Year 5 Number 119 December 7^th 2003

5880 SHARERS are reading this issue of SHARE this week
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Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being SHARED
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This is such a special time of the year! Everything seems to happen at super high speed. Events, plans for events and the feelings that go with them seem to try to outrun one another. Making plans for the holidays? Last days at school (and again all that goes with it!)? Giving examinations day and night? Graduations? Planning ahead to the Christmas holidays? Thinking about presents? Well, at home we are doing all this and trying to survive the attempt and keep our sanity.

Last week was an eventful week: Martin enrolled at Universidad Nacional de La Plata to start his course of studies (if he passes the entrance tests) in April 2004. Both Marina and I had all kinds of mixed feelings. We were super happy and super proud but at the same time a tiny little bit sad to see how time flies and how Martin will now spend most of the week away from the family. Next Thursday 18^th is his graduation at school and a few days later the gala (Marina is making herself a long dress for the occasion and I will

Wear my usual black suit and Sebas…who knows?). Our next two work weeks are filled with exams at University and at College. Holidays? Yes! After three years of swimming pool in the back garden we are heading for the beach again. More to come (and to be settled!) about this soon.

Tomorrow will find us all together at home putting up the Christmas Tree and our Nativity and the colour lights on roof tops and windows. It´s our Holy Mother´s Day tomorrow so after Mass we are going to have lunch together with our two nieces and they will put up the tree with Martin and Sebas. It feels so good we can almost hear sleigh bells on the roof.

Love
Omar and Marina

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1.- Education: Handle with care!
2.- Motivation and Second Language Learning.

3.-    Metacognition in Second Language Teaching and Learning.
4.-    Down at the Chalkface: Song + Activities
5.-    It happened in a classroom.
6.-    ADVICE Summer Seminar 2004.

7.- International Brain and Education Congress in Buenos Aires.

8.- Acting Out songs.

9.-    E-Teaching Online Special Xmas Edition.
10.-   Chatting with Jem.
11.-   Job Opportunities.
12.-   Yes! in December.

13.- “Licenciatura” in ELT.

14.- Calendario Escolar 2004 for Buenos Aires.

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1.- EDUCATION: HANDLE WITH CARE!

Prof. Krashen’s letter on the problem of poor literacy in the State of California in Issue 117 of SHARE should make us, language teachers, reflect upon the very essence of education and the non-scientific ways in which the problem of teaching and learning is often approached. California, we are told, tried whole language and it did not work. Then, they changed into phonics and it did not work either. Now two experts recommend increasing the size of libraries while the authorities put the blame for poor literacy on the large number of immigrants in the State. Too similar to Argentina to make us wonder: Whither, education?

Would sanitary authorities engage into an irresponsible game of trying drugs out on people to see whether they kill them or cure them? Would an engineer experiment with new ways of building bridges and then wait to see if they fall or hold? Certainly not, because in all scientific and technical fields experimentation and research precede implementations. What is more, research methods are very strict, they have to comply with internationally accepted norms and are closely controlled by the corresponding authority. Even when a method, a drug or a technological development has passed all the expected tests and is properly validated, professionals would first study the addressee of the application, be it a person, a place or a particular scientific domain, before prescribing or using the new development.

This does not seem to happen in education. Not only do teachers and educators adopt methods and approaches whose results have not been properly validated by empirical evidence, but they do so without researching their addressees’ needs first. What is more, they often do not take the time to carefully study the method in question and delve into applications based on very personal interpretations of otherwise quite solid theoretical principles. Thus, many sound approaches get reduced to procedures. In case of failure, schools or teachers can always blame the approach.

Then, of course, we have the pendular dilemmas that educators seem to love: learning or acquisition? IQ’s or multiple intelligences? drills or communicative activities? content or strategies? knowledge or competencies? whole language or phonics? One wonders why we can’t just have a repertoire of principles, techniques and procedures which teachers should be able to combine in a harmonious fashion to cater for their learners’ needs, which they should be able to research, define and analyse.

The problems in California seem to stem from far more complex issues than the choice of an approach to the teaching of reading and writing, if only because an approach cannot fail where schools and teachers succeed. Good school management and the subsequent good teaching practice rise above approaches, methods and even philosophies of education prescribed by the authorities. They even rise above the lack of libraries.

