*****
Good morning everyone!
Today I have no voice
Quiet class – for me
But not for you =)
If you have any tips for me how to return my voice – please share
OK
Is it ok if I wear a mask?
YOU can talk, though!
Make sure you’re sitting next to a partner to talk to
Because you will have to discuss
Thank you
Please ask google
What do you say instead?
- To my knowledge
- Based on what I know
- In my opinion
- From my perspective/point of view
- Personally (speaking), …
Thank you! Yes, I think it can be motivating! I recommend everyone to watch =) You can learn something, and you can do that for reference – and you can recommend some strategies for your friends!
Can you read my lips?
AND your own ideas, your voice is important and should be heard!
These are correct ideas, so you can see that the differences are actualy not too many
But
The BIGGEST one
Is……………..????????????? What do you think?
Sorry I cannot tell you because I have no voice 😆
What does it mean?
Of course, you will have intro/body/conclusion
BUT
You may not always need refutation etc
It depends on your topic
AND – importantly – on your approach to it!!
BECAUSE YOU CHOOSE what to write and how to write it
Is it easier, you think, or harder?
YES
The difficulty may lie in the fact that you have to analyse whatever the problem is yourself
Without the offered structure of “argument-counter argument-refutation”
It doesn’t mean that that structure is NOT useful – or shouldn’t be used!!!
You can still write in that way
But it’s up to you
I hope that academic essay will help you show your creativity
And
Analytical skills
And logic
For example? What is impersonal language?
You have to find more general ways to express ideas
When would be exceptions? For the tense
Yes and when you talk about examples – whatever happened in the past, obviously
Specialized vocab means vocab/terms related to YOUR topic (Marketing, E-commerce, etc)
Terminology
HOWEVER
If you’re using some very specific terms, you may need to define and explain them
Also, after you’ve written/drafted the essay itself, you already know FOR SURE what the essay is about!
You can change your mind or ideas as you go
DO’s
Check grammar & spelling carefully
Outline each paragraph?
Use the academic vocab list
BUT please be careful: Should you use words that you don’t understand completely?
When you want to find a more academic-looking synonym, choose the most familiar one! Never choose the longest one, or the most fancy-looking, or most pretentious
Because most likely it is really difficult to use and requires a very specific context
DON’TS? Avoid doing what?
Don’t go off topic
Don’t spend too long writing each paragraoh
Don’t plagiarise! —> paraphrase
Which one do you choose for your own essay writing process?
PLease remember that your essay should be interesting not only to read but also for you to write! It’s a journey for both the reader and the writer
So choose a good individual topic =)
You will work with this sample essay
In pairs
In 3-4 parts
Every time I’ll give you a task
PART 1 – ONLY WORK WITH INTRODUCTION – so find it first =)
7 mins
How many paragraphs does the intro consist of?
Does it give the outline of the essay?
Is it very specific – or not very?
But not tooo detailed
Do the paragraphs follow persuasive-analytical format (argument-counterargument-refutation)?
Yes – like I was saying, the structure is flexible and depends on WHAT you want to be saying
Does each paragraph express ONLY 1 idea at a time? – YES – VERY IMPORTANT POINT! New point – new paragraph
Count how many linking devices the author is using
AND FIND A PROBLEM with one of them
Can you name the linking devices that are used?
Does the author use them too much or sparingly?
What’s the problem with HOWEVER? How many times it is used —-> 6-7 times!!!
That’s WAY TOO MUCH
Please pay attention to how you use linking devices!!!
Don’t overuse!
THank you
FInally… Can you hear the author’s voice throughout this essay?
WHat score can you give to this author for this essay (out of 10)?
I don’t think this amount of references is necessarily TOO much, it’s ok
HOWEVER
I hope your essays are more interesting! I want to see/read more critical thinking and processing of your topics
You can use this as a model – or not
Also, make sure to check how the references are cited using APA format here – not Harvard which you used before
OK thank you
We’ll start the next session at 10 sharp
With group E pres rehearsal
Please get ready with your outlines
INDIVIDUAL essay outlines
NOW please sit in your groups
On top of the page write your essay title
When you exchange, you exchange (1) essay outline (2) this worksheet to write comments and Qs on
We have 10 more minutes for this, and you can choose what to do:
- Keep working with this outline
- Exchange again with another member from YOUR group
- exchange with a member from ANOTHER group
Please finish and get your outline back with comments (hopefully)
Are you done?
Please take a photo of that slide as it is connected to your HW
OK
THANK you for your patience with my problem today! I appreciate it +)
That should be enough =)
Do you understand what the paragraph homework is about?…
*****
Wow what was that?
Do you understand what the many words and bits and pieces above are about?…
My laryngitis, the curse of many teachers, I’m sure, and one thing that’s been haunting me quite mercilessly in the past 2 years…
After a tough night, I woke up realizing I had no voice to speak of… with… I did, HOWEVER, had 6 hours of teaching Academic English ahead of me. A long day with your vocal chords intact, let alone in my situation…
And then I stopped panicking inside (which was how and why I’d spent the sleepless night) and made a choice to just go through the day, with a thought in mind that it’s not the problem that is the problem necessarily, but my reaction to the problem.
So I put on my mask 😷 and decided firmly to not even attempt talking today.
It’s almost midnight and I still haven’t said a word 🙂
It was, in fact, quite interesting – and liberating – to go through my classes in that silent way. I had the slides prepared – and it was a good test for their effectiveness.
I created a document (the contents of which you obviously read above) – and simply talked to my students through it, when I absolutely had to, that is. Sometimes I’d use gestures, other times I’d highlight certain parts on my slides and prompt their responses… I even managed to give personal feedback on a group presentation – talking to the students via my notes.
I didn’t feel much of a difference at all and it was, in fact, quite a good way to gauge student participation and engagement in the lesson. My students were great – kind, co-operative, stayed on task, and interacted with me at all times. I also learnt that I typed 899 words in 3 hours… so laryngitis could be one *extreme* way to reduce your teacher talking time, if you ever have a problem with it 🙂
I do hope I’ll feel better soon – and tell my students I do very much appreciate their attitude, support, and Vietnamese traditional herbal tea recommendations (drinking now!)… 🙂
Thank you for reading, as ever!