SHARE
An Electronic Magazine by Omar Villarreal and Marina
Kirac (c)
Year
2
Number 42 November
25th 2000
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.
________________________________________________________
Dear SHARERS,
Last week we shared with you our concern and our worries. This week we
want to share with you our happiness: we received confirmation from the
doctors that
Marina is in good health (the results of all the post-surgical tests and
analyses performed were negative). We thank God for this and for Marina´s rapid recovery from her
operation.
An enormous "Thank you" to all the SHARERS that sent us and all kinds of
messages from one-line get-well notes to poems and electronic cards., as a dear
friend put it "a wave of healing energy through the internet".
Thank you again to all of you dear SHARERS.
In SHARE 42
1.- A very private guide to the
World of ELT.
2.- Photo Exhibit.
3.- Count your
Blessings.
4.- Distinction for The Bs As
Players.
5.- A Sense of
Humour.
6.- An Invitation from The Suburban
Players.
7.- Macmillan Heinemann Calendar of Events.
8.- Bernieh´s Corner.
9.- Congreso de Enseñanza
Universitaria.
10.-The Definition of a Friend.
11- Notice of Revocation of Independence.
12- ARTESOL Professional Development Sessions.
13.-I am a teacher.
14.-A Message from Perú.
15- Violencia en las Escuelas.
16.-Standing on the Shoulders of Giants.
17- APIBA´s Call for
Papers.
18.-Coordinating
Successfuly.
(1) A VERY PRIVATE GUIDE TO THE
WORLD OF ELT
Our dear SHARER
from Montevideo Martin Inthamouss sends us this hilarious
"The Bluffer's
Guide To TEFL". Says Martin:
Despite some
appalling pretensions to the contrary, TEFL is dead easy.
As
Chomsky once
said in a fit of pique, 'Anyone who can press the button on
a
photocopier can
be a TEFLer.' With this guide to TEFL jargon, you too
can
bluff your way
to the top in TEFL.
Aims
Let's get this
clear from the start. Your aim is to fill up the lesson time. If this aim
remains unfulfilled, your sub-aims are merely pissing in the wind. Keep on your
guard for waffly arguments concerning the difference between aims and
objectives. These, as with most TEFL discussions, lead nowhere. If ever requested to comment on someone's lesson you have
observed, the TEFL
bluffer should pipe up 'But do you feel you have achieved your
aim?' In
response, you will receive a pitiful justification for all manner of
guff.
Buzz
Group
Usually
employed in a WORKSHOP when the TRAINER has a degree in
sociology
A nasty little
device employed by that legendary TRAINER who unfurled a giant roll of
paper, announced 'You're going to create the biggest mind map you've ever seen'
and promptly headed for the bar. Twaddle in extremis and a fine example for all
TEFL bluffers.
Communication
TEFL's most
sacred word and the barometer for all classroom atrocities. The Communicative
Approach was designed for those who can't handle grammar
and
who never grew
out of Blue Peter. To win the hearts of your TEFL buddies look critically at any
coursebook activity and intone: 'Hmmm, not very communicative is it?'
Communicative is such a vague woolly term that it can exploited to advantage on
numerous occasions. Even though no one can adequately define it, it is of course
'a jolly good thing'.
Counselling
A Jurassic
relic from the '70s when Mario & Co. got stoned and read too much bilge from
the Real People Press and the Colorado Psychodrama
Workbook.
Nowadays,
one-on-one counselling is used by lascivious male teachers to chat up attractive
female students. Steer well clear of anyone who enthusiastically endorses
counselling. They need professional help.
The Eclectic
Approach
Cluelessness
elevated to an art form. The bluffer will naturally adopt an eclectic approach
to everything.
Elicit
This means 'get
an answer'. TEFLers do not like asking, because: 1) 'ask' has only one syllable
(sorry, is monosyllabic) and therefore sounds insufficiently pseudoscientific,
2) 'eliciting' wastes more time than asking and 3) a bona fide TEFLer has no
answers as he/she is a FACILITATOR and has nothing of value to
impart.
