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TDC 3 - CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK AND EFFECTIVE LEARNING

CASA THOMAS JEFFERSON

TDC 3 – PRINCIPLES OF LANGUAGE LEARNING AND TEACHING

TEACHER: LUELI CERUTI

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CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK AND EFFECTIVE LEARNING

On November 11^th, 2013, I observed an adult group consisting of 10 students learning English as a foreign language in the basic level. My objective was to take notes on which types of corrective feedback were used during the class. After all, some types of feedback lead to more uptake on the part of the student while others lead to no uptake at all. However, before I start analyzing the class, there is one thing which must be pointed out. These students have just started learning the language. In cases like this, it is essential that the teacher create a friendly environment in the classroom to foster learning. And the teacher of this particular group definitely achieved that. All the students participated and were eager to learn, which paves the way to successful language learning. Also, it is important to remember that the production of the students is very controlled, since they master very few structures at this point. This being the case, it is totally acceptable that there were more display questions than genuine questions during the class.

EFL classrooms are instructional language learning settings. The focus is on the language itself, rather than on the messages carried by the language. This class was no different and the general goal of the lesson was verbs with opposite meanings. That being said, although they were dealing with verbs, they focused on the meaning of the verbs. Therefore, what I saw was an overall communication-based focus of instruction. Moreover, there was also an activity with a song (Don’t Worry, Be Happy, by Bobby McFerrin), in which the teacher used authentic material to elicit meaning from the students. This made the whole class experience more meaningful for the students.

There are many types of corrective feedback, each with its own appropriate uses. According to research on the topic, some types of feedback are more effective than others in the classroom setting. The types of corrective feedback that I observed during the lesson were varied. The teacher did not use recasts or explicit correction at all, which is a good thing in my opinion. Recasts lead to no uptake, while explicit correction might put the student under the spotlight in front of his peers, creating anxiety and hindering learning. On the other hand, there were plenty of clarification requests and elicitations, as well as repetition and metalinguistic feedback. These types of feedback generate high levels of uptake by students. As the class was taught in a school which follows the communicative approach, all the activities developed during the lesson were student-centered. Therefore, it’s no surprise that the type of corrective feedback that was mostly used during the class was elicitation, which generates a 100% uptake by students. All in all, it was a very effective class in terms of student uptake. The teacher did an outstanding job.

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The big question that comes to mind, however, is when to use corrective feedback in classrooms.  Too much feedback can be overwhelming and learners may see their performance as a failure, thus injuring their self-image and confidence. On the other hand, little feedback may help students improve in a few areas such as fluency, but it may be harmful to students' progress in the long run. At the end of the day, the goal is to find balance between giving too much or too little corrective feedback. Stay on the lookout for that teachable moment. Make sure you know your students well so you can be ready when the moment presents itself. Also, vary your types of feedback so students with different learning abilities can benefit from them equally. Unfortunately, there is no perfect recipe that works in all classrooms. Each teacher must adapt his classes, activities, and types of corrective feedback to his own students. Remember this: teachers are the pawns in this game of chess. The key players here are the students. The ultimate goal in any classroom, after all, is that learning takes place.

TDC 3 - Second Language Learning - How And When Should Grammar Be Taught?

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Grammar is a controversial topic when it comes to teaching a foreign language. For one thing, very few people truly enjoy studying grammar, even in their own native language. Since it’s full of rules and exceptions, it may raise havoc in the minds of those who attempt to conquer that territory. Those who know the grammar of their native language well seem to sail smoothly when learning a new language. On the other hand, students who haven’t mastered their first-language grammar might have a much more turbulent ride. Whether this happens because of factors such as students’ cognitive development, age, personality, motivation, or learner beliefs, it is the teacher’s job to create a peaceful learning environment with varied instructional activities so that learners with different abilities and learning characteristics can be successful in learning a second language.

There are many questions involving grammar teaching. What is the best way to teach it? Should it be descriptive or prescriptive? Should teachers approach it inductively or deductively? When should it be taught? Well, the answer to all of those questions is “it depends.” “On what?” you might ask. It totally depends on your students’ preferences. Teachers had better find out what they are if they wish to have a bloodless environment in the classroom. In my twenty-odd years as a foreign language teacher, I have noticed that adult learners prefer a more direct approach to learning grammar. They want to know the rules and they want to do lots of exercises to internalize a new grammar point. Younger learners, on the other hand, would much rather use the new grammar informally and just communicate. Could it be because adults are more developed cognitively and they understand the mechanics of the language? Is it a question of motivation? Is it because of their age? It doesn’t really matter why. The goal is to facilitate learning. So, forget what you would like or what you believe is better for your students. Take the time to find out what they like. It can easily be done in the first few weeks of classes. Pay attention to their reactions when doing a specific type of activity. Analyze their body language. Students will indirectly let you know what they prefer.

