Colorado Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (CoTESOL)
In November of 2012 and 2013, I attended the two-day CoTESOL conference in Denver, CO. CoTESOL, held every year, is an excellent professional development opportunity. My attendance at the 2012 and 2013 conferences, and my participation at the 2013 conference shows that I actively participate in professional growth opportunities, exchanging ideas with others, and learning new things.
At the 2013 conference, I attended 10 sessions, including Does Free Reading Really Help Students Learn?, Navigating the TESOL Job Application Process, Pronunciation: Activities and Materials for EFL and ESL, Implementing a Formative Peer Observation Protocol, Integrative Teaching Methods Using Movie Films, Facilitating Meaningful Acquisition in Intensive Language Programs, and Deborah Short's plenary speech. Though I enjoyed all of the sessions I attended, I have chosen my favorite two to discuss below, as these two presentations supplied me with well-modeled, integrative new resources and activities to implement in my own classroom.
At the 2013 conference, I attended 10 sessions, including Does Free Reading Really Help Students Learn?, Navigating the TESOL Job Application Process, Pronunciation: Activities and Materials for EFL and ESL, Implementing a Formative Peer Observation Protocol, Integrative Teaching Methods Using Movie Films, Facilitating Meaningful Acquisition in Intensive Language Programs, and Deborah Short's plenary speech. Though I enjoyed all of the sessions I attended, I have chosen my favorite two to discuss below, as these two presentations supplied me with well-modeled, integrative new resources and activities to implement in my own classroom.
Finding TOEFL Skills in the Real World
Presented by Sean Murtagh (The New America College)
Even though this presenter was discussing an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) setting, this was still one of my favorite presentations. I initially decided to attend because I wanted to learn more about the TOEFL, since it is a requirement for entrance to CSU for international students. The presenter gave a breakdown of what the test is by clearly stating the goals for each of the four sections (reading, listening, speaking, writing). For example, in the the reading section students need to practice and improve reading fluency, comprehension, build and use vocabulary with confidence, and understand the organization of the reading passage. After establishing the goals of the activities according to TOEFL, the presenter then supplied us with interesting examples of materials: links to npr.com (listening), learning.blogs.nytimes.com (reading), and voanews.com/learningenglish (listening for lower levels). All of these sites contain current world news stories, making them great material to integrate language skills into the classroom in a meaningful way.
At the end of the presentation, I had a better understanding of the expectations of the TOEFL, a list of resources I can use to integrate all four language skills, and a very clear idea about how to use these resources since the presenter modeled everything he was saying. As I begin to teach in an Intensive English Program, I am seeing opportunities for activity development that can be adapted from this presentation.
At the end of the presentation, I had a better understanding of the expectations of the TOEFL, a list of resources I can use to integrate all four language skills, and a very clear idea about how to use these resources since the presenter modeled everything he was saying. As I begin to teach in an Intensive English Program, I am seeing opportunities for activity development that can be adapted from this presentation.
Exploring New Ways to Teach Vocabulary
Presented by Irina Berger, Pamela Luke, Rachel DeDeyn (Denver University)
I decided to attend this session because I was taking E634 Lexicon at the time. At CoTESOL, I look for presentations that supply the audience with concrete ideas for materials and activities, and this one was no exception. The presenters used PowerPoint to model several activities that were new to me.
For example, instead of a Word Wall, a classic formative vocabulary learning activity, you can use an Alphabox, which is more organized and can be created around a theme.
For example, instead of a Word Wall, a classic formative vocabulary learning activity, you can use an Alphabox, which is more organized and can be created around a theme.
Another activity that I learned about was a 4 Corners Word Wall. This type of Word Wall enhances the amount and type of information of the word, as compared to a regular Word Wall. A 4 Corners Word Wall contains the word, a picture, the word in context, and the definition.
Overall, I appreciated this sessions' clear examples, as well as the versatility of the examples. Most of the vocabulary learning activities they discussed could be adapted to fit the needs of young children to adults. Keeping in mind that students are more likely to remember something the more interesting it is, another key thing that I learned from this presentation was the value of choosing interesting pictures. Unusual or weird images are more likely to help students remember their vocabulary words, and increase interest and motivation.
At the end of this presentation, I came away with a half-dozen new ideas for vocabulary learning activities. I also felt very confident that I knew how to create them and implement them, because the presenters modeled the activities for the audience, treating us as the students. I am sure that I will be able to use some of these ideas as I teach in the near future, because vocabulary building is a constant necessity in teaching English effectively.
Overall, I appreciated this sessions' clear examples, as well as the versatility of the examples. Most of the vocabulary learning activities they discussed could be adapted to fit the needs of young children to adults. Keeping in mind that students are more likely to remember something the more interesting it is, another key thing that I learned from this presentation was the value of choosing interesting pictures. Unusual or weird images are more likely to help students remember their vocabulary words, and increase interest and motivation.
At the end of this presentation, I came away with a half-dozen new ideas for vocabulary learning activities. I also felt very confident that I knew how to create them and implement them, because the presenters modeled the activities for the audience, treating us as the students. I am sure that I will be able to use some of these ideas as I teach in the near future, because vocabulary building is a constant necessity in teaching English effectively.