ELT
Authors
A sorry bunch
of charlatans if ever there was one. Nevertheless, a budding TEFLer should
casually drop such names within TEFL earshot as much as possible e.g. 'As I was
saving to Petey and Kazza / Lizzy and Johnny / Brian and Crispin the other day
...'
Facilitator
Remember at all
times that you are a facilitator, a counsellor, an elicitor - anything but a
teacher. Teaching is definitely a no-no in TEFLspeak. Avoid the term at all
costs.
Error
Correction
Current
orthodoxy has it that error correction is much neglected. This is the line of
argument a bluffer should take. In truth, however, it is highly knackering and
totally ineffective, so no one bothers with it. Nonetheless, a good time-wasting
activity is a bit of 'creative error correction' - the technique of inventing
errors for on-board correction. A useful sleight of hand to follow
MONITORING.
Feedback
In the good old
days, 'feedback' was what happened when Jimi Hendrix put his guitar near an
amplifier. In TEFLspeak, however, it involves embarrassed students reporting
back with mindnumbingly dull information like, 'We found that 5 people have
never climbed Everest, 4 people have eaten octopus and everybody thinks the
teacher is a cretin.'
Fillers
Everything in
TEFL is a filler. Officially declared 'fillers' are simply less successful (i.e.
less time-consuming) than other twaddle.
Grammar
Grammar is
anathema to TEFLers. Do not mention the dreaded 'G' word as
this
is tantamount,
to declaring yourself a linguistic fascist. True blue TEFLers feel uncomfortable
with grammar as they do not understand it. Similarly, avoid all reference to
semantics as this discipline threatens the entire bedrock of TEFL
'theory'.
Individualisation
A useful buzz
word easily dropped into TEFL conversations. Instant justification for sloping
off to have a fag and a cup of coffee while the fee-paying customers become
autonomous. If you're really lucky, they might even leave the
building.
Learner
Training
Everybody
knows, but naturally refuses to admit, that this is a complete load of drivel.
LT has been flavour of the month for over a decade which is a highly depressing
thought in itself. Nevertheless, it is a cardinal sin for the TEFL bluffer to
knock LT in any shape or form because otherwise you will become embroiled in the
sort of tedious argument best avoided. Should the subject of LT raise its ugly
head, nod sagely and say something enigmatic like 'Learner Training is all right
in theory. The problem lies in the
methodology.' Do not expand on this. LT comes in handy for scoring TEFL brownie
points in a WORKSHOP. Regardless of the subject under discussion, bang your fist
down firmly on the table and declare: 'Don't forget the Learner Training!' Your
audience will be suitably impressed.
Lesson
Plans
Nobody in their
right mind writes lesson plans unless they are being subjected to an OBSERVED
LESSON. You can easily justify a lack of lesson plan by arguing that your
lessons are flexible and needs-responsive. Hence, they cannot be mapped out in
advance. In this context, you can espouse the Eclectic
Approach.
Mingles
Time-wasting
par excellence. Not only does the student ask the same dull questions to his
neighbour, he has to ask 18 other people as well. Why waste 2 people's time when
you can waste 20?
Monitoring
The art of
pretending to listen to foreigners murdering the
English
language.
Observed
Lesson
TEFLers often
panic needlessly about these. The TEFL bluffer should have a standard observed
lesson up his/her sleeve to wheel out whenever observation threatens. Bluffer's
tip: teach them something they already know hence making your AIMS a fait
accompli. Should your part in this farce be that of an observer, your first
comment should (in true post-coital fashion) be 'How was it for
you?'
The
Rods
Never ever
attempt anything with Cuisenaire Rods unless you want to enhance your reputation
as a complete prat. Should, however, your opinion be ELICITED concerning the
rods, always reply that they are an underused resource. For TEFL one-upmanship
possess your own set of rods and whenever someone asks you for a lesson idea,
think up any old tosh on the spur of the moment, sit back and have a good
laugh.
Self-
access
Always bear in
mind that self-access is ipso facto a 'good thing' because it is associated with
INDIVIDUALISATION. The cognoscenti know that the proliferation of SA centres is
tacit recognition of the fact that TEFLers
are
dispensable. TEFLers know nothing about language because they have degrees in
geology.
