Jihlava primary school teachers bring creative approach to the classroom

Jihlava primary school teachers bring creative approach to the classroom

A Getting young children interested in learning a foreign language is not always easy, but two teachers at a primary school in the town of Jihlava appear to have done the trick. Lukáš Heřman, an English and gym teacher, and Lukáš Javorek, a math and geography teacher, are producing fun video clips in which they themselves are the main actors. The English vocabulary video clips called MonkeyEnglish are posted on the school’s website and have been getting more hits by the day.

B I spoke with one of the teachers, Lukáš Heřman, and asked whether they had been taken aback by the interest their simple video clips generated. “Absolutely, it was a surprise for us. The success of the pilot episode motivated us to understand the project MonkeyEnglish as a real project. We were absolutely amazed by the response and the fact that the number of subscribers grew rapidly.” “Can you explain how it works?” “Well, the way it works is that every Sunday we post a new video, in which we show and name the items, so viewers see them and hear what it is called in English and how they should pronounce it correctly.”

C “It seems you have generated an enormous interest in learning English among school children at your school. What do you think is the secret behind this success? What is it that they find so attractive as opposed to regular lessons at school?” “I think the attraction lies mainly in that fact that the videos are short and available for free online. Viewers can play them over and over, when and as often as they want to. So they are learning in the comfort of their own home and there is no teacher. So, the answer is comfort and convenience.”

D “Who is your audience?” “That was a big surprise for us. At first we targeted students from our own school, but when we put out the first few videos we realized we were reaching an audience of adults and seniors as well.”

E “And what kind of feedback are you getting?” “After we first shared the videos with the children at the very next lesson I checked to see how many words they had learnt from the video and we were surprised by how effective it was. Most children had learnt 10 to 12 words from the 20 words presented in the video. That motivated us to continue with the project. And there is also feedback from Facebook and Youtube, with the most frequent comments being Good video! I have learnt some new words! Great video! But there are critics as well.”

Adjusted to (1)

take aback – vyvést z konceptu

convenience – příhodnost, pohodlí

1) Read the article and match each of the headings to a paragraph.

1 Many people follow the videos

2 MonkeyEnglish is very successful

3 Children remember more from the videos

4 Videos are short free and attractive

5 English videos have been made by two Jihlava teachers

2) Read the article and answer the questions.

1 Who are Lukáš Javorek and Lukáš Heřman?

2 What do they do? What does their project refer to?

3 What is MonkeyEnglish? What are its pluses?

4 Who is their audience?

5 What feedback do they get?

3) Explain the following words and phrases.

1 gym teacher

2 pronounce correctly

3 regular lessons

4 targeted students from our own school

5 feedback

4) Answer the following questions.

Who supports this project? What else do you know about the videos? How often are they published? How long are they? What topics do they include? How is vocabulary presented? Why are the videos so popular? Why do students learn more when watching them?

Video:

http://www.monkeyenglish.cz/

Tips, sources of information:

http://www.monkeyenglish.cz/

http://www.zsrosi.cz/

Source:

(1)

LAZAROVÁ, Daniela. Jihlava primary school teachers bring creative approach to the classroom. Český rozhlas [online]. 2015 [cit. 2015-09-21]. Available at: http://radio.cz/en/section/panorama/jihlava-primary-school-teachers-bring-creative-approach-to-the-classroom

Czech schools offering bilingual lessons face legal hurdle

Czech schools offering bilingual lessons face legal hurdle

A Czech schools which are trying to improve their pupils’ chances in life by offering bilingual courses are now facing a problem. The extra charges that some of them are making for lessons in English are illegal. And that fact looks like putting the brake on one way of improving Czechs’ poor foreign language skills.

B Given the fact that Czech is not an international language, for many parents and schools one way of doing just that is by offering part of the curriculum in the main international language, English. But Czech schools which have opted for that approach and have gone to the expense of specially recruiting teachers or language schools to help them out with lessons in English are now facing a problem. Under the law, Czech state schools cannot make extra charges for basic lessons, only for after school activities.

C Vítězslav Bican is the president of the Association of Language Schools and Agencies which groups around 40 companies and agencies. He says the problem of parents paying for bilingual lessons probably affects a few dozen schools so far who have so far taken the ambitious step of trying to offer such courses. But he does not expect a solution to the problem in the short term.

D “I am in contact with people from the Spanish market, or Spanish schools, and the Spanish government, for example, has the policy to have 100 percent of schools bilingual by 2020. At the moment it is about 40 percent of schools which are bilingual, which means this integrated learning, content and language. And the Czech government has no such target, nothing. Maybe some government will be able to set out a position to move towards bilingual teaching but I don’t think this government will be able to do that or it’s possible in this situation. In comparison with Spain we have nothing. The Spanish have 40 percent now and plan for 100 percent in the next six years. ”

E Obviously do you think this is quite a big handicap for the Czech Republic? “Spaniards try to do something with that and we don’t. We see students from elementary schools and grammar schools coming to our classes and trying to improve their English because the English or foreign language classes at their schools are just not good enough. And they are not improving, and so they need more. And we can see the demand from parents very clearly.”

Adjusted to (1)

opt for – rozhodnout se

1) Read the article and match each of the headings to a paragraph.

1 Comparison of Spanish and Czech systems

2 Offering bilingual education is problematic

3 Foreign language education is not sufficient

4 Charge for basic lessons is illegal

5 A few schools offer bilingual courses

2) Read the article and answer the questions.

1 What is the situation concerning bilingual education in the Czech Republic like?

2 Which lessons may be charged?

3 What is the situation concerning bilingual education in Spain like?

4 Who is Vítězslav Bican? What are his opinions concerning education of foreign languages

5 What is his prognosis concerning bilingual education?

3) Explain the following words and phrases.