It would be interesting to investigate, in the first place, what kind of culture these schools are immersed in: whether the society they spring from values refinement, knowledge, critical thinking and honest work or rather, quick money, success, beauty and youth. It would also be important to know what social standing is given to education and educators.

Then, we should look into the policies, their objectives and guidelines and the resources that the state puts at the service of education, to get an idea of the official status it enjoys, although it is the management and not the mere availability of these resources that should concern us.

We would need to know under what political and economic influences policy decisions are made. New light is shed on our Ley Federal de Educación, for example, when we learn that one of the most important documents leading to its creation was produced by the World Bank. Teacher education should also come under scrutiny, as well as working conditions and salaries.

In the third place, we ought to learn more about family life and the structure of homes in the area, to find out what kind of expectations they have for their children and what kind of examples and guidance these children receive.

We might then focus on literacy and language. It would be important to determine who the children’s role models are and if they are providing an example of rich vocabulary, different levels of formality, various registers and generally sending the message that language should be a finely tuned instrument if it is going to serve human communication efficiently.

Once all this is researched and described, we should be able to analyse the needs of each school and its population with reference to a state policy and within its social context. Only then might we start considering what properly tested and validated methods and approaches to implement, which will never be the same for all the schools or for all learners at the same school, let alone the whole nation.

Education is a systemic field. Many disciplines converge to create the necessary medium for teaching and learning to flourish and develop. The responsibility for its success lies in the hands of society at large and future generations will hold us accountable for irresponsible implementations, lack of concern and superficial readings of serious issues – that is, if we have not succeeded in turning them into bricks in the wall.

English Teacher, Licenciada en Gestión Educativa, currently working towards her Magister en Gestión de Proyectos Educativos. Coordinator of the Licenciatura en Enseñanza del Idioma Inglés, Universidad CAECE. Coordinator of the English Department at CENTUM, a centre for Trinity College London's Certificate in TESOL. Coordinator and curriculum designer of the first post-graduate course in Applied Drama for TEFL, taught by Universidad CAECE and CENTUM, leading to the Licentiate Diploma in Applied Drama. moderated by Trinity College London (Drama, Speech, Music and Dance Department)

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2.- MOTIVATION AND SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNING

Our dear SHARER Kent Sutherland has written this article to SHARE with all of us.

By Kenton Sutherland

Senior English Language Fellow

United States Department of State

The Intrinsic Motivation Principle

H. D. Brown (2001) states that “The most powerful rewards are those that are intrinsically motivated within the learner. Because the behavior stems from needs, wants, or desires within oneself, the behavior itself is self-rewarding; therefore, no externally administered reward is necessary.”

According to Brown, “…you can perform a great service to learners and to the overall learning process by first considering carefully the intrinsic motives of your students and then by designing classroom tasks that feed into those intrinsic drives. Classroom techniques have a much greater chance for success if they are self-rewarding in the perception of the learner. The learners perform the task because it is fun, interesting, useful, or challenging, and not because they anticipate some cognitive or affective rewards from the teacher.”

Dictionary Definition

Motivation is the extent to which you make choices about (a) goals to pursue and (b) the effort you will devote to that pursuit.

Behaviorist Definition

The role of rewards is paramount in motivating behavior. Learners pursue goals in order to receive externally administered rewards: praise, gold stars, grades, certificates, diplomas, scholarships, careers, financial independence, and, ultimately, happiness.

Cognitive Definitions

Drive Theory: Motivation stems from innate drives. Ausubel (1968) elaborated on six different drives:

These drives are innate predispositions that compel us to probe the unknown, to control our environment, to be physically active, to be receptive to mental, emotional, or physical stimulation, to yearn for answers to questions, and to build our own self-esteem.

2. Hierarchy of Needs Theory: Abraham Maslow (1970) described a hierarchy of needs within each human being that propel us to higher and higher and higher attainment. He saw this a a kind of pyramid building from the lowest and most basic needs to the highest of self-fulfilment:

Esteem: Strength Esteem: Status

Air Water Food Rest Exercise

3. Self-Control Theory: Certain cognitive psychologists (e.g)., Hunt, 1971) focused on the importance of people deciding for themselves what to think or feel or do. We define ourselves by making our own decisions, rather than by simply reacting to others. Motivation is highest when one can make one’s own choices, whether they are in short-term or long-term context.

