April 16, 2010

  • CELTA: another lesson done. Only 2 to go now! The course doesn't end until May 28th, but I'm lucky enough to be finishing my teaching practice on May 14th, which is quite a relief!! I didn't feel that today's lesson went too well - it's quite frustrating when you spend 40 minutes clarifying the past simple (was/were) and still get students saying "I were at the cinema" at the end.... anyway, the feedback was good again and I know what I need to work on....more confident pronunciation drilling!! It's something I absolutely hate doing but I really need to work on it as I need to do it well in both the next lessons. I feel some pronunciation drilling practice coming on at school!! (Although there it's a complete nightmare because no one is listening to me anyway....)

    CLIL: rather hilariously I have somehow got myself involved in this: "My idea is to develop a module about PIC 16FXX family microcontrollers and their applications in sensor interfacing field." Come again?!
    So...this is about electronics. I hate electronics. I hate physics. I seem to remember giving up Physics GCSE. I don't understand a word of what the above is talking about, and yet I am somehow going to collaborate on the producing of a CLIL module about it. My partner has sent me the microcontroller data sheet, and I'm having trouble even understanding what a microcontroller is, let alone anything else. I have to identify the linguistic problems for students. Shall we think about the linguistic problems I'M having first.... in English, that is. THIS ISN'T ENGLISH!!!!
    I laughed when I saw what the course leader had written to my partner: "G, good news for you: I've found a partner for you! CP is ready to take on the challenge of an unknown topic in an unknown subject with an unknown colleague. Isn't that something?"
    There are lots of things that fill the "something" criteria... ridiculous, idiotic, frightening, hilarious, pointless......
    Oh well, we do like a challenge..........

    Lots to keep me busy over the weekend as usual.... but looking forward to Taize service tomorrow evening. I wasn't going to be able to go because I was going to Trento, but now I'm here which is good as I need time to prepare for Monday!! Eek!