miércoles, 30 de diciembre de 2015

WHAT TEACHERS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ADHD STUDENTS (MAUTINO)


Why is it so important that Education changes? It is important that teachers and each person involved in the teaching- learning process, understands that students are not all the same. They have different learning styles, they process information in different ways and, what they need is teachers that can be flexible and open to new ways of teaching. It is high time we understood that the system we have is a little out of date. It is unconceivable to believe that we can treat students as if they were boxes we fill in with knowledge.

That is why this research project is focused on AD/HD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) students. As it has been mentioned before, students are human beings with a variety of necessities and, in this case, it is important to bear in mind that these learners need greater support and understanding from teachers and families, as well. These pupils have a special sensitivity that, sometimes, goes against them since they are considered lazy or troublesome. What teachers need to know is that they see things in a different way that is not the usual one. They are neither the best nor the worst. They are different.



CRITICAL THINKING (MATHIER)

The aim of this paper is to analyze how Critical Thinking was implemented in one of the English lessons at Escuela Bilingüe Internacional and starting from this, trying to give suggestions on how to apply these strategies to an ESL classroom in Argentine secondary schools. These are some of the issues that are going to be explained, together with a practical example of a reading class taught at EBI and a modified class taught in Argentina in which Critical Thinking is the main objective.

THUMBS UP OR THUMBS DOWN? STUDENT'S THOUGHTS ABOUT LEARNING ENGLISH (RIBOTTA)

The author has always wondered why there are people who do not like learning languages. She finds languages so fascinating and exciting that it is hard for her to believe there are people who think they do not need more than their mother tongue to survive and be happy. Giving the issue some thought, it can be stated the answer to her question is easy to find, since human beings are not alike. We are heterogeneous; we love different things and enjoy different activities. Then, the answer would be simpler than she thought: there are people who do not like learning languages, because they have other interests, like sports, fashion or science. Yet, this answer is not enough. It is not reasonable that out of 40 students, only a few enjoy English lessons at secondary school. Why is this happening? Why do students not even give it a try? Why do they feel bored and tired during English lessons? Which reasons do they have for not liking English?
These are the questions that were on the author's mind before starting this work and which she attempted to find an answer to. She decided to interview students of all ages and ask them, not the teacher or the headmistress, all these questions. All through the following pages, she analyzes students’ answers and thoughts about English and the lessons they have at secondary school.