One of my favorite professional development activities every year is to attend and sometimes present at conferences. This year I had the opportunity to attend the TESOL Convention in Seattle Washington, where more than 6,000 teachers from around the world came to share ideas. Conferences provide teachers with an opportunity to get a feel for what other teachers are doing in their classrooms, it is a chance to ask questions, meet new people, think about how we teach and discover new ideas. This year I went into the convention wanting to improve my knowledge of how to teach pronunciation. I came away with several new ideas in that area as well as many other things to think about. 1. Keynote Speaker: |
What a valuable conference, so much perspective to be gained. My kids' best teachers were those who recognized how they best learn (like my younger son, who's very tactile) and those who incorporated movement into the learning environment.
I think that for some reason learning has become more and more of a sitting activity when that really works against how our brains function. Movement is so important for the brain. Expecting anyone to sit for hours and hours and have optimal learning and enjoyment is counter productive! I am going get my students moving whenever possible this semester!
So many interesting contributions, your head must probably have exploded after the convention! Then again it seems you were taking impeccable notes!
I like the story of the son who "told" his Dad about the tree taking a shower.
I have a similar tree story.
When my son was 15 months old he started to say simple words. Mom, Dad, ball, car, and (because it was Christmas) tree. He especially liked a huge Christmas tree at one of our local supermarkets (called "COOP"), he'd always point, smile and tell me "tree" He also said something like "lights".
Anyway, in January we were on your way to work / daycare. We were waiting at a red light, and all of a sudden he went "tree" and kept shaking his head. I had no idea what brought this on. Until I discovered a COOP delivery truck on the other side of the street. My baby had recognised the supermarket's logo and told me that now there was no more Christmas tree at the grocery store!!!
PS: I think medical people refer to patients as veggies because after prolonged oxygen deprivation they're in a persistent vegetative state. Glad your speaker's Mom knew better!
What a valuable conference! This is excellent information for educators. I love that insight - teaching and learning are emotional and often smiles and tears go together. So true!
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Hi, I'm Kia.
Teaching is my passion, I have been teaching for over 20 years in 4 different continents. One of the things I have learned over the years is that I am never done learning about teaching. Both teaching and learning should be fun and inspiring.
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