In the classroom, when learners have opportunities to make their own choices about what to pursue and what not to pursue, they are fulfilling this need for autonomy. When learners get things shoved down their throats, motivation can suffer because learners have to yield to others’ wishes sand commands.

Edward Deci (1975) defined intrinsic motivation this way: “Intrinsically motivated activities are ones for which there is no apparent reward except the activity itself. People seem to engage in the activities for their own sake and not because they lead to an extrinsic reward. Intrinsically motivated behaviors are aimed at bringing about certain internally rewarding consequences, namely, feelings of competence and self-determination.

Extrinsic motivation behaviors are, on the other hand, carried out in anticipation of a reward from outside and beyond the self. Typical extrinsic rewards are money, prizes, grades, and even certain types of positive feedback. Behaviors initiated solely to avoid punishment are also extrinsically motivated, even though numerous intrinsic benefits can ultimately accrue to those who, instead, view punishment avoidance as a challenge that can build their sense of competence and self-determination.

A convincing amount of studies favor intrinsic motivation. Jean Piaget (19720 others have claimed that human beings universally view incongruity, uncertainty, and disequilibrium as motivating. In other words, we seek out a reasonable challenge. Maslow (171) claimed that we are ultimately motivated to achieve self-fulfillment. Jerome Bruner (1962) praised the “autonomy of self-reward” and recommended that we free children and adults from eh control of rewards and punishments. Stephen Krashen (1985) developed his i + 1 theory using optimal incongruity as a basis: if a problem presents enough of a possibility of being resolved, we will go after the resolution.

There is, however, one type of extrinsic motivation that does seem to have a positive effect on intrinsic motivation: the positive feedback that learners perceive as a boost to their feelings of competence and self-determination. No other extrinsically administered set of rewards has a lasting effect. In other words, sincerely delivered positive feedback in a classroom, seen by students as a validation of their own personal autonomy, critical thinking ability, and self-fulfillment, can increase or maintain intrinsic motivation.

The following activities appeal to learners’ determination and autonomy:

Activities which involve original thinking processes.

Strategies that enable learners to bring in their own self.

Language experience approaches in which students create their own materials.

Oral fluency exercises in which learners talk about what interests them.

Listening to a lecture in their own field of study in order to fill in gaps.

Communicative activities in which language is taught to enable learners to accomplish certain specific functions previously unfamiliar to them.

Grammatical explanations, providing learners see their potential for increasing their autonomy in the language.

Activities that are relevant to students’ lives.

Activities in which the learners are aware of their purpose.

Discovery activities in which the learners discover language structures or functions for themselves.

Ph.D. in Foreign and Second Language Education, Standford University, USA; MA. in Applied Linguistics; UCLA; Post-Graduate TSL Certificate, UCLA; BA. in Latin American Studies, University of the Americas, Mexico.
Specialist in ESL/EFL/ESP instruction, program administration, corporate training, teacher training, curriculum, and materials development. Consultant to foreign governments, binational centers, and universities. Teacher trainer for Peace Corps, National NDEA Institutes, University of California, USIA, and USAID/AMIDEAST. Consultant for the Center for Applied Linguistics. Textbook editor/writer and audio program producer. Frequent presenter at professional conferences.

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3.- METACOGNITION IN SECOND LANGUAGE TEACHING AND LEARNING

Our dear SHARER Mario Prada from Mar del Plata wants to SHARE this article with all of us.

Brigham Young University

During a National Public Radio broadcast in the United States in March 1999, a sixth grader explained what she was learning from playing the Stock Market Game, an activity designed to help children become familiar with how the stock market functions. She said, "This game makes me think how to think" (Prakash, 1999). What this statement reveals is that this young learner was beginning to understand the real key to learning; she was engaged in metacognition.

Metacognition can be defined simply as thinking about thinking. Learners who are metacognitively aware know what to do when they don't know what to do; that is, they have strategies for finding out or figuring out what they need to do. The use of metacognitive strategies ignites one's thinking and can lead to more profound learning and improved performance, especially among learners who are struggling. Understanding and controlling cognitive processes may be one of the most essential skills that classroom teachers can help second language learners develop. It is important that they teach their students metacognitive skills in addition to cognitive skills.