Session
Often hideously
referred to in its reduced form as in 'Brian, do you fancy doing a sesh on the
RODS?' You may have previously associated 'session' with much downing of pints.
In TEFLspeak, however, it is much akin to a WORKSHOP. It involves a twaddler
desperately seeking CV points spouting at a captive audience who would rather be
somewhere else.
Special
Interest Groups
A complete
misnomer. Should really be entitled 'self-interest groups'. For really dedicated
brown-nosers and terminal cases only.
Student-
Teacher Interaction
This is a
charade associated with LESSON PLANNING and involves drawing pathetic little
arrows from T to Ss or vice versa. Naturally, these have no connection with
reality and serve a purely decorative function.
TEFL
Couple
Those who
voluntarily live, eat and sleep TEFL. If you are unlucky enough
to
encounter such
a pair of unfortunates at a social function, make your excuses and
leave.
(2) PHOTO
EXHIBIT
Our dear SHARERS from
ICANA announce :
Instituto Cultural Argentino
Norteamericano - Departamento
Cultural - Biblioteca Centro Lincoln tienen el agrado de invitarlos a la inauguración de la muestra de Fotografía New
York, una pequeña aldea del fotógrafo
Alejandro Mironescu el próximo martes
28 de noviembre a las 19 hs. en la
Biblioteca Centro Lincoln Maipú
686
Entrada libre y gratuita. La muestra se extenderá hasta el 15 de diciembre,
2000.
(3) COUNT YOUR
BLESSINGS
Our dear SHARER and
friend Susan Hillyard sent us this inspiring message. Ideal for
reflection in the classroom ... and in life. Thank you Susan for your
contribution.
Count your
blessings...
If you woke up this morning with more health than
illness...you are more blessed than the million who will not survive
this week.
If you have never experienced the danger of battle,
the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of
starvation ... you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.
If you can
attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or
death...you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.
If
you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a
place to sleep...you are richer than 75% of this world.
If you have
money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish
someplace...you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.
If your
parents are still alive and still married...you are very rare.
If you
hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful...you
are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.
If you can hold
someone's hand, hug them or even touch them on the shoulder
...you are blessed because you offered
a healing touch.
If you can read this message, you just received a
double blessing in that someone was thinking of you, and furthermore,
you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot
read at all.
(4) DISTINCTION FOR THE BS AS PLAYERS
Our dear friend and enthusiastic
supporter of SHARE, Celia Zubiri, Director of the Buenos Aires Players writes to
us :
Dear Omar,
We feel extremely
happy as we have received some important news: After eight long years of hard
work devoted to Educational Theatre we are awarded the following auspices:
"La Secretaría de Cultura y Comunicación de
la Presidencia de la Nación
ha resuelto
auspiciar y declarar de interés cultural las obras teatrales educativas
en Inglés que
realiza el grupo The Buenos Aires Players" (expedida el 31 de Octubre
de 2000 por el Secretario de Cultura y Comunicación de la Nación
Sr. Dario E.
Lopérfido)"
We would like to
share this with all the SHARERS and also tell them
that we are now preparing our mailing 2001. If they want to receive our brochure
they may send their address to thebap@arnet.com.ar
Celia.
Heartfelt congratulations to Celia and her team for a
well-deserved distinction!
(5) A SENSE OF
HUMOUR
Our dear SHARER from Asunción, Nacho
Genovese, Pearson Education Representive in Paraguay, sends us this most
"realistic" story. Thank you for your contribution, dear Ignatius !
One bright, beautiful Sunday morning,
everyone in tiny Smithville wakes up early and goes to their local church.
Before the service starts, the townspeople sit in their pews and talk about
their lives, their families, etc.
Suddenly, at the altar, Satan appears!!
Everyone starts screaming and running for the front entrance, trampling each
other in their determined efforts to get away from Evil Incarnate.
Soon,
everyone is evacuated from the church except for one man, who sits calmly in his
pew, seemingly oblivious to the fact that God's ultimate enemy is in his
presence. This confuses Satan a bit.
Satan walks up to the man and says,
"Hey, don't you know who I am?"
