Thursday, March 29, 2007

Why Our Minds Wander (published) (Stephen Krashen's Mailing List)

I love Krashen everyday crazy comments and review.Here is his latest comments on this article.
Wednesday, Mar 28, 2007, Page 8
It seems that most scientists who study why our mind wanders assume that it is a bad thing ("Scientists explore the `wanders' of the human mind," March 23,
page 9). Sometimes it is a bad thing, but often it isn't.Creativity research consistently shows that "incubation," some quiet time in which the thinker is
not concerned with the problem at hand, helps with problem-solving. Piaget, for example, went for walks when faced with hard problems in his work and Einstein played his violin. Both found that solutions came easily after a short
period of relaxation. Research also shows that good thinkers actually schedule in "idle time" after periods of hard work.
When the mind wanders, at least in some cases, it may
be because the mind needs to "incubate" over a
problem. Artificially forcing the thinker to stay
"focused," without allowing incubation, might inhibit
creative thinking.
Remember when you were staring at the ceiling in
elementary school and the teacher asked you whether
the answer was on the ceiling? Maybe it was.
Stephen Krashen

Saturday, March 10, 2007

TEACHING ENGLISH Search Engine

TEACHING ENGLISH Search Engine by Claudia Ceraso from http://eltnotes.blogspot.com/
is focused on international examinations: FCE, CAE, CPE and IELTS. Find exercises, news and edublogs. Relevant sites database last updated: February 2007.

Sunday, March 04, 2007

ICT for ELT

Monday ,November 13,2006
This website is formally a proposal for an Education sub-portal to be developed as part of UNESCO's Knowledge Portal -- specifically that section dealing with teacher education and information and communication technologies or ICT. However, it provides a wealth of resources for those interested in the topic.

Forward:Thoughts:British Council Forum

Today,it was the monthly English Forum at the British Council Sudan.The purpose of this post is; my discovery,for my surprise, is that;when I heard myself talking/expressing/discussing/suggesting ,guess what? I am amazed!!!Am I full of all these ideas???
I suggested,one day, to Jenny in our ELU, that we could meet twice a month, do a presentation about using ICT in ELT,or maybe for TPD,a workshop maybe as a hands-on practice for integrating web tools into our classrooms.How about smashing the nutshell:towards becoming a web.2.o English language teachers".It came up into my mind when I was asked about further suggestions is to create a yahoo group for teachers in the whole of the Sudan:"Crossing State Boarders:ELTSudan.After I defended my idea,I just fell in love with it!Anyway, I was nominated to join ,after December voting,the steering committee in the Forum.I also put a date to my presentation/workshop/session in March,in shaa Allah!

Forward:I Take the Challenge

5/5/2006
Alas!I have time for blogging again.Today,at the English Forum,I know that it will be a challenge to talk,or even whisper,about blogs.I will take the challenge and ,in the mean time,I will creat my first blog for students at Tagana.I will keep my fingers crossed!

Moving Posts from "Forward" into "Hello World"

Tdoay,at last, I managed to have time to move all posts from my other blog" FORWARD" into here, in an attempt to make things organized!From here I go... upward!!

Friday, March 02, 2007

I can’t teach properly

I’m growing increasingly frustrated in the teaching profession. I can’t teach the way that I want to, and I find it extraordinarily difficult to teach in the ‘traditional’ manner which is assumed and seemingly expected by all around me. This means I fall between two stools of conceptions of teaching. Allow me to elaborate and explain…..."Do these wrods applicable to your setting??? They do for me!Read below and tell me!!!
I can’t teach properly

I can’t teach properly

I’m growing increasingly frustrated in the teaching profession. I can’t teach the way that I want to, and I find it extraordinarily difficult to teach in the ‘traditional’ manner which is assumed and seemingly expected by all around me. This means I fall between two stools of conceptions of teaching. Allow me to elaborate and explain…..."Do these wrods applicable to your setting??? They do for me!Read below and tell me!!!
I can’t teach properly

Muslim focus for British Council

I wonder whether this is going to affect us , directly or indirectly, positively or negatively!!How marvelously they put objectives for the far future to guarantee security and peace for people and country!!! A true genuine organized British plan!
A diversed point to consider when we deal with the BC could be clear in Dr.Amna Bedri reply to my FWD message about the topic:
"salam,
Thanks hala very interesting, its also up to us to make use of this
opportunity especially in the field of ELT and to beware as well
two years ago I attended a workshop in Britain and all the focus was on
eastern European countries and south America to the extent that i
complained
to the organizers, we were three Muslims from Qatar and Iraq???? and
me.in Sudan focus is on the south and Darfur, that what they said so we
were disadvantaged 3 times for being Sudanese, teachers not politicians and
working in the north of Sudan.so lets think hard"