The distinctions between cognitive and metacognitive strategies are important, partly because they give some indication of which strategies are the most crucial in determining the effectiveness of learning. It seems that metacognitive strategies, that allow students to plan, control, and evaluate their learning, have the most central role to play in this respect, rather than those that merely maximize interaction and input ... Thus the ability to choose and evaluate one's strategies is of central importance. (Graham, 1997, pp. 42-43)

Rather than focus students' attention solely on learning the language, second language teachers can help students learn to think about what happens during the language learning process, which will lead them to develop stronger learning skills.

Metacognition combines various attended thinking and reflective processes. It can be divided into five primary components: (1) preparing and planning for learning, (2) selecting and using learning strategies, (3) monitoring strategy use, (4) orchestrating various strategies, and (5) evaluating strategy use and learning. Teachers should model strategies for learners to follow in all five areas, which are discussed below.

Preparing and Planning for Learning

Preparation and planning are important metacognitive skills that can improve student learning. By engaging in preparation and planning in relation to a learning goal, students are thinking about what they need or want to accomplish and how they intend to go about accomplishing it. Teachers can promote this reflection by being explicit about the particular learning goals they have set for the class and guiding the students in setting their own learning goals. The more clearly articulated the goal, the easier it will be for the learners to measure their progress. The teacher might set a goal for the students of mastering the vocabulary from a particular chapter in the textbook. A student might set a goal for himself of being able to answer the comprehension questions at the end of the chapter.

Researchers have suggested that teaching readers how to use specific reading strategies is a prime consideration in the reading classroom (Anderson, 1999; Cohen, 1998; Oxford, 1990). The metacognitive ability to select and use particular strategies in a given context for a specific purpose means that the learner can think and make conscious decisions about the learning process.

To be effective, metacognitive instruction should explicitly teach students a variety of learning strategies and also when to use them. For example, second language readers have a variety of strategies from which to choose when they encounter vocabulary that they do not know and that they have determined they need to know to understand the main idea of a text. One possible strategy is word analysis: for example, dividing the word into its prefix and stem. Another possible strategy is the use of context clues to help guess the meaning of a word. But students must receive explicit instruction in how to use these strategies, and they need to know that no single strategy will work in every instance. Teachers need to show them how to choose the strategy that has the best chance of success in a given situation. For example, unfamiliar words that include prefixes or suffixes that the student knows (e.g., anti-, -ment) are good candidates for the use of a word analysis strategy.

By monitoring their use of learning strategies, students are better able to keep themselves on track to meet their learning goals. Once they have selected and begun to implement specific strategies, they need to ask themselves periodically whether or not they are still using those strategies as intended. For example, students may be taught that an effective writing strategy involves thinking about their audience and their purpose in writing (e.g., to explain, to persuade). Students can be taught that to monitor their use of this strategy, they should pause occasionally while writing to ask themselves questions about what they are doing, such as whether or not they are providing the right amount of background information for their intended audience and whether the examples they are using are effective in supporting their purpose.

Orchestrating Various Strategies

Knowing how to orchestrate the use of more than one strategy is an important metacognitive skill. The ability to coordinate, organize, and make associations among the various strategies available is a major distinction between strong and weak second language learners. Teachers can assist students by making them aware of multiple strategies available to them-for example, by teaching them how to use both word analysis and context clues to determine the meaning of an unfamiliar word. The teacher also needs to show students how to recognize when one strategy isn't working and how to move on to another. For example, a student may try to use word analysis to determine the meaning of the word antimony, having recognized anti as a prefix meaning against. But that strategy won't work in this instance. Anti is not a prefix here; antimony is a metallic chemical element that has nothing to do with being against or opposed to something. When the student finds that word analysis does not help her figure out what this word means, she needs to know how to turn to other strategies, such as context clues, to help her understand the word.