The man says, "Yep, sure do."
Satan says,
"Well, aren't you afraid of me?"
The man says, "Nope, sure ain't."
Satan,
perturbed, says, "And why aren't you afraid of me?"
"Well, I've been married
to your sister for 25 years."
(6) AN INVITATION FROM
"THE SUBURBAN PLAYERS"
The Suburban Players
Present:
Evenings of
Theatre! Variety Show
Saturday November
25th
at The Playhouse , Moreno 80 ~ San Isidro
followed by our "End of the Year
Party" ( Moreno 80, San Isidro).
Tickets $ 10.- (one drink included)
Information & Reservations :
4747.4470
We wish our friends at the Suburban
Players a full house and plenty of fun tonight.
(7) MACMILLAN
HEINEMANN CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Our friends from Macmillan Heinemann
write to us to announce their Calendar
of Events for November- December 2000.
All presentations are admission free.
Enrolment is in progress at Tel.:(011)
4711-5111
extension 125.
28/11 - 17:00 hours - V. de Obligado
2382 Belgrano, Cap. Fed.
Wonderland/
Wonderful World by Prof. Marcela
Marianelli
29/11 - 10.30 hours -
Casa de la Cultura de Escobar-Tapia de Cruz
1280
Jump into
English by Annie Altamirano
M.A.
29/11 - 17.30 hours -
Colegio de la Misericordia - Av. Directorio 2138 -
Flores
Jump into
English by Annie
Altamirano M.A.
30/11 - 17.00 hours - Coronel Diaz
1745- Palermo
Here Comes Mini
Bus/Here Comes Superbus by Prof.Marcela
Marianelli.
30/11 - 9:00 hours - Instituto
Bridge - Gaona
1810 - Ramos Mejía
Jump into
English by Annie Altamirano
M.A.
30/11 - 12:00 hours - Sagrado
Corazón de Jesús - Dr. Ramón Carrillo
2349
Jump into
English by Annie Altamirano
M.A.
30/11 - 18:00 hours -
Instituto Albert Schweitzer - Juan Piñeiro 422 -
Lanús
Jump into
English by Annie Altamirano
M.A.
1/12 - 11:00 hours - V. de Obligado 2382
- Belgrano, Cap. Fed.
Jump into
English by Annie Altamirano
M.A.
1/12 - 17.00 hours - Coronel Diaz 1745-
Palermo.
Jump into
English by Annie Altamirano
M.A.
2/12 - 9.30 hours- Biblioteca de
Tigre - Av.
Libertador 440
Jump into
English by Annie Altamirano
M.A.
At the end of this event, the
prize draw for the course and trip to the UK will take place
7/12 - San Salvador de
Jujuy
Polimodal
English by Prof. Omar
Villarreal
At every Jump into
English presentation the participants will receive a copy
of Jump
into English(Student's book 1).
(8)
BERNIEH´S CORNER
Hello, dear SHARERS
!
Today I had a one-hour meeting with Philip, an English teacher in
Central France; BJB, a teacher in Pennsylvania, USA; Cline, a student in
Montpellier, France; and Armelle, who teaches EFL to students with "special
needs" in Paris. As the leader of the meeting, Jean (John), didn't arrive, we
started discussing by ourselves the use of Charles Dickens' work in the ESL
classroom. It was an interesting interchange, and we browsed and discussed
together some websites related to this famous writer.
A week ago I also
had had another similar meeting, this time with Philip, BJB, Armelle, and also
Bernie Dodge, San Diego State University, USA; Sarah, a teacher in a Junior High
in France; Dale, a teacher from Santana High School, USA; Michel, a
teacher in a Junior High near Paris; and Annie Gwynn, an EFL teacher in a Lycée
in France. There, Philip and (the other) Bernie talked us about WebQuests, a
kind of project-based way of teaching English that involves searching and
gathering information on definite Internet sites under teacher guidance. Once
again, we browsed and discussed together some WebQuest examples in the Internet.
