Cambridge Course in UANE

Last Saturday April 17th we had a course from Cambridge University Press given by Patricia Quintana, this course was related to some existing teaching methods and approaches, we tackle some of them really quick:

Grammar-Translation Approach
Direct Approach
Reading Approach
Audiolingual Method
Community Language Learning
The Silent Way
Communicative Approach--Functional-Notional
Total Physical Response

If you want to find more about them, go to this link (very basic explanation):

http://edweb.sdsu.edu/people/jmora/almmethods.htm

POL Presentation 2010

This is the introduction translated by Lex and Dany, both students of Licenciatura de Idiomas in their 8th, and final, semester, they did a great job, they soon will be great Licenciadas, so I guess that in coming days I will upload some more videos from that presentation.

This POL was presented by 4th and 6th semester of LI, you will see some good performances, some performances that could be better, but they will improve with the years and practice.

Manual Practicas Docentes

This the link where you can download the manual for Practicas docentes, if you have a problem downloading it, please write a comment. Read it and tomorrow we will clarify doubts.

Copy.paste it in your browser:

http://cid-e57ad46b7956f5a2.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/2010/POL%20Practicas%20didacticas2%20Manual.docx

Manual Metodologia

Ok, this is it, here you have a link, just copy-paste it so you can download it, remember to read it so you can ask any questions tomorrow, if you have any problems just write a comment on the right side of this blog:

http://cid-e57ad46b7956f5a2.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/2010/POL%20Metodologia3%20Manual.docx

Metodologia

Guys, I am having some technical difficulties, the manual will be uploaded within 2 hours, sorry, but don't worry, you'll have it a.s.a.p.

The Orphan

As a Halloween movie/activity, This picture brings back the psycho killers into the mainstream, enjoyable if you are in the mood¡¡
Orphan, the name says very little for what you get to see in the movie. I watched great horrors/thrillers, this movie with mild brutality and refreshingly thrill creates a great impression on audience pulses. Esther, especially, acted terrific in portraying psychotic behavior and the screenplay was just perfect to make it a picture perfect.

Be it, the twists introduced in the plot in the later half of the movie or the realistic resemblance of the whole plot, the movie is worth your buck on the big screen. Though the movie was 2hr long, it was a clever move by the director to inject some meaningful comedy into the movie so as to maintain the attention of the audience. An interesting point to note is that audience laughed quite a bit for almost 60% of the movie and then were shocked as the plot took twists and turns. This combination of humor along with shock is what makes this movie a brilliant thriller.
Info:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1148204/

Download activiy:

http://cid-e57ad46b7956f5a2.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/Activities/Orphan.docx

Akeelahand the Bee

This is a movie that can be used in class, it has a very good plot and leaves a good message along with vocabulary.

In 'Akeelah and the Bee' Keke Palmer plays Akeelah Anderson, a bright 11 year old who just wants to fit in. Despite her intelligence, she is not a good student. She is unmotivated and often misses class. Since the death of her father five years ago, she only seems content when she imagines playing Scrabble with him. Nevertheless, her talent for spelling gives her an opportunity to shine.

This is on of the better movies I have seen this year. This heart-warming and inspirational story is about a girl who, despite all the hardships at home, finds a way to utilize her skill at Scrabble. With a little help from her coach (Laurence Fishburne) she not only learns a lot about language, but she learns how to appreciate the environment around her. She finds out that she is rich in ways she did not realize.

It is very difficult to find fault with this movie, there is something in it for everyone (even a few surprises). Both Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne are awesome. I was particularly impressed with Keke Palmer. I would compare it to 'The Karate Kid' meets 'Finding Forrester'.

INFO:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0437800/

DOWNLOAD ACTIVITY:

http://cid-e57ad46b7956f5a2.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/Activities/Akeelah.docx