And this brings us to the most important question. When should we teach grammar? Being a believer of the communicative approach, and having studied the learning cycle of the brain, I find that a teacher must not start teaching a grammar point directly. It will create anxiety and learning will be hindered. There should be some kind of input for the learners first, be it a video, a dialog, or a conversation topic. Let the learners sink it in and reflect. Only then should the teacher introduce the topic for students to test their hypotheses through exercises and oral production. Let’s use the natural relationship between brain structure and learning to our advantage.

To make a long story short, learning a foreign language can be problematic and grammar usually plays a huge role in this scenario. In a classroom with students who have different learner characteristics and who will react differently to the same learning conditions, the teacher can easily find himself in a bind. The key to reduce anxiety and foster learning is to vary activities in the classroom. This way, learners with different abilities and preferences may achieve success in learning the new language. And who knows? If tension and negativity can be minimized, teaching and studying grammar might even become an enjoyable experience for both teachers and learners alike.

TDC 3 - Psychology - Cognitivism according to Piaget and Vygostky

TDC 3 – Principles of Language and Learning

Teacher: Lueli Ceruti

Psychology – Cognitivism according to Piaget and Vygotsky

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Piaget believed that children's cognitive development was influenced by four factors: biological maturation, activity, social experiences, and equilibration. This way, learning took place through interaction with the world. He believed that education meant helping children learn on their own. Ultimately, individuals construct their own understanding. On the other hand, Vygotsky believed that cognitive development happens through the child's interactions with more capable members of his culture - adults or more able peers. The child is not alone in the world. These more knowledgeable others serve as guides and teachers, providing the information and support necessary for the child to grow intellectually.

 While Piaget believed that learning comes from within, following the four stages of development – the sensorimotor stage (age 0-2), the preoperational stage (age 2-7), the concrete operational stage (age 7-11), and the formal operational stage (age 11-adult), Vygotsky believed that first there is interaction with a more knowledgeable other, and then the child internalizes the new schemes. Moreover, Vygotsky believed that all higher-order mental processes, such as reasoning and problem solving, are helped by cultural tools (material tools and psychological tools), such as language, signs, and symbols. Adults teach these tools to children through day-to-day activities and children internalize them. Then, the psychological tools can help students advance their own development. In the past, cultural tools included printing presses, pencils, rulers, etc. Nowadays, we have computers, iPads, and the Internet. The more tools there are available, the more the child is able to develop cognitively.

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It’s also important to remember that Vygotsky placed more emphasis than Piaget on the role of learning and language in cognitive development. He believed that language in the form of private speech guides cognitive development. We all know that children talk to themselves when they are playing. While Piaget called this egocentrism (the child has difficulties accepting other people’s points of views and believes the world sees things the same way as he does), Vygotsky suggested that when that happens, children are moving towards self-regulation: the ability to plan, monitor, and guide one's own thinking and problem solving. It's a way to internalize new schemes.

An important concept for Vygotsky is the Zone of Proximal Development, which is what the learner could understand with scaffolding from the teacher or a peer (more knowledgeable other). This is the area between the boring and the impossible, not too easy but not impossibly difficult. With a little support from the more knowledgeable other, instruction can succeed and real learning is possible.

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To make a long story short, whether you prefer Piaget’s views or you agree with Vygotsky, when it comes to the classroom, teachers have to identify students' prior knowledge first. This includes the cultural aspect. Based on that, they can create scaffolding activities towards a goal. Both Piaget and Vygotsky would agree that this can be done with models, prompts, and coaching. Also, teachers should provide students with tools that support thinking, such as dictionaries, computer searches, and word processors. But more importantly, teachers should emphasize dialog and group learning, since peer interaction is one of the most efficient ways to stimulate cognitive development. In the end, learning is all that matters, and your students’ needs should guide your activities in the classroom.