The beauty of these meetings was that we participants had never meet
each
other before, and probably will never meet each other face-to-face in
our lives. All the conversations were conducted in cyberspace, in a very special
text-based virtual-reality environment called "MOO" (MOO stands for "multiuser,
object oriented", but it is not time for useless technicalities now). We were
all cozily sitting kilometers apart in front of our computers at home, yet
the feeling was of an easy-going comradeship and closeness.
Why am I
telling you this? Well, because you can also be part of the experience... I'll
love to see more people from Argentina in these meetings. For starters, go to
Tapped In: http://www.tappedin.org and get the gist of it by reading the available
information. Then you can visit the MOO as a guest, or directly request your own
free membership. You can also read the calendar for the coming discussions
(there is an option to see it in our local time). As an added value, once you
are a member you can have your own "cyberoffice", all with a table, chairs, a
tape-recorder, etc.) where you can invite your colleagues and students from
every and each part of the world, in order to hold your very own and
public/private
meetings.
I'll gladly assist you anytime in getting
started at Tapped In and MOOland, and advise you on how to use the freely
available software in order to reap the best of it. Just e-mail me
buck@mail.pccp.com.ar
or if you are a student at Instituto Nacional Superior del Profesorado de la
Universidad Tecnológica Nacional mail to: TTCExchange@egroups.com
Cheers,
Bernieh
P.S.: just for the record,
here are the Internet addresses of some of the
interesting sites we
browsed.
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/webquest.html
("The
WebQuest Page". Lots of information about WebQuests, by the
"other"
Bernie)
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/annie.gwynn/lessons.htm
(Annie
Gwyn's webpage. See her Webquest on Mars, for instance)
http://www.ardecol.ac-grenoble.fr/english/tice/index.htm
(Philip's
teaching site. Follow the "US Elections" link)
http://www.outremer.com/~sharad/agreg/dickens.html
(A
directory of Dickens-related resources)
http://www.web-and-flow.com/members/jcowleyd/dickens/webquest.htm
(A
WebQuest on Dickens)
(9) CONGRESO DE ENSEÑANZA
UNIVERSITARIA.
Universidad Nacional de San
Luís is organizing the I Congreso Nacional sobre la
Enseñanza Universitaria to be held in the city of San Luis,
Province of San Luis, from 26th through 28th of April 2001.
For further information visit the Congress site at http://www.unsl.edu.ar/congens.htm
(10) DEFINITION OF A FRIEND
Our dear friend Angeles
Durante has sent us this beautiful pep-up message we want to SHARE with you all
:
The Definition of a Friend
From day to day, nothing so surely defines the
quality of our lives as the unwavering affirmation in the
eyes, in the voices, in the presence of our friends. It is
through them that we truly begin to know ourselves; and it is
their affection that assures our dignity and worth.
- Robert
Sexton
Your smile, my
friend,
reflects your
heart;
and in that
mirror
I can
see
the ways in
which
you've graced my
life:
the peace and
joy
you've given
me.
Thank you Angie for
your contribution and your friendship.
(11) NOTICE OF REVOCATION OF
INDEPENDENCE
A dear SHARER from San
Juan, Maria Eva Latty sends us this piece of news to which she says she has had
immediate and direct access as a member of Her
Majesty´s entourage:
To the citizens of the
United States of America,
In the light of your failure to elect a
President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the
revocation of your independence, effective today.
Her Sovereign Majesty Queen
Elizabeth II will resume monarchial duties over all states, commonwealths and
other territories. Except Utah, which I do not fancy. Your new prime minister
(The rt. hon. Tony Blair, MP for the 97.85% of you who have until now been
unaware that there is a world outside your borders) will appoint a minister for
America without the need for further elections. Congress and the Senate will be
disbanded. A questionnaire will be circulated next year to determine whether any of
you noticed.
To aid in the transition to a British Crown Dependency, the
following rules are introduced with immediate effect:
1. You should look up
"revocation" in the Oxford English Dictionary. Then look up "aluminium". Check
the pronunciation guide. You will be amazed at just how wrongly you have been
pronouncing it. Generally, you should raise your vocabulary to acceptable
levels. Look up "vocabulary". Using the same twenty seven words interspersed
with filler noises such as "like" and "you know" is an unacceptable and
inefficient form of communication. Look up "interspersed".
