Merry Christmas

Dear friends and colleagues,
There are no words to express my gratitude to all of you. Thanks for the last 20 years of work together. Love, Victor Hugo.

Curso de preparación para TKT

CURSO DE PREPARACION PARA EL EXAMEN TKT

PROPOSITO
El participante adquirirá conocimientos y habilidades indispensables para la enseñanza de Inglés como lengua extranjera, mismos que son evaluados en el examen TKT de la Universidad de Cambridge.

Al prepararse para el TKT, los candidatos tienen la oportunidad de consolidar su conocimiento sobre la enseñanza del inglés, así como de familiarizarse con los conceptos relacionados al idioma, el uso de la lengua y los marcos teóricos y prácticos del proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje.

PERFIL DEL PARTICIPANTE
El curso va dirigido a maestros de educación básica, media o superior cuyo nivel de Inglés
Corresponda al B1 del Marco Común Europeo de Referencia para las Lenguas del Consejo Europeo.
Los participantes deben estar familiarizados con el lenguaje y conceptos básicos de la enseñanza del Inglés-
Todos los participantes deberán presentar examen diagnóstico y entrevista

CONTENIDO
. Diferentes modos de enseñanza
. El “lenguaje de la enseñanza”
. El uso de recursos didácticos
. Los elementos principales de la planeación de clases
. Métodos de dinámicas para el manejo de grupos conforme a diferentes necesidades

DURACION
60 horas
Inicio Mayo 23

English Connexion
Manuel Sotero Prieto No 11, Circuito Cientificos.
Col. Cd. Satélite, Naucalpan de Juárez, México.
Tels. 3622-4300, 3622-4333

¡¡¡¡DESCUENTO ESPECIAL A MAESTROS OFICIALES!!!!

A Quote by Edward E. Hale

I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.
Edward Everett Hale

The Anglo Scholarships 2009-2010

Hi everyone!
I hope you all are perfect! Welcome back to our schools after Semana Santa!

Don't miss the opportunity to have a Wonderful Scholarship in The Anglo next school year!

For more information visit: www.socialcontribution.org.mx

Write to: scholarshipprogramme@tamf.org.mx (Ask for Fabiola Campos, Assistant to Deputy Director General) or call, 3067-8823.

The most we were, the best results!

Keep in touch dear colleagues!

Just a question...

How can both things be the same one?
.

How many times?

How many times must a man look up before he can see the sky?
Robert Zimmerman
(Blowin' in he Wind)

ProDAMI Second Anniversary

Congratulations to all English Teachers in Edomex!!! December 2008 is our ProDAMI Second Anniversary!!!

A Date for the Test

Hello all English teachers of any public middle school!
If you decide to apply DGAIR-UNAM test next Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008 come to the Aula Virtual, Centro de Formación Continua a Distancia, on Number 20, José Damián Ortiz de Castro, Ciudad Satélite, just in front of Plaza Satélite, Naucalpan, México. The Aula Virtual is located in J. F. Kennedy Elementary School.
If you decide to take the test I'll be there in four different schedules, 9:00 and 11:00 in the morning or at 1:00 and 3:00 in the afternoon.
Don't miss the opportunity to be certified by SEP and UNAM.
See you there!

Programa de Formación de Docentes de la Asignatura de Inglés

To all English Teachers,

The Subsecretaría de Educación Básica and the Dirección General de Formación Continua de Maestros en Servicios from SEP, in coordination with the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, and in the context of Alianza por la Calidad de la Educación and the Programa Sectorial de Educación 2007-2012 have submited the Convocatoria for the Programa de Formación de Docentes de Nivel Secundaraia de la Asignatura de Inglés.

In order to be explicit I quote some information from documents available:

- Se dará inicio a un proceso de diagnóstico, certificación y capacitación en el que podrán participar todos los docentes que imparten la asignatura de Inglés en las escuelas secundarias de la entidad (205100300-3177/2008 document from the Unidad de Apoyo a la Educación Básica).