TDC 3 - Neuroscience - What Makes a Brain-friendly Activity

TDC 3 – Principles of Language and Learning

Teacher: Lueli Ceruti

Neuroscience – What Makes a Brain-friendly Activity

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There are a million activities a teacher can do in class to facilitate learning. But are they all brain-friendly? Do the students use all the parts of their brains? Is the teacher allowing them to use their sensory cortex, back integrative cortex, frontal integrative cortex, and motor cortex? Ideally, that’s what should happen. In this post, I’ll be analyzing two videos presented to us in the first part of the course. The first one is “the meteor activity” and the second one is “the buzzer activity”. The idea here is not to criticize the activities, but to analyze them from a brain perspective.

The Meteor Activity

 

The meteor activity was excellent because it involved whole-brain learning. The teacher used their prior knowledge and neuronal networks by showing them a disaster film about a meteor that was going to crash into earth. I'm guessing all the students had probably watched the movie or some other kind of similar film. The back cortex comes into play as they use their extrinsic memory (semantic and episodic) to remember that event. After that, the teacher gave each student a piece of paper with an action verb. They went outside and the students had to act out their "action". While they were doing their own action, they had to pay attention to what the others were doing when the meteor hit.  Again, they had to use their memory. First, they used their extrinsic memory, and then their intrinsic memory, in order to act out their roles. They also had to use their frontal cortex and working memory to remember what their classmates were doing, because they had to retell what their classmates had been doing once they got back to class.

When they were back in the classroom, the teacher used their prior knowledge of grammar to ask simple past questions. What did they do? Who mimed better? etc. After that, the teacher asked some questions such as "what was he doing when the meteor crashed"? The students had to hypothesize to produce the answer, but they had verb to be in the present and past, and the present continuous (verb to be + ing), in their neuronal networks. So, they heard the question and, with a little guidance from the teacher, they were able to join their prior knowledge, semantic and episodic memory, and the emotion of doing the actions to hypothesize and come up with the right structure to answer the questions (sensory input, reflection, hypothesis, and active testing).

What can I transfer to my classroom? Well, the activity was very fun for the students. They went outside and had fun acting out their roles. This created a nice episodic memory for them, which made it easier to remember things back in the class. Stories make a difference and help students remember what they are supposed to. Also, the teacher totally connected with the students and respected their prior knowledge. She started from the information that they already had. They were having fun together. Consequently, there was no risk and the amygdala was left alone. The students were able to fulfill the learning cycle of their brains. Coming up with an activity like this definitely helps students use their whole brain.

The Buzzer Activity

The students were divided into 2 groups and they used the buzzer in pairs to answer the questions. The first activity was very simple and they had to answer yes or no (or true or false). The teacher established prior knowledge. After that, there was another activity, where they had to answer in short answers and correct the information if it were wrong. Reflection and hypotheses came into play. Like in the meteor activity, the students had to use their whole brains to participate. There was an activity for memory and back cortex, an activity for reflection (integrative cortex), the opportunity to hypothesize the correct answer (front cortex), and the final movement of their hands to press the buzzer (motor cortex).

There were also emotions involved. The students were quite excited because it was a competition. They were also having fun and paying attention to the others. The students could evaluate how they were doing in comparison to their classmates through this competitive activity. After all, peers tend to have similar neuronal networks. Although some might only look at the extrinsic motivation of the game and hitting the buzzer, if they had success, it created some intrinsic motivation. Thus, happiness and long-term memory might have been achieved.

The activity was really nice because it was very linear. Teachers have to respect the students' neuronal networks, start from there, and then move forward in order to create a reasonable challenge. If the challenge is too great, the students might get frustrated.

Some viewers may argue that the students might have had only extrinsic motivation. They might have been only interested in the game, and not so much in what they were learning. That would explain why some of them lost interest after a while. However, a little competition can be good in class, right? Emotion motivates students. And it also helps them remember things. They might remember the event and what they did (episodic memory), which in turn might help them remember the concepts that were being taught (semantic memory). Learning is the goal. And different students will learn different things at different paces. If some students only improved their translating abilities, for example, so be it. We must not expect that all students will perform at the same level. I'm sure some of them thought about their answers (when they had to correct the wrong sentences). The point is, after all, whether they used their whole brains or not. In my humble opinion, they definitely did!

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Is Pronunciation Important in Language Teaching?

Just like the debate involving accuracy and fluency, or whether correct grammar is more or less important than vocabulary chunks, we face the question of pronunciation. At the beginning of our Phonetics and Phonology module (May 3rd, 2013 – Online Week fromApril 26th to May 6th – Task 1), I didn’t think pronunciation played a major role in communication and I’ll explain why. Since there are so many different forms of English around the globe, native and non-native included, we cannot consider only one model of English as the correct one (for example, BBC English or American English.) Therefore, the focus should not be pronunciation per se, but communication pure and simple. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be possible for Chinese students learning English to visit Scotland, or even for businessmen from different countries (let’s say Saudi Arabia and Mexico for the sake of the argument) to negotiate and find common ground in order to reach their agreements.