2. There is no such thing as "US
English". We will let Microsoft know on your behalf.
3. You should learn
to distinguish the English and Australian accents. It really isn't that
hard.
4. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors
as the good guys.
5. You should relearn your original national anthem,
"God Save The Queen",
but only after fully carrying out task 1. We would not
want you to get confused and give up half way through.
6. You should stop
playing American "football". There is only one kind of football. What you refer
to as American "football" is not a very good game.
The 2.15% of you who are
aware that there is a world outside your borders may have noticed that no one
else plays "American" football. You will no longer be allowed to play it, and
should instead play proper football.
Initially, it would be best if you
played with the girls. It is a difficult game. Those of you brave enough will,
in time, be allowed to play rugby (which is similar to American "football", but
does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar
body armour like nancies). We are hoping to get together at least a US rugby
sevens side by 2005.
7. You should declare war on Quebec and France,
using nuclear weapons if they give you any merde. The 98.85% of you who were not
aware that there is a world outside your borders should count yourselves lucky.
The Russians have never been the bad guys. "Merde" is French for
"crap".
8. July 4th is no longer a public holiday. November 8th will be a
new national holiday, but only in England. It will be called "Indecisive
Day".
9. All American cars are hereby banned. They are crap and it is for
your own good. When we show you German cars, you will understand what we
mean.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Her Majesty the
Queen
(12) ARTESOL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SESSIONS
Our dear SHARER, Mebel Chenna,
President of Argentina TESOL informs all SHARERS:
Dear
Colleague,
Argentina TESOL (ARTESOL) is
pleased to remind you about the On Going PDS
(Professional Development Session)
scheduled for
Saturday, December 2, 10:00 am to
12:00
Multiple
Intelligences by Marta García
Lorea
ICANA - Sede Manuel Belgrano -
3 de
Febrero 821 Capital Federal.
If you would like to participate or
be a presenter, either fax or email
ARTESOL
Fax #: 011 4394 2979 E-mail: la@bcl.edu.ar
The first session for 2001 will be
held the second Saturday of February at Rainbow Practical English Teaching
(Lomas de Zamora), and it will be about Teaching with Video
and designing your own materials.
Warmest wishes,
Mabel Chena, ARTESOL
President
(13) I AM A TEACHER
A dear SHARER, Mónica Amaranti, sends us this selection of passages from
"I
am a teacher" by John W. Schlatter.
I was born the first moment that a question leaped from the mouth of a
child.
I
have been many people in many places.
Throughout
the course of the day I have been called upon to be an actor, friend, nurse and
doctor, coach, finder of lost articles, money lender, taxi driver, psychologist,
substitute parent, salesman, politician and a keeper of the
faith.
Despite
the maps,charts, formulas, verbs, stories and books, I have really had nothing
to teach, for my students really have only themselves to learn, and I know it
takes the whole world to tell you who you are.
I
am the most fortunate of all who labour.
A
doctor is allowed to usher life into the world in one magic moment. I am allowed
to see that life is reborn each day with new questions, ideas and
friendship.
An
architect knows that if he builds with care, his structures may stand for
centuries. A teacher knows that if he builds with love and truth, what he builds
lasts forever.
I
am a warrior, daily doing battles against peer presure, negativity, fear,
conformity, prejudice, ignorance and aphaty. But I have great allies:
Intelligence, Curiosity, Paternal Support, Individuallity, Creativity, Faith,
Love and Laughter. . .
And
so I have a past that is rich in memories. I have a present that is challenging,
adventurous and fun because I am allowed to spend my days with the
future.
I
am a teacher . . . and every day I give thanks . .
.
A beautiful message indeed, Mónica. Keep on SHARING!
(14) A MESSAGE FROM
PERU
The mere mention of Perú brings back to my
memory the happy times I spent in that friendly land as a
teacher-trainer in the early-nineties. Marina and me were very happy to receive
this message from the president of PERU TESOL.
Cheers to the warm and hospitable Peruvian people!