Second language learners are actively involved in metacognition when they attempt to evaluate whether what they are doing is effective. Teachers can help students evaluate their strategy use by asking them to respond thoughtfully to the following questions: (1) What am I trying to accomplish? (2) What strategies am I using? (3) How well am I using them? (4) What else could I do? Responding to these four questions integrates all of the previous aspects of metacognition, allowing the second language learner to reflect through the cycle of learning. Preparing and planning relates to identifying what is to be accomplished, while selecting and using particular strategies relates to the question of which strategies are being used. The third question corresponds to monitoring strategy use, while the fourth relates to the orchestration of strategies. The whole cycle is evaluated during this stage of metacognition.

For example, while teaching the specific reading skill of main idea comprehension, the teacher can help students evaluate their strategy use by using the four questions:

1. What am I trying to accomplish? The teacher wants students to be able to articulate that they are trying to identify the main idea in the text they are reading and that they are doing so because understanding the main idea is key to understanding the rest of the text.

2. What strategies am I using? The teacher wants the readers to know which strategies are available to them and to recognize which one(s) they are using to identify the main idea.

3. How well am I using the strategies? The teacher wants the students to be able to judge how well they are using the strategies they have chosen, that is, whether they are implementing them as intended and whether the strategies are helping them achieve their goal.

4. What else could I do?If the strategies that students are using are not helping them to accomplish their goal (i.e., identifying the main idea), the teacher wants them to be able to identify and use alternate strategies. Teachers need to make students aware of the full range of strategies available to them.

Research shows that learners whose skills or knowledge bases are weak in a particular area tend to overestimate their ability in that area (Kruger & Dunning, 1999). In other words, they don't know enough to recognize that they lack sufficient knowledge for accurate self-assessment. In contrast, learners whose knowledge or skills are strong may underestimate their ability. These high-ability learners don't recognize the extent of their knowledge or skills. Kruger and Dunning's research also shows that it is possible to teach learners at all ability levels to assess their own performance more accurately. In addition, their research showed that for tasks involving logic and grammar, improved self-assessment corresponded with improvement in the skills being assessed.

Each of the five metacognitive skills described in this digest interacts with the others. Metacognition is not a linear process that moves from preparing and planning to evaluating. More than one metacognitive process may be occurring at a time during a second language learning task. This highlights once again how the orchestration of various strategies is a vital component of second language learning. Allowing learners opportunities to think about how they combine various strategies facilitates the improvement of strategy use.

The teaching of metacognitive skills is a valuable use of instructional time for a second language teacher. When learners reflect upon their learning strategies, they become better prepared to make conscious decisions about what they can do to improve their learning. Strong metacognitive skills empower second language learners.

Anderson, N. J. (1999). Exploring second language reading: Issues and strategies. Boston: Heinle & Heinle.

Cohen, A. D. (1998). Strategies in learning and using a second language. New York: Longman.

Graham, S. (1997). Effective language learning. Clevedon, England: Multilingual Matters.

Kruger, J., & Dunning, D. (1999). Unskilled and unaware of it: How difficulties in recognizing one's own incompetence lead to inflated self-assessment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77, 1121-1134.

Oxford, R. L. (1990). Language learning strategies: What every teacher should know. New York: Newbury.

Prakash, S. (Reporter). (1999, March 19). Market games [Radio series episode]. All things considered. Washington: National Public Radio.

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4.- DOWN AT THE CHALKFACE: SONG + ACTIVITIES

Our dear SHARER Alicia Ramasco has sent us this activity that she wrote to go with Paul Anka´s celebrated song “My Way”.

Read the lyrics of this famous song sung by Frank Sinatra.

Look up the new words, then answer the questions ,then listen to it and enjoy it!!!

And now the end is near/and so I face the final curtain

My friends, I'll say it clear

I'll state my case of which I am certain

I've lived a life that's full

I've travelled each and every highway

and more ,much more than this

Regrets? I have had a few

But then again too few to mention

I did what I had to do

and saw it through without exemption

I planned each charted course

each careful step along the byway

and more, much more than this

Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew,

when I bit off more than I could chew,

but though it all, when there was doubt

I ate it up and spit it out.

I faced it all and I stood tall

I've loved, I've laughed and cried

I've had my fill, my share of losing,

but now as tears subside,

I find it all so amusing.

To think I did all that

and may I say, not in a shy way

For what is a man? What has he got?