Pronunciation Cartoon - www3.telus.net

On the other hand, we must remember and acknowledge that those students aiming to be L2 teachers or even secret agents must strive to sound native. In that case, I have to admit that correct pronunciation teaching is much more important. The student must choose the model he or she wants to learn and try to emulate it perfectly. After all, his or her livelihood will depend on it.

However, in terms of communication alone, not including those people who need to sound perfectly native, stress and intonation play a role which is as important as grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. Unlike Portuguese, which is a syllable-timed language, English is a stress-timed language. It is also an intonation language. This means that intonation in English is an important vehicle for meaning. It helps the listener to get a clearer picture of what the speaker intends to get across. Inappropriate use of intonation may mislead people, hinder communication, and cause annoyance.

To make a long story short, I would like to revisit and change my opinion about the importance of pronunciation teaching. When we look at phonemes individually, the difference between thanks and tanks may not make a difference for listeners because the context of the conversation will help them understand the speaker. Nevertheless, in connected speech, stress and intonation play a crucial role. The way a person speaks can make him sound polite, rude, friendly, or confused. It will also separate questions from statements, for example. Therefore, I must say that pronunciation and intonation teaching, contrary to what I initially believed, is indeed an indispensable and fundamental tool to help students acquire fluency, get their ideas across correctly, and improve their comprehension.

Argumentative Essay - Blended Learning

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Blended Learning is more effective than Traditional Learning

          The world is becoming increasingly dependent on computers and technology. In addition to that, lack of time plays a crucial role in the future of education, and students are resorting to other ways of learning. One of the ways to overcome the problem of not being able to study regularly is a blended course, because those who are not able to watch all the F2F classes can cover the material online. Since there are still students who prefer traditional classes, the academic world has recently been asking a very interesting question. Is blended learning more effective than traditional learning? Is that what the future holds in store for us? Well, in my opinion, blended learning is in fact more effective than traditional learning, and it should be the only way to go.

            For one thing, students in a blended course are much more autonomous than those in a traditional course. They will manage their time in a way that all the tasks are done comfortably. Besides learning at their own pace, they have the flexibility to choose whether they will work at night or in the morning. In other words, they will be in charge of their own learning. This paves the way for meaningful learning because the students will feel responsible for their own learning.

            Another reason why blended learning is more effective than traditional learning is that students can check their progress more easily and safely. E-portfolios are infinitely more organized than paper portfolios. The student can save his or her writings and back them up on another device. This way, he or she will have two copies of the essays, for example. Hence, there is no risk of losing a sheet of paper or the feedback given by the teacher. Also, since it is easier to keep the writings and to check progress, students are usually more motivated. This happens because, at the speed of a click, they can check what they have already achieved up to that point.

            Of course, those who are inhibited by computers or do not like change will try to find problems with blended courses. They might say that studying online depends on Internet connection, and that they are not able to do the activities if there is no signal. They might even say that there are countless distractions on the Internet, making it too difficult for students to concentrate. The truth of the matter is that they are only finding excuses. Problems exist in blended courses just like they do in traditional classes. Students in traditional classes will not be able to have class if there is a blackout, for example. Besides that, there are numerous distractions that may hinder learning in a traditional classroom as well, some of which are cellphones, peer chatting, or noise from outside. At the end of the day, there are no excuses. Students have the obligation to develop their own strategies to jump over possible hurdles.

            To make a long story short, there are those who will never give in to change, and will always prefer traditional learning. Nevertheless, global tendency is moving towards blended courses. People’s lives are increasingly busy and they must find ways to deal with their lack of time. In a world where investing in your own development is essential if you want to succeed, and finding time to study regularly is like finding a needle in a haystack, blended learning seems like the only oasis in an endless desert. Ultimately, whether people like it or not, blended learning is here to stay.