- Etapas del Programa. Primera etapa. Presentar una prueba diagnóstica de conocimiento del inglés en línea para conocer su nivel de dominio del idioma, realizada por la UNAM. La Dirección general de Acreditación, Incorporación y Revalidación (DGAIR) de la SEPemitirá una constancia del Certificado Nacional de Nivel de Idioma (CENNI) que acredite sus conocimientos (Document from Subsecretaría de Educación Básica).

- Etapas del Programa. Segunda etapa. De conformidad con el nivel obtenido en la evaluación diagnóstica, los docentes podrán aplicar a alguna de las siguientes alternativas de formación y/o certificación, bajo un proyecto de colaboración entre la Subsecretaría de Educación Básica y la UNAM.
a) Examen de dominio de inglés para aquellos que acrediten niveles avanzados del idioma con el fin de obtenet una certificación de alto nivel emitida por la UNAM y por la DGAIR.
b) Estancias en el extranjero en las Escuelas de Extensión de la UNAM ubicadas en Estados Unidos y Canadá para aquellos maestros y maestras que cuenten con niveles avanzados del idioma, pero que requieran un curso de perfeccionamiento.
c) Opciones de formación nacional a través de estancias, licenciaturas y cursos para mejorar el dominio del idioma inglés en modalidades presencial y a distancia.
(Document from Subsecretaría de Educación Básica).

- La prueba diagnóstica se llevará a cabo en línea utilizando la infraestructura de los Centros de Maestros (Document from Subsecretaría de Educación Básica).

- El portal de internet donde se alojará la prueba diagnóstica comenzará a funcionar del 18 de noviembre al 5 de diciembre del presente año, en horario de 9:00 a 18:00 horas (horario de la ciudad de México) (Document from Subsecretaría de Educación Básica).

- Se impartirán cursos de capacitación a todos los docentes de acuerdo con el resultado de su diagnóstico. la capacitación se otorgará en una modalidad nacional y en otra internacional (Convocatoria from Dirección General de Formación Continua de Maestros en Servicios from SEP).

- A la modalidad internacional podrán participar los docentes que obtengan al menos un puntaje de B2 (intermedio-avanzado) en la prueba diagnóstica. Dichos aspirantes recibirán un curso intensivo de capacitación de 80 horas (distribuidas en tres o cuatro semanas) en las Escuelas de Extensión de la UNAM, con sede en los Estados Unidos y Canadá (Convocatoria from Dirección General de Formación Continua de Maestros en Servicios from SEP).

- Aquellos maestros que obtengan niveles de A1 a B1 recibirán opciones de capacitación en diferentes programas de formación en inglés a nivel estatal o bien, participarán en estancias de formación intensiva en el Centro de Estudios para Extranjeros de la UNAM ubicada en Taxco, Guerrero (Convocatoria from Dirección General de Formación Continua de Maestros en Servicios from SEP).

- Para aquellos docentes que califiquen para la estancia en el extranjero, la SEP, a través de la Dirección General de Formación Continua de Maestros en Servicio, cubrirá el costo del programa de estudios y les brindará una beca para realizar el pago correspondiente a los gastos de translado al extranjero, hospedaje y alimentación durante la estancia académica (Convocatoria from Dirección General de Formación Continua de Maestros en Servicios from SEP).

Dear colleagues,
As you can see, there are a great variety of options for all of us! Take one of them and don't hesitate it! If you need more information add a comment in this post.

Inter-American Partnership for Education 2009 Convocatoria

Dear colleagues, one and all,

One of the best experiences an English Teacher can have in a Summer is a Scholarship at Dartmouth College. The experiences are not only academic, but also personal and human ones.

The convocatoria for the 2009 IAPE Teachers’ Collaborative is now on-line at

http://www.worldfund.org/IAPE

Applications are due Tuesday, February 3, 2009.

You must know that The Inter-American Partnership for Education (IAPE) is a Clinton Global Initiative Commitment that strives to transform English language instruction in Mexico's public schools and public universities by training and supporting a dedicated network of innovative and dynamic educators.

Don't hesitate to ask me anything about an amazing experience like a scholarship like this!!!

Keep in touch.