If not himself, then he has naught

To say the things he truly feels

and not the words of one who kneels

The record shows I took the blows

1.- A man's life is a trip, a journey. Where in the song does the author convey these ideas ?

2.- What does he mean by " I will state my case of which I am certain"?

3.- "A life that 's full”. Full of what?

4.- What does he mean by the phrase "My way"?

5.- Regrets? Which structure do you use to express regret? Give an example

6.- " I did what I had to do" What does he mean?

7.- "When I bit off more than I could chew" What does he mean . Make a sentence using "too”.

8.- "I faced it all and I stood tall" : Start a sentence with: “Although...”

9.- Why do you think he is crying now? Anyway he feels amused. Make a sentence using “However”

10.- He says he was not shy so he was............

11.- According to the author, what should a man do to be a “real man”?

12.- Now imagine you are the author of this song. Write a letter to a friend telling him about your experiences, your story etc.

Dr. María Alicia Ramasco holds a PhD. in English from Universidad del Salvador. She has been teaching EFL for 25 years at different schools and institutions. Currently, she teaches American History at Universidad Católica Argentina. She is also the co-author of the "Performance" series,3 textbooks for TEFL at Secondary level.

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5.- IT HAPPENED IN THE CLASSROOM

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6.- ADVICE SUMMER SEMINAR

ADVICE 11^th SUMMER SEMINAR

19-20 February, 2004

Under the auspices of ASPI

(Resolución Ministerial en trámite)

Why should I go to Advice Summer Seminar?

Let us give you some tips that will make you going to this conference something you look forward to every year.

Presentations Are you running out of ideas to keep your teaching fresh? Do you have something you have tried out in the classroom that you would like to share? The seminar is filled with workshops by teachers like yourself. We guarantee that you will go home with some new ideas or at least better ways to do what you do already.

Meet the famous Every conference brings in people who are well known either as textbook writers, as teacher trainers, or as “thinkers” about our profession. This is a chance to meet these people and interact with them.

Networking At this seminar you can meet many fellow teachers, share your concerns and exchange your ideas with them.

Publishers´ displays You will have the opportunity to browse through the material the different Publishers and Advice bookshop will display for you.

8:30 – 9:00 am Registration

9:00 – 10:30 am Laura Szmuch – “Being a Resourceful Teacher” 1^st Part

10:30 – 11:00 am Break

11:00 – 12:30 am Laura Szmuch – “Being a Resourceful Teacher” 2^nd Part

3:00 – 4:30 pm Lucrecia Prat Gay – “Meaningful Assessment; the Tools to Test” 1^st Part

4:30 – 5:00 pm Break

5:00 – 6:30 pm Lucrecia Prat Gay – “Meaningful Assessment; the Tools to Test” 2^nd Part

6:30 – 7:30 pm The Performers “Clock World”(Teatro Luz y Fuerza)

8:30 – 10:00 am Patricia Gomez – “Games from A to Z” Part 1

10:00 – 10:30 am Break

10:30 – 12:00 am Patricia Gomez - “Games from A to Z” Part 2

12:00 – 13:00 am The Performers “Merlin, the Wizard of the Kingdom”(Teatro Luz y Fuerza)

3:00 – 4:30 pm Charlie López – “Sing a Song 2” Part 1

4:30 – 5:00 pm Break

5:00 – 6:30 pm Charlie López – “Sing a Song 2” Part 2

6:30 – 7:30 pm The Performers “The Importance of Being Earnest”(Teatro Luz y Fuerza)

Place: ADE – Urquiza 3108 Santa Fe

Registration: Advice Bookshop- San Martín 3031 Santa Fe

TE. 0342-4533392 - Fax: 0342-4532194 - E-mail: advice@arnet.com.ar

Fee: ASPI members $35 Non members $40

Brief abstract of the lectures

Being a resourceful teacher

In this NLP workshop we will work with simple techniques to help manage our classes with ease and save our own energy in the process. Let´s acquire some strategies to handle challenging moments, learn simple ways of appreciating and protecting ourselves and expand our horizons so that we can give the best to our students.

Meaningful Assessment; the tools to test

What really prepares students to live successfully in the world? learning a bunch of stuff (which prepares them for a test) or learning how to learn (which prepares them for life)?

