Beyond the limits of the English Class

Maiza Fatureto

Objectives
1. Raise more awareness on how educators see the general concept of limits 2. Discuss about some of the common challenges teachers face on a daily basis 3. Create a teaching/learning booklet as a way of keeping track of what our beliefs are 4. Draw conclusions on what is/isnt obvious in the teaching practice 5. Draw an analogy between the circus and the classroom different contexts/similar lessons 6. Let changes happen!

1. A LIMIT Concept (Patch Adams Love is Contagious - Chapter 02)

A: How many do you see? B: There are four fingers, Arthur. A: Look at me. Youre focusing on the problem. If you focus on the problem you cant see the solution. Never focus on the problem. Look at me. Look beyond the fingers. How many do you see? B: I see eight. A: Eight is a good answer. See what no one else sees. See what everyone else chooses not to see out
of fear or conformity or laziness. See

the whole

world anew each day.

Food for thought

Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them.

Albert Einstein

Common challenges teachers face

1. Classroom discipline 2. Lack of rapport with learners 3. Too much attention on form 4. Disbelief in what we do in the classroom 5. Heavy focus on the product rather than on the learning process 6. Lack of effective classroom management 7. Strong emphasis on content as opposed to how learners can manage their own learning process 8. Little work on raising learners self-esteem ...

Challenges are part of life so ...

Dont go on automatic! Focus and awareness is everything.

A Passion for the Possible (1998) by Jean Houston HarperSanFrancisco

My booklet of teaching/learning experiences

Tear

...my booklet of teaching/learning experiences

Story Time
Task: How does the elephant story relate to our teaching practice?

Wheres the elephant?

Source: Playway to English 3 Stories Video Herbert Puchta and Gunter Gerngross Cambridge University Press

Another story to help us reflect on the limits we sometimes impose on ourselves

The elephant limit story

In Thailand they tied a baby elephant to a post with a short rope.

The elephant was tied to that post for a year or so. There came

At the end of the year they cut the rope.

The elephant never wandered further from the post than the length of the rope.

He had decided he could never move further than that, and never did, even though the reality was totally different.

He could have walked off as far as he wanted

In what ways are the stories we listened to relevant to teachers/learners? Use your booklets to answer the questions.

1. How do I see myself as an English teacher? 2. What are my beliefs towards teaching and learning? 3. Do I concentrate my efforts on any specific skills? Why?

4. If you made a video of the last class you taught, and showed it to another teacher, what do you think they would say about you as a teacher ? 5. If you watched that video, do you think you would be able to identify parts of the lesson where you limited yourself ?

The Classroom and the Circus

1.The environment
2.The audience 3.The professionals

4.The process
5.The take-away value

The Classroom and the Circus

1. What does this correlation add to our learning/teaching experience ? 2. How can I bring more of the circus to my classroom?

The Classroom and the Circus

Enjoyment

Timing

Captivation

Roars and claps are heard

Magic Hands-on experiences

Cameras operating simultaneously at different angles

Memorable moments

Suspense

Engagement

The Classroom and the Circus

The old wise saying 'the show must go on' is important; no matter what events precede a performance, the smiles must come out, the lights must go on and the magic between the performers and the audience must be there.

To go beyond the limits of English Class ... A teacher can and should advance in professional expertise and knowledge throughout his or her career, and such advances do not depend on formal courses or external input. You have within your own teaching routine the main tools for personal progress: your own experience and your reflections on it, interaction with other teachers in your institution. Teacher development takes place when teachers, working as individuals or in a group, consciously take advantage of such resources to forward their own professional learning.

(Penny Ur in A Course in Language Teaching, Cambridge University Press)

Going beyond limits also means valuing every learner as a unique human being with a great learning potential.

Patch Adams Love is Contagious

Going beyond limits also means valuing ourselves as unique human beings

You are more than you pretend to be You are more than what most eyes can see You are more than all your history Look inside and you will find Theres glory in your mind Come be the kind of person you would be!
A Passion for the Possible (1998) by Jean Houston HarperSanFrancisco

You are more than cell and blood and bone You are more than just your name alone You are more than all that you may own Look around you everywhere Theres something that we share The magic in the air is you!

You are more than some statistic chart You are more than the sum of all your parts You are more inside your heart of hearts You know that it is true This being that is you Has miracles to do Believe ...

By reflecting on our teaching/learning practice we might let go of the ropes that prevent us from breaking away

break away (ESCAPE) phrasal verb to leave or to escape from someone who is holding you: He grabbed her, but she managed to break away.
FIGURATIVE One or two of the tourists broke away from the tour group.
(Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary)

Break away
by Kelly Clarkson

Grew up in a small town And when the rain would fall down I'd just stare out my window Dreaming of what could be And if I'd end up happy I would pray

Trying hard to reach out But when I tried to speak out Felt like no one could hear me Wanted to belong here But something felt so wrong here So I prayed I could break away

I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly I'll do what it takes till I touch the sky And I'll make a wish Take a chance, make a change And break away Out of the darkness and into the sun But I won't forget all the ones that I love I'll take a risk, take a chance Make a change And break away

Wanna feel the warm breeze Sleep under a palm tree Feel the rush of the ocean Get on board a fast train Travel on a jet plane, far away And break away

I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly I'll do what it takes till I touch the sky And I'll make a wish Take a chance, make a change And break away Out of the darkness and into the sun But I won't forget all the ones that I love Gotta take a risk, take a chance Make a change And break away

Buildings with a hundred floors Swinging around revolving doors Maybe I don't know where they'll take me but But gotta keep moving on, moving on Fly away, break away

I'll spread my wings And I'll learn how to fly Though it's not easy to tell you goodbye I gotta take a risk Take a chance, make a change And break away Out of the darkness and into the sun But I won't forget the place I come from Gotta take a risk, take a chance, make a change And break away, break away, break away

So, all in all ... Let us all here today see beyond our challenges in the classroom and what we believe our limits are. Lets believe we can focus on possibilities, reach out for solutions and keep our minds open for change.

Last but not least,

Make a wish Take a chance, Make a change And break away!

See the whole educational context anew each day.

Thank you!

Keep in touch! mfatureto@cambridge.org.br (11) 9406 8888 Maiza Fatureto