A Wonderful Project in a Public School in Edomex

Hello colleagues!
I want to share with all of you some pictures of a interesting Project that took place in a public school, Secundaria No 80, La Magdalena Atlicpac, Los Reyes La Paz, Estado de Mexico.
There were 7 balloons of different shapes and colors in the air. Students and teachers in that school got a lot of fun with this project, and also worked in cross curricular tasks.
Information about the Project:
Length. They worked in the project for three weeks, from October 27th to November 14th.
Organization. They came to an agreement in Academies, English, Mathematics, and Science. They prepared different tasks (duration of the project, responsibilities, dates, how to evaluate the project, etc).
Expansion. Students looked for information about balloons -construction, materials, etc. - in different sources, such as magazines, text books, encyclopedias, and Internet. They prepared mock-ups in order to present the information. Students built balloons.
Evaluation. They prepared some qustions to be answered,
- How can this kind of projects help curriculum development?
- How are approaches of different matters developed?
- How is “Perfil de Egreso 2006” reached?







Congratulations to all teachers and studentes of this public school! Specialy to English teachers! Thanks Ana for share your experience and pictures!

A Roadrunner

During my last course in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I took some pictures of common things that can be unusual for us in Naucalpan, like this roadrunner getting feed in the University Campus.

Construction - Destruction - Reconstruction

Like in learning process, as well.

Collaborative Work in a Public School

What's up fellows?
I want to share with all of you some pictures of a Collaborative Work I supervised last October 23rd in Mahatma Gandhi School in Chamapa, where our colleagues Moni, Alejandra, and Berenice (this last in picture 3) work day after day.
The activity was designed to put into practice all knowledge students have learnt during the first months of this school year.
First graders activity applied Total Physical Response principles, so students followed intructions given by an advanced student. Picture number 1 shows how students formed numbers with different color sheets.
Second graders performed presentations and role plays in which they introduced and described widely known people. We met Rey Misterio, Mohamed Ali, and also different bands. Pictures 2 and 4 show these activities.
Thrid graders sang a nice-warm-sweet song. There was the typical big-balloon floating above people with slam included. There is no picture about it but we have a video tape not included in this post for technical reasons only. I promise to post videos on YouTube soon.
The most important thing I could saw was the collaboration among teachers. This proved things can work if we collaborate each other. So, let's keep working on this way.
Greetings for all of you colleagues!

Jeremy Harmer's Workshop

Last Monday, October 13th, Lulu, Nora, Jackie, Marce, and me went to an interesting Workshop with Professor Harmer. It was amazing!
To update our teaching competences is an obligation, I think. If you want more information about the workshop, contact any of us. We can share with you all the materials, books, and everything.
Keep in touch colleagues.

The Hanover Academic Experiences. Part VII

Monday, July 14
Weather:
High of 83, low of 54, possible thunderstorms

Today Syllabus:
1. Kirby Grabowsky, Columbia University, “Trends in Assessment” (DCAL)
2. Rassias Workshop (206 Dartmouth Hall)
3. Outing to Language Camp at Kimbal Union Academy for games and activities with language students

The Hanover Academic Experiences. Part VI

Sunday, July 13

Weather: Isolated T-storms/Wind High of 84, low of 63

Today Syllabus:

1. ALPs classes.
2. Catholic Mass at St. Denis Parish, a Parish of Ctholic Diocese of Manchester, NH, 29 Lebanon St.

3. Rassias Workshop (206 Dartmouth Hall)

It's not difficult to love Professor Rassias. He goes directly to yout heart. That's why our saying 'Teachers working with teachers, No Crusts'.

The Hanover Academic Experiences. Part V

Saturday, July 12
Weather: Partly cloudy, High of 84, evening: partly to mostly cloudy with a low of 61F

Today Syllabus:
1. ALPs classes.

2. Talk by Lauren Clark, "Challenging Assumptioms of Language Learning" (DCAL).

3. Rassias Workshop, 206 Dartmouth Hall.

3. Movie at Nugget Theater, 57 South Main Street.

The Hanover Academic Experiences. Part IV

Friday, July 11

Weather: Possible Thunderstorms, high of 81 and low of 52

Today Syllabus:

1. A talk by Tomothy Rumberger, Principal of an inner city school, New Bedfor, MA and Kim Rumberger, Technology Facilitator, Barnstable Public Schools, "Getting Involved with Technology in Education" (DCAL).