In this workshop we will analyze the pros and cons of different evaluation systems with the belief that there are no perfect assessment devices but a helpful combination of old and new practices.

The primary purpose of this workshop is to provide teachers with a variety of games which can be used to develop not only language skills but also personal, social, thinking and creative skills.

In this workshop, Charlie, will provide teachers with a wide variety of activities and ideas that practise the different skills, modal verbs, verbal tenses, vocabulary, etc.

Teachers will have the opportunity not only to have creative activities at hand but also to enjoy a time full of songs.

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7.- INTERNATIONAL BRAIN AND EDUCATION CONGRESS IN BUENOS AIRES.

Our dear SHARER Maria Almeida has sent us this message:

TW Challenge Research Department
International Brain and Education Congress®
Call for Papers/Abstracts/Proposals/commercial presentations
Submissions deadline: March 31, 2004

Join top education experts at the International Brain and Education Congress® as they present the most recent findings in brain research and translate them into powerful new paradigms for teaching to enhance learning, foster student development and raise achievement. Share with other teachers what today's amazing technology reveals about how the brain operates and what influences our thinking, learning and memory. These revolutionary findings offer compelling information that will allow teachers to make dramatic improvements in student learning and performance.

Dynamic speakers and presenters interested in leading sessions, workshops and seminars at the International Brain and education congress ® are invited to participate in this amazing international event.

Join an amazing group of educators at the Regent Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina on July 2-3, 2004 to share your expertise and provide valuable learning solutions. Congress attendees are particularly interested in sessions about emerging brain science discoveries and their potential effect on teaching and learning. They strive to be the very best teachers and trainers that they can be and are eager to learn from education experts like you! . If you have a presentation that will help them accomplish these goals, we want to hear from you.

Format of submissions:

Student Papers

Research done by students in any related area of education.

Work-in-Progress Reports or Proposals for Future Research
Incomplete research or ideas for future research in order to generate discussion and feedback in any areas of education.

Workshop Proposals
Workshop Proposals will be evaluated based on the potential interest level for participants. Workshops will last approximately 90 minutes

Reports on Issues Related to Teaching Education and brain research Reports related to innovative instruction techniques or research related to teaching and brain research in any of the listed or related areas of education.

Submission Guidelines

1. Each submission should include a separate title page. The title page
should include:

a.      title of the submission
b.      topic area of the submission
c.      two or three keywords that describe the submission
d.      name(s) of the author(s)
e.      department(s) and affiliation(s)
f.      mailing address(es)
g.      e-mail address(es)
h.      phone number(s)
i.      fax number(s)
j.      corresponding author if different than lead author

2. Submissions may be made to maalmeida@speedy.com.ar, faxed, or mailed.
E-mail submissions are preferred. Submissions will be acknowledged within
48 hours. E-Mail, fax, or mail submissions to:

The Wasteland Challenge Research Department - Lope de Vega 475 Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires 1407, Argentina- Telephone: (5411) 4683-6621 - Fax: (5411) 4683-6621
E-mail: maalmeida@speedy.com.ar Website: http://twcresearch.topcities.com

If submissions are mailed, submit two copies of your paper, report, abstract, or study. Submissions imply that at least one author will register for the conference and be present at the time designated in the conference program.

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8- ACTING OUT SONGS

Our dear SHARER Alfred Hopkins has sent us this invitation;

Why not sing your way through sweaty January? To tell the truth you don't even have to know how to sing! In this unique workshop, organized by Living Lab of Drama and Communication, the idea is to act out your favorite songs.

Haven't you ever asked yourself, for example, what a song was really about? Suppose you like to sing "yesterday" while taking a shower. What do we know about the story? There was a man and a woman. They fell in love. Then they broke up. Why? How did they meet? Was it love at first sight? Was he unfaithful to her? Did a former love ruin things? What was it that he did wrong? Did they make up? Get married, get divorced, attempt suicide...did they go on to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary?

You get together with your companions and do a bit of brainstorming, invent your own story based on the song. Then you act it out. The words come back in flashes, sometimes sung, sometimes chanted, sometimes said like sermons or speeches....or maybe the haunting music drifts in from the cd speakers to enchant the role-players.