Dear Omar and Marina,
This is to wish you a
Happy Anniversary on this first year publishing
SHARE, the electronic
magazine you kindly e-mail to professionals like me
eager to get updated news
and articles on the field of Teaching English and
Translation.
I have
recommended the Peru TESOL mailing list members to subscribe to such
fine
electronic magazine with the hope to exchange news in the near
future.
Thank you for SHARing with us!
Liliana Nunez
President,
Peru TESOL
(15) VIOLENCIA EN LAS
ESCUELAS
A continuación reproducimos un breve informe publicado en la revista
electrónica
E D U C Y T - Noticias de
Educación, Universidad, Ciencia y Técnica del 20 de noviembre de 2000 (Año
4 Nro 141). El mismo fue utilizado como disparador en
el
Taller "Models of Classroom Interaction: Discipline, Respect and
Cooperation at
School today" dictado por el Prof. Omar Villarreal.
"Según un estudio realizado por la
Fundación
Poder Ciudadano -llevado a cabo en más de setenta escuelas de
provincia de Buenos Aires, interrogando a autoridades y docentes de niveles
primario y medio-, el 79% de los encuestados percibe un
aumento en los niveles de violencia en la escuela con respecto al año pasado.
Las
agresiones verbales son la forma más común en que esta agresión
se expresa, y
en reiteradas ocasiones son los propios
docentes los insultados, según datos de la
encuesta. En segundo lugar, los docentes señalaron las escenas
de discriminación y los robos, aunque sin duda los casos más
graves los constituyen las peleas con utilización de armas. Preguntados por los
motivos que generan estas escenas violentas en la escuela, la crisis de
valores de la sociedad fue el primer aspecto
señalado, con un 90% de coincidencia entre los encuestados. Un
75% opinó que la crisis económica es otra de
las causales del aumento de la
violencia;
un 54%, la crisis de autoridad de los padres; el 50% señaló al
consumo
de drogas y un 36%, a la televisión.
Este estudio es el segundo que la
Fundación lleva a cabo. En el anterior los docentes
indicaron mayoritariamente al consumo de alcohol y drogas como
principal disparador de hechos violentos. En ambos estudios, la
crisis económica recibió el mismo grado de importancia.
El estudio
reveló también que los maestros sancionan a los alumnos en pocas
ocasiones, aunque intervienen para resolver el problema en el 76% de los
casos. El 79% informa a los familiares. Los casos graves
son llevados a la policía sólo un 19% de las veces."
(16) STANDING ON THE SHOULDERS
OF GIANTS
It is a truism
that as Joseph Joubert, moralist and essayist (1754-1824) put it : "Words, like
eyeglasses, obscure everything they do not make clear". We thought the following
mail exchange between the editor of A WORD A DAY anu@wordsmith.org and a subscriber from
the UK might throw some light on the famous Newton´s phrase:
"If I have seen
farther than others, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants."
which is quite frequently considered the epitome of humility coming from a
genius like Newton:
From: Anna Lindsay
(anna@joy-full.freeserve.co.uk)
Subject: Re. Newton's quotation...
Thought this might
interest you about Newton's quotation, "If I have seen
farther than others,
it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants."
(From "An
Underground Education" by Richard Zacks, p.37)
"Pundits use this quote as the
ultimate expression of humility in genius, but
what they miss (and almost
everyone else does too) is that Newton wrote that
line to a very, very, short
man, a hunchbacked fellow scientist with whom he
was having a bitter
feud.
"Newton (1642-1727) was furious that Robert Hooke (1635-1703) was
staking
claim to many key discoveries in optics and calculus. (Hooke did in
fact
build the first reflecting telescope). [...]
"Newton wrote a long
letter to Hooke on February 5, 1675, defending himself
from charges of
intellectual piracy, praising Hooke for trifles, and then
Newton built to the
famous `standing on the shoulders of giants' line.
(Newton, by the way,
adapted it from a line about pygmies in a then-famous
book called Anatomy of
Melancholy.)
"You might translate Newton's sentiments: `While I admit to
building on the
work of my scientific predecessors, I certainly didn't learn
anything from a
dwarf like you.'"
