Admin“Language is the armory of the human mind, and at once contains the trophies of its past and the weapons of its future conquests.” These are the well-known lines by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in support of the power of words and language. In an effort to promote and add to the teaching skills of English […]
“Language is the armory of the human mind, and at once contains the trophies of its past and the weapons of its future conquests.”
These are the well-known lines by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in support of the power of words and language.
In an effort to promote and add to the teaching skills of English Language teachers, Akal Academy Kajri Niranjanpur under the auspices of Kalgidhar Education Trust, Baru Sahib organized “Two Days Teachers’ Workshop on English Language Skill Development”.
About 59 English Language teachers from Academies of U.P. region participated. The workshop was sponsored by Oxford Publications, New Delhi. Dr. Vijaya was the resource person on the occasion.
At the very outset, participants, faculty guests, resource person were welcomed by the host Principal, Akal Academy Kajri, Mrs. Simran Kaur Thind. Later all the participants were briefly instructed by Mr. Ashok Singh Guleria HOD English/Head Coordinator and necessary details were given regarding workout schedule of the workshop.
Session I
Session I of the workshop began at 9:00 a.m. First of all participants were made to awake about the need of using appropriate speaking as communication skill. Through audio visual aids resource person later categorized the speaking skills Meanwhile discussion on the problems of children in language learning such as shyness, lack of proficiency, accuracy deficit were widely discussed. The resource person very efficiently suggested possible solutions to these problems. In the first Session, “Listening and Speaking Skill Improvement” tips were given to the teachers to use appropriate speaking and listening skills and tasks. Teachers were grouped in circle and listening skill activities were carried on for practice.
Session II
Session II of the workshop began after short tea-break. The session was devoted to Speaking Skill Development. At the very outset, Participants were given tips about soft skill development while student teacher interaction in classrooms. There was a very useful discussion on the role of function of English and how to express requests, invitations with proper pronunciation, pauses, stress and intonation. In this session teachers’ queries regarding speaking skill deficiencies among children were addressed
Session-III
Session III of the workshop was an amazing learning experience for all participating teachers. The resource person using picture stimulus, motivated the teachers to speak words. It was a brain storming round. Teachers were made to do loud reading with proper pronunciation, ascent and voice modulation. In the last hours of the day phonetics drill was done. High-frequency words, sight words were discussed and practiced by the teachers.
The second day of the workshop was dedicated to the learning of phonetics. This was the ever first experience of learning the teachers had in this workshop. Dr.Vijaya in very easiest ways gave phonetic skill drills to the new teachers.
She emphasized that speaking English is not a big task but speaking English with correct pronunciation and with fluency should be the focus area. By learning phonic sounds, students’ will be able to read and spell the words according to the sounds of letters.
She talked about 44 sounds (along with symbols) of English language. Many audio and video clippings were incorporated to make the concepts more clear. She also talked about the difference between American and British English. she reverberated the importance of pronunciation in the world of mass communication and for the students going abroad for higher study and jobs Teachers’ felt enlightened and refreshed after the workshop as the resource person dealt with all the nitty-gritty’s of pronunciation.
She also asserted that the phonetic transcript is as essential to learn as the order of alphabets in order to check the dictionary pronunciation. Last of all Dr Vijaya referred to and shared many useful web links to update and download useful language learning material for reading and speaking out of which podcast, BBC, ELT web content was shared with the teachers.
In the closing session of the workshop Dr. Vijaya emphasized on the need of use of teacher-generated audio visual to enhance listening and speaking. She asked the teachers to use library resource appropriately to inculcate reading habits among learners. In her thanksgiving talk, the host Principal Mrs. Simran Kaur Thind thanked the resource person for giving such a useful workshop.
Mrs Rangbir Kaur Cluster Head Akal Academies U.P. region, too thanked the resource person and asked the teachers to use the newly learned skills to the fullest in their classrooms. Mr. Phillip Xavier Media Coordinator, Mr Pawan Katara R.C. Digiclass too contributed to make this workshop a success!!
~ Tapasleen Kaur
~ New Delhi, 12th Oct ’15