Process Analysis Essay - Improving Listening and Vocabulary

Inglisz komon: Anatomia języka i klocki Legoinglisz

Process Analysis Essay

André Netto

Improving Listening and Vocabulary

                 Imagine you are learning a new language and your teacher asks you to practice by watching a movie in that same language over the weekend. Having chosen Saturday as your D-Day, you then decide to make a great day out of it. After putting on your best outfit, you go earlier in order to catch lunch at a cozy little restaurant with that special person whom you have been trying to go out with for ages.  In order to impress your date, you choose to watch the movie about which all the critics have been raving. However, in your quest for success with your loved one, you have totally missed the fact that this special showing of the movie does not have any subtitles. Your date turns into a complete failure because neither of you can understand a word said by the actors, you are now frustrated because you think your classes are not paying off, and your partner thinks you are a total loser.

        Although you might believe you have reached rock bottom, there is no need to lose hope. In fact, all you have done is tried to run before you could walk. Students will not learn a language overnight, for it takes a lot of time and effort. There are no shortcuts. Putting the cart before the horse will only make your life miserable, since you will not live up to your own expectations of yourself. And the language teacher plays an important role in this scenario. The key to improving students’ listening and vocabulary is to move forward slowly and make it enjoyable.

        If the teacher decides to go down that road, he or she should first use songs in class, rather than movies or TV shows. Besides showing students that the words they are learning are actually used by everyone including famous people, they are short and easy to work with. Also, there are a number of different types of exercises that can be used, such as fill-in-the-blanks exercises for beginners, or a discussion of the meaning of the song for more advanced students. Whichever exercise is chosen, the most important thing is to use songs that appeal to your students. If the group is composed of teenagers, go for fun, up-to-date songs. If it is an adult group, you may want to use classic songs. Please note that, even though music will help students relax and allow them to break free from their books, it is always a good idea to select songs that, in some way, relate to the topic being studied.

        After the students are more confident listening to song lyrics, the teacher may try TV shows. Starting at the beginning of the semester, teachers should try to get to know their students’ likes and dislikes, including what they enjoy watching on TV. This is very important when the teacher wants to choose material to use in class. From character names to the plot of the stories, the teacher must be familiar with what he or she will be working with in order to be prepared if the students ask what “Bazinga”[1] is. Start with short clips and slowly make them longer. Also, choose scenes in which characters speak normally rather than action scenes with a lot of screaming and running. Students will be thrilled that they can understand what is being said.

        When the teacher is confident that his or her students will not feel intimidated, it is time to switch to movies. Despite the fact that teachers will use short clips in class, movies should be the last thing to be used because students will probably want to watch the whole thing at home. In order to do that successfully, they will need to have practiced a lot in class with other, easier activities. Once again, the students in the class will determine what kind of movie will be used. Therefore, the teacher should find out what they are interested in. A group of lawyers at the Central Bank will probably not be amused by a cartoon of racing cars. Likewise, fourteen-year-olds might prefer an action movie instead of dramatic family sagas. Since teachers do not want to discourage their students, context is everything. Nevertheless, even more important than the choice of material to be used is the type of activity that teachers will develop. The goal is to move  forward slowly so that students can develop their confidence and not feel frustrated.

        Developing abilities such as listening is a slow process. The same way a librarian helps someone by indicating on which shelf he or she will find a book, a teacher must think carefully before choosing an activity to be done in class. Steps must not be skipped if students are to feel content in a collaborative, harmonious, risk-free classroom. “The focus is on the student” (Rogers, 1951).[2] Therefore, the background and experiences of the students are crucial to how and what is learned. If the teacher can make the activities fun and relevant to the students, the more enjoyable learning will be. Students will eventually go to class and tell the teacher how much fun they had while watching a movie, or that they understood all the words in their favorite song. If the right steps are taken, the goals will slowly be achieved without stress and frustration.

Flickr: Discussing Sadness, Frustration - show me your melancholic side!

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[1] The term Bazinga is used by Sheldon Cooper, a character in the TV show The Big Bang Theory, when he plays a joke on his friends.

[2] Rogers, Carl. (1951). Client-centered Therapy: Its Current Practice, Implications and Theory. London: Constable.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Being a Bilingual in Today's Society

Bilingual Cartoons and Comics - www.cartoonstock.com

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Being a Bilingual in Today’s Society

        Whether knowing more than one language is essential or not in the modern world is a great source of debate.  It can be argued that two languages are not even enough if one has to face the cutthroat job market that we find ourselves in nowadays, and it seems like a million years ago when speaking two languages put you way ahead of your competitors in the search for a promotion. If we focus on communication, on the other hand, one must only look at the Internet in order to understand the ramifications of learning more than one language. Many doors will indeed be opened.  If there are any disadvantages at all in being bilingual, they are very few. Being bilingual in today’s society definitely brings many more advantages than disadvantages to a person’s life.