(17)
APIBA´S CALL FOR
PAPERS
Federación Argentina
de Asociaciones de Profesores de Inglés &
Asociación de Profesores de Inglés de
Buenos Aires present the 2001 FAAPI Conference
"Looking Back,
Thinking Ahead: Merging the past, present and future of ELT"20, to be
held in the city of Buenos Aires on 21, 22 September 2001
Call for Papers
Proposals are invited for poster presentations,
40-minute papers or 90-minute workshops. Submissions on any topic related to the
teaching of English, including but not limited to: Linguistics, Applied
Linguistics, Phonology, Literature, Computers & Technology, ESP/EAP,
Testing, Materials Design, Educational Reform, Teacher Training, Postgraduate
Education, Curriculum Design, Language & Culture, Young Learners,
International Examinations, Teaching Content in a Foreign Language, Writing,
(Self-)Assessment, and Research are welcome.
The contributions MUST be original and should not have
been presented or published elsewhere.
Please include the following in your submission:
- A cover letter stating whether you are
submitting a proposal for a poster presentation, a 40-minute paper or a
90-minute workshop and listing the presentation’s title, author(s), author
affiliation(s) (including FAAPI Association membership if applicable), contact
address, telephone numbers, FAX number(s), e-mail address(es), and a 50-word
paragraph about the presenter(s).
- An original and two copies of a 75 word
abstract suitable for inclusion in the program,
- A summary narrative of 500 words that
provides a clear understanding of the presentation’s content.
Papers from teachers working in other Latin
American countries are particularly welcome. Given equivalent academic merit,
papers from members of FAAPI Associations will be given preference. Those
wishing to propose panels or special sessions should contact the
organisers.
Submission deadline is May 1, 2001.
Acceptance notification will be e-mailed by June 30, 2001.
Submissions should
be sent to:
APIBA
M.T. de Alvear 1369
C1058AAU Buenos Aires,
Argentina
Telefax: +54-11-4326
3927
(18) COORDINATING
SUCCESSFULLY
Ms Cristina de la
Vega, Director of ACUARELL - Operadores Culturales - writes to us in connection with
Laura Lewin´s highly successful seminar for Heads, Coordinators and Directors of
Studies present of future "Coordinating Successfuly".
This
celebrated course will be held next Saturday 2nd of December
from 9:00 to 17:00 hours at Av. Cabildo 1950.
There is special promotion ( 15% off !) for those enrolling
before 30th of November.
Further information can be obtained from : ACUARELL (011)
4371-3677
___________________________________________________
Bye for now, dear SHARERS.
Can we just leave you one last thought for the week
? It´s about friendship, after all that is what SHARE is all about : friends
with a common interest .
This "alphabet" for friendship (which you can
use as a "checklist" for what a true friend is, in case you need it) was
sent to us by our dear friend and SHARER, Adriana
Benvenutto:
(A)ccepts you as you are
(B)elieves in "you"
(C)alls you just to say "Hi"
(D)oesn't give up on you
(E)nvisions the whole of you
(even
the unfinished parts)
(F)orgives your mistakes
(G)ives unconditionally
(H)elps you
(I)nvites you over
(J)ust "be" with you
(K)eeps you close at heart
(L)oves you for who you are
(M)akes a difference in your
life
(N)ever Judges
(O)ffers support
(P)icks you up
(Q)uiets your fears
(R)aises your spirits
(S)ays nice things about you
(T)ells you the truth when you need to hear it
(U)nderstands you
(V)alues you
(W)alks beside you
(X)-plains things you don't
understand
(Y)ells when you won't listen
and
(Z)aps you back to reality
HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK !
Omar and Marina
_________________________________________________________
SHARE is distributed
free of charge. All announcements in this electronic magazine are also
absolutely free of charge. We do not endorse any of the services announced or
the views expressed by the contributors.
E-mail addresses are normally withheld unless
the people or institutions concerned explicitly express in their postings to us
their wish to have their electronic address published.
If a friend wishes to receive this
electronic magazine tell him or her to send an e-mail to us with his or her
details. We love to hear from the people with whom we SHARE
but for subscription purposes NAME and CITY are enough. All other details
are welcome.