A DICTIONARY

Besides a definition or translation, a good dictionary can provide other information about a word, such as:

word class (noun, verb, etc.)

pronunciation

collocations

examples of use

RECORD

To remember new words, you need to record them - in a notebook, on cards or on a computer or phone.

Besides the definition/translation, you may want to record some of these details about a new word:

Word

Translation 

Class

Pronunciation ( see a good dictionary or teacher for examples of this :) )

Meaning

Collocations

Collocations are important. If a word is often used together with another word, write this down. For example:

adjective + preposition, e.g. afraid of, married to

verb + noun, e.g. ride a bicycle

REVISE

There is no point in recording new words unless you revise them often.

One way to revise is to make flash cards.

With this method you can learn hundreds of words very quickly.

FLASH CARDS

Cut up some paper cards.

Write an English word on one side of a card.

Write the translation into your language on the other side

RECYCLE

By recycling, we mean using the vocabulary which you have learned.

If you use new vocabulary often, you will remember it more easily and be able to speak more fluently.

Adverbs and adjectives are important - providing key information on how something is done in the case of adverbs, and how something appears to be in the case of adjectives. Adverbs are also used to give extra information about adjectives- as a team, they help our speaking exude flourish.

These are adverb + adjective combinations often found  in academic writing and eloquent/expressive speaking:

applicable-generally applicable

appropriate-culturally appropriate, developmentally appropriate, entirely appropriate, 

particularly- appropriate, socially appropriate

armed- heavily armed

attractive -particularly attractive

available- commercially available, currently available, easily available, freely available, 

generally -available, publicly available, readily available, widely available

aware- acutely aware, fully aware, increasingly aware, keenly aware, painfully aware

absent- conspicuously absent, largely absent

acceptable- mutually acceptable, socially acceptable

accessible- easily accessible, readily accessible

active- economically active, physically active, politically active, sexually active

acute- particularly acute

advanced- technologically advanced

apparent -immediately apparent, increasingly apparent, readily apparent

competitive- highly competitive, increasingly competitive

consistent- entirely consistent, fairly consistent, generally consistent, internally consistent, remarkably consistent

clear -abundantly clear, entirely clear, perfectly clear

contradictory- seemingly contradictory

controversial- highly controversial

correct -politically correct

creative- highly creative

critical -especially critical, highly critical, particularly critical

large- disproportionately large, extremely large, fairly large, 

increasingly large, relatively large, sufficiently large, unusually large

larger- considerably larger, significantly larger, slightly larger

likely- equally likely, especially likely, highly likely, particularly likely

limited- relatively limited

little- relatively little, surprisingly little

long -relatively long

low- comparatively low, extremely low, fairly low, generally low, relatively low

good- fairly good, morally good, particularly good, really good, reasonably good, relatively good

greater- considerably greater, relatively greater, significantly greater, slightly greater, substantially greater

growing- rapidly growing

variable- highly variable

varying- widely varying

viable- commercially viable, economically viable

visible -clearly visible, highly visible

vulnerable -especially vulnerable, highly vulnerable, particularly vulnerable

successful- academically successful, highly successful, partially successful, particularly successful

supportive- mutually supportive

surprising -hardly surprising

susceptible- highly susceptible, particularly susceptible

sustainable- environmentally sustainable

powerful -particularly powerful, politically powerful

preceding- immediately preceding

prescribed- socially prescribed

present- physically present

problematic- especially problematic, highly problematic, particularly problematic

                              For citation of  vocabulary sourced- contact me.

In a moment/at the moment---> Let's cure the confusion with some useful phrases...

Good day dear students and teachers alike. I thought I would share with you some useful phrases and their definitions- it has been a while since I last posted a blog entry! Shame on me! 

This entry will be of relevance to a majority of you-I have most often noticed a certain amount of confusion with  formidable phrases , such as- ''in the moment'' and ''at the moment''- so to clear things up- I decided in the very moment-to post some information, at the moment I have some time to do so...

Of course,with great thanks to the Macmillan dictionary, I present to you-phrases with ''moment''.

Moment: [COUNTABLE] a particular point in time when something happens

PHRASES with ''moment''...

any moment (now)

very soon

They should be here any moment now.

at the moment

now

They're very upset and don't want to talk at the moment.

at this moment in time or at the present moment

used for emphasizing that you are talking about the present time or situation

At this particular moment in time it is difficult for us to raise money.

for the moment

at the present time, until a situation changes

That's all I can tell you for the moment.

from the moment (that) or from this/that moment (on)

used for emphasizing the exact point in time when something started to happen

He didn't stop chatting from the moment he arrived.

From that moment on, I loved swimming.

have its/your moments or someone has their moments

1.to have some good periods or parts

Although the film has its moments, it's not really worth seeing.

2.to sometimes have problems or cause trouble

in a moment

used for telling someone that you will do something very soon

'Come and see this.' reply: 'In a moment.'

just/wait a moment

1.used for telling someone that you will do something very soon

'Can you give me a hand?' 'Just a moment.'

2.used for asking someone to give you their attention for a short time

Just a moment, I want to ask you something.

the last (possible) moment

the latest time that it is possible to do something

She waited until the last possible moment to cancel her flight.

the moment of truth

the time when you will find out if something has succeeded or happened

And now for the moment of truth: who is this year's winner?

not a moment too soon INFORMAL

so late that it is almost too late

We're off on holiday tomorrow, and not a moment too soon.

not for a/one moment

used for emphasizing that something is definitely not true, or that you would definitely not do or say something

I have not for a moment suggested that you should leave.

most typical or most popular at a particular time

the film of the moment

someone/something will take/be a moment

someone or something will be very quick

I'll only be a moment.

You can wait if you like. It won't take a moment.