2. Karen M. Gocsik, Adjunct Associate Professor/Executive Director, Program of Writing and Rhetoric, Dartmout College (DCAL).

3. Rassias Drill Practice with Rassias-trained teachers (DCAL).

4. Donna Issacs, Educational Consultant and Learning Specialist, Center for School Secess (DCAL).

Tim, the Principal of 'The Little School with A BIG HEART' in New Bedford working with us, people from Sinaloa, Aguascalientas and Chiapas. He insisted in some relevant ideas such as make schools fun for kids, such as there is no bad students but bad teachers, such as make enjoyable learning experiences with meaningful activities for students.

Kim at DCAL with her speach of 'Getting involved with Technology in Education. Tools for 21st Century Teaching'.

- Traditional vs. Digital Learning'?

- Are kids dofferent because of digital area?

- How and Why motivate students with Technology?

- Can we talk of a 21st Century Pedagogy?

- What kind of technological tools do we have to use nowadays?

The Hanover Academic Experiences. Part III

Thursday, July 10
Weather: Mostly sunny, high of 80, low of 56

Today's Syllabus:
1. Observations of Accelerated Language Programs (ALPs) Master classes and drills.
2. Local teachers of English as a Second Language share their perspectives about the ALPs immersion experience as ESL and their own teaching outside of Rassias Center.
3. Rassias Workshop.
4.Steven Atkins, Psy. D. Psychologist, School Consultant, Dartmouth Medical School, "At Risk Populations".

If you want to take a walk around town, see the map of Hanover.

Early in the morning we observed accelerated language classes. A seven groups of French, German, and Japanese students, all of them applying drills with Rassias' Method. I observed a French spoken class where learners followed each one the paradigm of drills in the Method. Once again it brought snaping and visual contact between teacher and students out to me. Helen Rassias gave us instructions in order to get the best of all.












Colleagues in work:

Alexa and Linda shared their experiences about the ALPs immersion as ESL teaching outside of the Rassias.

By the end of the day Dr. Steve Atkins, co-authored of three books speached about teaching, learning and learning disabilities. Dr. Atkins holds a Masters degree in Education from Harvard University and a Doctorate of Psychology from the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology. -Do you remember than very popular book 'Because I Said so! Dealing With Family Squabbles'?

The Hanover Academic Experiences. Part II

Wednesday, July 9
Weather: Mostly sunny, high of 80, low of 56

Schedule:
1. Simulated language immersion Master Class
2. Simulated language drills
3. Debriefing discussion
4. Rassias Workshop (DCAL)
5. Reflection time (DCAL)
6. Discussion session with John Rassias (DCAL)
7. Talk by Lauren Clarke, Executive Director, Master of Arts in Liberal Studies, Darmouth College “Challenging Assumptions of Language Learning”. Part 1

Wow! In order to live Rassias’ Method we had different language lessons (Japanese, German, and French). My first experience with the Method… We tried, failed, received feedback, and tried again and again before anyone makes a judgment of our work. Definitely it was a very constructive experience. Wonderful!

To be in a Workshop with John Rassias is an amazing experience, is to be in a very human act. He contact you face-to-face, eye-to-eye, heart-to-heart, soul-to-soul.
During the Workshop we felt we could learn. This principle of the Method facilitated a most deeply learning process. “Juanmoretime” pushed all parts of our bodies to participate in the act of communication. We could feel passion, commitment, emotion, and love. All good teachers must know this man and his Method.

Here some photos during the Workshop…


















Statements for the reflection (all pronounced by John Rassias during the Discussion Session):
- The DNA of culture is language.
- Speak to learn not learn to speak (a principle of the Philosophy in the Method).
- If everything is predictable the class dies.
- Every language teacher should study another language, look at it, see how it’s done, and compare to what is done by oneself.


