Reflection 2 - ABCD objectives framework and Web searching

Effective websearching???
ABCD objectives framework! 

I was truly enlightened in the second module revolving around the ABCD objectives framework and web searching devices. This lesson is meaningful as it has provided useful teaching tools to enhance my teaching skills and emphasized the importance of having concise objectives for the lesson which would serve as a guide for what I should employ in class.

Before the Tet holiday, we were assigned a discussion task about different web-searching devices in which we shared different online tools to facilitate our teaching process in class. I found the posts from Ms. Ha Tu, Ms. Nhung, and Ms. Nguyen Thu Trang handy. Since I'm kind of a tech-illiterate person, none of the mentioned websites like Slideshare, Edutopia, and Busy Teacher have I experienced before. So those posts broadened my horizons, and I believe that they would facilitate my teaching in the future. In terms of my contribution to the post, I suggested Live worksheet.  From my experience, this website is superb since it is suitable for students from all levels. It comprises a variety of exercises to practice not only vocabulary but also grammar. Not to mention its interface is really user-friendly and eye-catching. I often use it to assign online homework for the students to practice the grammatical unit delivered in class. Besides, it can also release the score immediately after students submit their assignments, so learners would know how well they have advanced and what domain should be revised again. However, Live worksheet has its own drawbacks. The majority of online worksheets are appropriate for students who are at A1-B2 levels, and for those who are superior, it's really challenging to find ones. Besides, since it's a shared cyber forum for both non-native and native teachers, not every designed exercise is correct, so if you choose to use it, make sure that you check it carefully before giving to the students.

In the first lesson after the holiday, we gained an insight into what the ABCD objectives framework was and then we had some time to practice writing this model ourselves. After that, we joined a breakout room to discuss what we had done, and how we could establish the objectives for the lesson according to the ABCD framework. In short, the ABCD framework can be used for a whole lesson or for an activity in class. To be more specific, A represents the audience, B stands for behaviors expected, C is the condition where the behaviors are displayed and measured, and D is the degree of how well that behavior can live up to the expectation of the teacher. My takeaway from this lesson is the clearer your condition is, the easier for you to assess Ss' performance.

All in all, this module this week was really practical. Not only did I gain more knowledge, but I was also motivated and eager to apply all these techniques to my teaching, to advance, and to be better in my field. 

Reflection 1 - Blogging in ELT

 Blogging and ELT???

In the realm of English Language Teaching, blogging holds significant importance as it provides language learners with a dynamic platform to enhance their language skills in authentic, real-world contexts. Blogs function as a community, greatly facilitating students' learning experiences. Specifically, engaging in regular writing tasks aids students in refining not only their language abilities but also their critical thinking and communication skills. Blogging enables students to express ideas, share experiences, and interact with peers, thereby fostering their interpersonal skills. Furthermore, it cultivates a sense of community by encouraging interactive learning through comments on each other's posts. Additionally, I believe that blogging has the potential to promote independence by empowering students to take control of their own language-learning journey.

In the article from the British Council, Aaron Campbell (2003) has outlined three types of blogs for use with language classes which are the Tutor Blog, the Class Blog, and the Learner Blog. Basically, The Tutor Blog functions as a notice board that informs students about assignments and upcoming deadlines, and the interaction of this type of blog is often overlooked. The Class Blog places a great emphasis on interaction between teachers and students and students themselves. Members are encouraged to interact with others by commenting on each other posts and expressing their viewpoints. Finally, for the last type, the Learner Blog caters to a personal cyberspace where students can establish their own blogs and share their own pieces of writing. As an IELTS teacher, I always aim to develop all four skills for the students and I am passionate about creating a holistic academic platform in which the students can immerse themselves in English in a fun and relaxing way. Therefore, The Class blog would be the most suitable. My blog can be used to share useful information like techniques to improve listening skills, top 6 movies to enhance your lexical range, and so on. Besides, the students can also make contributions to my blog about anything that interests them to share with their peers in the comment section below.

In the sharing session, we were divided into different breakout Zoom and took turns to share about the process by which our blogs were created. Besides, we also helped other team members to clarify their confusion about blogs and to work out some technical obstacles they had encountered.

References :

1. Graham Stanley, British Council, Barcelona Blogging for ELT