Областной семинар для учителей общеобразовательных школ Новые подходы в преподавании и обучении

7

Saran Seminar for teachers

New approaches to teaching and learning

Aims and objectives of the seminar

By the end of the seminar teachers will:

• know each other better

• know more about dialogic approach and critical thinking

• start thinking critically

• be able to identify successful group work

1. Greeting word for guests (5 min)

T1: Dear guests and participants, we are very glad to see you here at our seminar. Today Kazakhstan has 2011-2020 education strategic plan which shares the similar aims and values with the highest performing countries of the world, such as Finland, Singapore and the UK. These common aims are, first, to educate young people about the culture of each country. Second, to prepare young people to be critical thinkers who are able to access and use knowledge, develop skills and good understanding.

Today we are going to speak about new approaches to teaching and learning. How to make our students more active using dialogic approach at lessons, using pair and group work and how to make our students think critically.

2. Film about The Center of Excellence (15 min)

T1: Now you'll watch the film about The Center of Excellence and about the presidential project "In-service training programme for the teachers of the comprehensive schools of the Republic of Kazakhstan".

3. Presentation "New approaches to teaching and learning" (70 min)

T1: And now we begin our theoretical and practical part of the seminar "New approaches to teaching and learning" (15 min).

Firstly, I'd like to present you "The importance of dialogue in classrooms"

Mercer and Littleton (2007) have shown that classroom dialogue can contribute to:

• children's intellectual development

• children's educational attainment (results)

Research suggests that both interaction with adults and collaboration with peers (friends) provide opportunities for children's learning and for their cognitive development.

Activity 1. Acquaintance.

T1: Now, everyone stand up and make two lines side by side. Some of you know each other, some of you don't. You're to get acquainted. So, the task is to ask as many questions as possible to know your opposites better until I clap. Then you must move on one position. The first person must dance through the lines.

Activity 2. Grammar "The degrees of comparison of adjectives" (10 min).

T2: Next task will also help you know each other better. You may use this task with your students to practice Grammar topic "The degrees of comparison of adjectives". I am going to tell you what to do, how to stand in a line.

• We'll find somebody who has the longest and the shortest hair. Stand in a line beginning with someone who has the longest, then a bit shorter and so on. The line must be finished with someone who has the shortest hair. You are allowed to ask questions. E.g.: Is my hair shorter/longer? Is her hair longer/shorter than mine?

• We'll find somebody who has the highest and the lowest hills. Stand in a line beginning with someone who has the highest, then a bit lower and so on.

• We'll find somebody who has the darkest and the lightest hair.

• We'll find somebody who is the tallest and the smallest.

And now make groups, don't stand in a line.

• Find somebody who has the same colour of the eyes, make a group.

• Find somebody who was born the same month or season as you.

• Find somebody who has the same likes or dislikes as you.

Activity 3. "Present Continuous" (10 min).

T1: Take your chairs and sit in a circle.

1. Two students are involved: 1 shows the action, the other one asks the question:

• What are you doing?

• Don't you see? I'm dancing.

2. Three students are involved: 1 shows the action, the other one asks the third the question:

• What is she/he doing?

• She/he is reading.

3. Four students are involved: two students show the action, the other student asks another the question:

• What are they doing?

• They are talking.

Individual, pair and group work (5 min).

T2: Let's talk about individual, pair and group work. You see the diagram which shows how students learn.

When students just listen to a lecturer they remember very little, less than 10%.

When students just read without analyzing, hypothesizing they remember nearly 10%.

When students just see, watch, listen to, they remember nearly 20%.

When students demonstrate something they remember nearly 30%.

When students discuss topics, problems, they remember nearly 50%.

When students practice doing something, they remember nearly 75%.

And students remember nearly 90% of information when they teach others, each other.

T2: Now, you'll be divided into groups according to numbers. I'll tell you a number, remember it. Teacher 2 counts participants. Then asks to reset: ones sit at one table, twos at another etc.

Activity 4. "The Past Indefinite (Simple) Tense (10 min).

T2: I have cubes which symbolize kinds of sentences: "+" - is an affirmative sentence/statement, "-" - is a negative sentence, "?" - is a question/interrogative sentence. I'll throw a cube to each team. You as a group must discuss and make a sentence. When I clap you throw a cube to another group, any you like, they make a sentence and so on. Each time different members of the group must air the sentence.

The T2 stops the game.

Activity 5. Relaxation "Antonyms" (5 min).

T1: Everyone must stand up and come in the middle. I'll be the first leader to show how to play. Let's make agreement we have four corners, when I say 2 antonyms and point to different sides you must decide what word suits you and run to that point very fast. The one who is the last is the leader. Let's try.

• a cat and a dog

• white and black, etc.

Critical thinking: learning and teaching to think critically (5 min).

T1: Critical thinking has been described as "thinking about thinking".

At a basic level, the process of critical thinking involves:

• Gathering relevant information (observation)

• Evaluating and questioning evidence (analysis)

• Drawing warranted conclusions and generalizations (inference)

• Revising hypotheses on the basis of wider experience (interpretation)

Activity 6. Idioms (10 min).

T2: I'll divide you into groups again. Take figures and find your group: all the members of your group have the same figures, but not the same colour.

Ok, I have idioms in one hand and their explanation with the example in the other one. You must match idioms with their definitions and explain why do you think you're right.

Break.

Activity 7. Idioms and proverbs (10 min).

T2: Change your groups: find members of your group according to the colour of your figure.

The following pairs of nouns always occur in a fixed order. Find the partner of the nouns in the first column.

Activity 8. Brain ring. Riddles (20 min).

T1: You'll work as a group again. You have two minutes to think about the name of your team and explain your choice. You'll see a riddle. If you know the answer, don't cry out or the score will be taken from your team. Every team has a signal card, raise it up when you are ready to answer. If your answer isn't right, the team-opponent has a chance to get the score.

Let's start.

By the end of the game everybody counts the scores. The team-winner gets applause.

Activity 9. The tale "Goldilocks & the three bears" (30 min).

T1: The next task develops students' creativity. You'll watch and listen to a fairy-tale. Then you'll have 5 minutes to choose roles, prepare. Then you'll perform this fairy-tale.

Activity 10. Relaxation "Let's cook something" (10 min).

T2: Now, stand up, please. Take your chairs and make a circle. I give you cards with the names of products, you must remember what you are and when I name one or two products, those who have the cards with them must stand up and run to another place, must change places, when I say "Bread" everyone must change places. When you stand up you may not sit on your place again, you must find another free place. The one who stays without any place is the leader.

Activity 11. "Four judges" (20 min).

T1: And again you'll be divided into groups. Take the stripes. Find stripes of the same length to sit together.

Every group gets its hat with a colour. Greens will be "against". Reds will be "for".

Yellows will be "neutral". And Blues will tell us facts they know.

The topic which we're going to discuss is "SMOKING".

So, you have 10 minutes for discussion in the group; choose a speaker to air your group's views.

Final part. T1 and 2 thank guests for coming and attending the seminar, ask teachers to write some words about the seminar on the stickers and put them on the apple-tree. Then teachers are given certificates.