The event is open to all English speakers with an intermediate to superior command of the language and will take place at "La farmacia," a pictoresque old drugstore in San Telmo (Bolivar 898) converted into a candle light restaurant and cultural center. On the top floor, where the maids used to snore and where the bakers sometimes knead dough, the participants will meet on Saturday afternoons to open their mouths wide.

Activities will include breathing drills, exercises aimed at freeing the voice from its hang ups and stress, limbering up routines to achieve more free body expression, improvisation, role-playing, characterization...how to concentrate, the projection of energy and other aspects of the actor's craft.

The workshop coach will be Alfred Seymour Hopkins, a Los Angeles born graduate of the University of California, drama teacher at the Instituto superior en Lenguas Vivas "J.R. Fernandez" and founder of Living Lab. The cost: $15 per three hour encounter. Those interested may call 4334-1561. e-mail: alfred@a-hopkins.com. Further information is available at our page: http://www.a-hopkins.com

Thanks and have a Merry Christmas and a happy summer!

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9.- E-TEACHING ONLINE SPECIAL XMAS EDITION

Our dear SHARER Alicia López has sent us this reminder:

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10.- JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Applications are invited for a full time job, assisting the directors of an ELT Institute in their teaching and service duties. The candidates should be qualified English teachers and will be required to teach all ages and levels from 3-year-olds to Advanced English. Previous experience is an advantage, but not essential.

Enclose your CV in Spanish together with an application letter in English stating desired salary to Sandra Lespade, Paddington English Institute - Avda. Carlos Arroyo 34 - (6530) Carlos Casares - Pcia. de Buenos Aires , or e-mail it in Word format to: paddington@intercasares.com.ar . Deadline: 20/12/2003

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11.- CHATTING WITH JEM

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12- YES! IN DECEMBER

Our dear SHARER Charlie Lopez has sent us an update of the days his well-known programme for the ELT world will be broadcast in December and the list of his special guests:

Prof. Gustavo González - 'Self Motivation'

Emisión: Lunes 1 de diciembre a las 19.30 Hs, martes 2 a las 11 y 17.30 Hs, miércoles 3 a las 7 Hs y viernes 5 a las 7 Hs.

Prof. Jorge Ghenadenik - 'The Teaching of Language'

Emisión: Lunes 8 de diciembre a las 19.30 Hs, martes 9 a las 11 y 17.30 Hs, miércoles 10 a las 7 Hs y viernes 12 a las 7 Hs.

Robie Scott y Pablo Toledo (Bs As Herald) - 'Teaching English through newspapers'

Emisión: Lunes 15 de diciembre a las 19.30 Hs, martes 16 a las 11 y 17.30 Hs, miércoles 17 a las 7 Hs y viernes 19 a las 7 Hs.

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13- “LICENCIATURA” IN ELT

Tenemos el agrado de invitarlos a la reunión informativa a cargo de la Coordinadora de la Licenciatura, Lic. Ana María R. de Bergel. Tendrá lugar el 10 de diciembre, a las 19:30, en la Sede Abasto de nuestra Universidad, Tte. Gral. Juan D. Perón 2933.
Rogamos confirmar su asistencia a arozzi@caece.edu.ar

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14- CALENDARIO ESCOLAR 2004 FOR BUENOS AIRES

El lunes 8 de marzo del año próximo se iniciará el ciclo lectivo en las escuelas públicas y privadas bonaerenses, en tanto que la finalización del mismo está prevista para el viernes 10 de diciembre, de acuerdo con el Calendario Escolar aprobado por el Consejo General de Cultura y Educación provincial.

El período de receso invernal se extenderá del lunes 19 al viernes 30 de julio

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We finish this issue of SHARE with poem that a dear SHARER and teacher-trainer in Santa Fé Daniel Colombini has written and sent us to SHARE with you all.

This desultory walking

which sends me on ephemeral trips,

elliptical rounds taking me back to the start;

under the sign of insecurity

because of both inner and outer foes;

always losing direction

and rhythm and slowing down now and again;

everything pushes me

into that flickering reality

of the vague expanse of mist life dwells in.

Daniel Colombini, September ‘03

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK!
Omar and Marina.

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VISIT OUR WEBSITE : http://www.ShareEducation.com.ar There you can read all past issues of SHARE in the section SHARE ARCHIVES.