       Learning other languages will completely change your perspectives in the job market. Many moons ago, if someone decided to learn another language, he or she would be number one on the list for a promotion or even for a job abroad. Whether it was an American who spoke Spanish or a Brazilian who learned English, they were exceptions and, therefore, had the advantage. Nowadays, having a second language is the least one can do to be competitive when looking for work. A résumé might be discarded without further thought if no “second languages” are mentioned.  Those who master two or more languages will certainly have the upper hand when competing in the job market.

     Besides being an asset in the search for a job, knowing two or more languages immensely facilitates communication. The experience of watching movies and listening to music becomes much more enjoyable. We can actually understand what people are saying and singing. Reading books in their original language kills the risk of bad translations. Communication will even be easier when people are having fun at a bar, dancing, or chatting on the computer.  However, communication at its best takes place when we consider the news. The Internet allows us to “visit” any place in the world instantly. Someone who masters two languages will not need to wait for his or her country to broadcast the news on the late show, for example.  

        Nevertheless, even considering all the advantages, there are a couple of “possible” disadvantages to being a bilingual. Where jobs are concerned, if someone works at a place where he or she is the only one who speaks two languages, everyone will expect him or her to help.  Therefore, this person might end up working more than the next person. Another possible disadvantage is that people who only know one language may hold grudges against those who are bilingual, or even feel envious towards them. 

        With that being said, nobody should live his or her life having to worry about what other people think or do. At the end of the day, learning another language is a choice, and people will do it for their own personal reasons, be it for professional purposes or just to travel around the world. Ultimately, if one were to balance both sides of the situation, the pros of being a bilingual outweigh the cons by a great margin. However, if that is not enough to put your mind at ease, personal satisfaction is the name of the game. If it is well-looked upon by today’s society, and it certainly is, all the better.

My e-Portfolio - TDC 2 - Writing

My e-Portfolio

TDC 2 – Writing

Teacher: Elton Carvalho

            I have been a teacher at Casa Thomas Jefferson for just over nine years. If you are asking yourself why I am only taking the TDC course now, the answer is time. Being a full-time teacher, it was impossible to find time to study when the course was a traditional course. I teach every night and the classes took place either on Mondays and Wednesdays, or on Tuesdays and Thursdays. With the blended format, I had the opportunity to manage my time and finally take up this project. If you are asking yourself why an old dog like me has decided to take a TDC course at this point in his life, after 25 years of teaching, the answer is growth. Some might say that you cannot teach old dogs new tricks. However, besides the fact that I did learn new tricks, it is a great chance to recycle what I know, or what I think I know, and to reflect upon my teaching.

            Last semester I took the grammar course and learned so many cool, different ways to engage students in grammar learning. This semester we are studying writing and phonetics. The writing course is a wonderful way to review the concepts that we teach our students. I have always thought of myself as a good writer, but the truth is that my writing was always very loose, like writing a novel, for example. Academic writing is a whole different ball game, where we have to pay attention to coherence, cohesion, and unity. By having to analyze my own writing, I believe I will be able to do a much better job when teaching my students in the future. After all, you cannot teach something well if you cannot do it yourself.

            As far as this bimester goes, we have studied different types of writing, more specifically narrative essays, comparison essays, process analysis essays, and argumentative essays. I have learned to organize my ideas and to write in a controlled way, always supporting my thesis, as well as concluding my thoughts. Call it a recipe if you must. There is a checklist that you can follow when writing academic essays, a crucial tip we can pass on to our students.

            This portfolio is a collection of essays produced in the past two months. Not being able to post everything that was written, since it would become too long, here are three essays that represent my growth as a writer, and hopefully as a teacher of writing. The first one is called “The Advantages and Disadvantages of Being a Bilingual in Today’s Society.” It was the first writing of the course. The second one is a process analysis essay done in the middle of the course. It is called “Improving Listening and Vocabulary.” The last one is in fact the last one we did for our course, and it is an argumentative essay written in class on the advantages of blended learning. Hopefully, you will be able to notice the improvement in my writing.

            Finally, I would like to thank my teacher and my classmates for making this blended course such a fun journey. Without your feedback and participation, I would not have learned so much. I hope we can stay and grow together until the end of the course. Phonetics and Phonology, here we go!

Andre Albi Netto

The corridor of uncertainty: February 2013 - acreelman.blogspot.com