To close this journey with diamonds a Talk by Lauren Clarke. She made us think. She suggested to us to ask the “Why Questions”… Why are we learning this? She suggested to us looking behind immediate tasks… With which statement do we agree more?
a) Education is inherently political.
b) Good education is politically neutral?
Lauren forced us to think... A better way to finish the day? I don’t think so.

The Hanover Academic Experiences. Part I

INTER-AMERICAN PARTNERSHIP FOR EDUCATION
A Summer Program at Dartmouth College for Mexican Teachers of English as a Foreign Language
Just to initiate a closed contact with all of you in Mexico, I will be informing you about this 2008 Summer Programme in Hanover, New Hampshire, day after day.

What you have to know about this journey:
- It will take place in Dartmouth College (http://www.dartmouth.edu/)

- A very key Institution in this programme is Worldfund.
Worldfund’s unique mission is to support high-quality and results-driven education in Latin America—the key to transforming lives and reducing poverty.
(http://www.worldfund.org/)

- The Philosophy of Language Instruction in Rassias Method® - "Nothing is real unless it touches something in me and I am aware of it".

- "To Prof. John Rassias, language is ritual celebration, a momentous living theatre . . . Emotion and rhythm and movement make people remember things." - Linell Smith, The Baltimore Sun.
(http://www.dartmouth.edu/~rassias/john_rassias/about.html)

- The Rassias Method® is a unique approach that speeds language learning, increases language retention and has you speaking and understanding in "Ten days that make a difference". Originally developed for Peace Corps training, it has been adapted by language teachers in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia.
(http://www.dartmouth.edu/~rassias/)

The Days Before the Workshop

Riiiiiiiiiiing… Riiiiiiiiiing… It was a phone call from Greengates School Principal Armando Avellaneda advising me about IAPE’s Scholarship Programme to attend a Professional Teaching Workshop in Hanover, New Hampshire, USA. – Of course it is a unique opportunity, thank you very much Armando, I am going to tell every teacher I work with…

Application forms, essays, institutional letters, certificates of studies, TOEFL results, passports, VISAs, and so on. Just 40 Mexican teachers from around all the country, the original list was more than 120. Good and God, I was selected!

Dartmouth College was waiting for us... Here we are part of the group at Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City.
A paper was given to us to be read, 'Methods That Work. Ideas for Literacy and Language Teachers' by John W. Oller, Jr. from the University of New Mexico. The following ideas were taken from that article:

- Acting and life are inseparable from effective teaching.

- All the world is a stage, every classroom is a theater and every teacher is an actor.

- Drama is a tool for a more effective teaching.

- The students have to got to be made stretch their powers, their capacities. Isn't that what teaching's all about?

- Sometimes in Rassias Method all mistakes are inmmediatly rightes, and the student must repeat it correctly. Aceptable responses are reinforced with embraces, pats, clucking noises, and smiles.

- The teacher must make eye-to-eye contact with his students.

- The most effective technique is to put students into real, living situations.

- Stress the importance of drama and emotions in teaching: "If you get the students involved and make them do what you want them to, they'll never forget what you teach them".

- John Rassias fused the essence of acting-the ability to touch an audience-and the essence of teaching.communication.

- John Rassias belives that, for both actors and teachers, the best way to be effective is to keep the audience's, or the students' attention. He does so by using surprise and spontaneity.

- John Rassias also belives that "there is no such thing as a bad student. There are only bad teachers. And they're bad because they don't care enough. They don't put enough energy into it, they don't show respect for their students, and they don't prepare their lessons".

Tuesday 8 July, 2008.

During the trip from NY City to Hanover, NH, we watched video “Rassias in China”. It caught my attention whit the idea of language energy. Because language is energy we teachers must let that power to emerge in the classroom.
It was very interesting to see how drama techniques make people produce language, and those words from John Rassias “the only thing between teacher and students must be love, must be air”. What a deep human approach!
Here it is John working with us...

The dormitories at Darmouth College in Hanover…

One of the most beautiful buildings oncampus, built in 1784...

The Library where a mural painted by José Clemente Orozco in 1932 is shown to be admired for visitors from around all the world.

By the end of the journy the group working with Jim Citron, our Tutor.