1 putting the brake on one way

2 curriculum

3 integrated learning

4 bilingual teaching

5 elementary schools

4) Answer the following questions.

What is bilingual education? What are types of bilingual education? What is CLIL? How does CLIL work? What are positives and negatives of bilingual education? What are tips for effective bilingual education? When should children start learning a foreign language?

Video:

https://goo.gl/1LnQ7J

https://goo.gl/lzbkjk

https://goo.gl/TsmWeJ

Tips, sources of information:

http://goo.gl/HVkXSZ

http://goo.gl/48eZ5c

http://goo.gl/FcyW6O

http://goo.gl/BprStN

http://goo.gl/hqtzPh

http://goo.gl/6pfSDA

Source:

(1)

JOHNSTONE, Chris. Czech schools offering bilingual lessons face legal hurdle. Český rozhlas [online]. 2014 [cit. 2015-09-21]. Available at: http://www.radio.cz/en/section/curraffrs/czech-schools-offering-bilingual-lessons-face-legal-hurdle

Tips for Teaching English as a Foreign Language

Tips for Teaching English as a Foreign Language

A Have you ever wondered what it would take to start teaching English as a foreign language? For native English speakers, there are often many opportunities for traveling overseas and teaching English language arts to students in another country. You may be wondering if you have to already know another language when teaching English to others, but some of the best English lessons are often the result of a teacher who only knows English and therefore forces the students to speak in English to communicate.

B This method of teaching where you force your students to only speak English is known as the direct method or the natural method of teaching a foreign language, and focuses heavily on correct pronunciation and gaining conversational skills. The first skill you will need to master to start successfully teaching English as a foreign language is the ability to use body gestures and signs effectively.

C Many students find that they learn a new language better when they are forced to speak only English in the classroom. By refusing to use your student’s native language, you force them to learn English by first using your body language and gestures to teach them new words, and then using what they’ve learned to build even more knowledge. This pattern of learning closely mimics the way babies and infants learn a language, and therefore this method of teaching often ‘sticks’ better than using rote memorization of English words.

D Another important strategy when teaching English is to have your students practice common phrases until they feel completely comfortable with those phrases. This technique is often used with diplomats and allows the student to focus heavily on correct pronunciation and accent. For example, teaching the English equivalent of common greetings, questions, and idioms can go a far way towards teaching English language arts.

E It’s important when teaching any language to focus on the most useful and common phrases first, so your students are able to start conversing right away. There are hundreds of English teaching guides that will help you choose what sorts of phrases and words to focus on first. There are many methods of teaching a foreign language. Some of them have been forgotten and others are widely used. The majority of them offer useful insight.

Adjusted to (1)

pattern – vzorec, schema

stick – uplatnit, upíchnout

rote – učení opakováním

1) Read the article and match each of the headings to a paragraph.

1 Start with the most frequent phrases

2 Introduction

3 Repeating phrases

4 Direct method

5 Using gestures helps in foreign language teaching

2) Read the article and answer the questions.

1 How do native speakers teach English?

2 Which methods of teaching a foreign language are described?

3 How do the smallest children learn a language?

4 What are other important strategies? When are they used?

5 What should be taught first?

3) Explain the following words and phrases.

1 force the students to speak in English to communicate

2 direct method

3 ability to use body gestures and signs effectively

4 use your body language and gestures

5 feel completely comfortable with the phrases

4) Answer the following questions.

What are types of foreign language teaching methods? Can you describe them? Who are they best for? What are examples of new creative methods?

Video:

https://goo.gl/e2npgo

https://goo.gl/v5Ra7F

https://goo.gl/5hPgGY

https://goo.gl/Hs7AYW

Tips, sources of information:

https://goo.gl/wCqH0b

http://goo.gl/OsyRR9

http://goo.gl/Of9byY

Source:

(1)

Tips for Teaching English as a Foreign Language. 5 Minute English [online]. 2013 [cit. 2015-09-21]. Available at: http://www.5minuteenglish.com/tips-teaching-english.htm

Network of excellence to improve services for children, youth with complex mental health needs

Network of excellence to improve services for children, youth with complex mental health needs

A The Educational and Psychological Counselling in Jihlava cooperates with regional schools to improve services for children and youth with complex educational and behavioral needs. It focuses on diagnostic, therapeutic, reeducation, counselling and methodological activities for children and youths from 3 years to the end of secondary school, eventually higher professional schools, their parents and teachers.

B “We focus on assessing the prerequisites of children, pupils and students, not only when there appears to be a problem in the development of the child’s dispositions, but also when a certain acceleration in the development of skills or inequality can be expected,” the social worker Iveta Vrbková said. “We advise on how to work with children, how to develop them, what to offer. All this is not only in connection with schools, but with the whole development period and health of the children and adolescents.” The goal is to enable these children and youth to reach all possible services they need, and enable the services available in the community. “The objective is to engage youth, families and communities in working together to boost children’s educational abilities,” Vrbková explained.

C “Under the agreement with the parents, we also agree on individual steps with pupil’s teachers. We help solving difficulties also in other areas, as upbringing problems, starting school, connection with some diseases, family situation, selection of suitable employment, etc.,” Jarmila Prošková, director of the Educational and Psychological Counselling in Jihlava, said. “The aim of our institution is to help children, youth, and families develop strategies to improve prevention and early intervention, as well as treatment and services. To truly transform kids’ problems in educational area, we need to all be rowing in the same direction – children, families, and schools.”

D Meanwhile, the centre is issuing a request for enlarging the centre for children and youth with educational needs. Our centre helps assess and develop educational plans so that education delivered within all schools in our Region is as effective as possible. “We also offer further professional psychological or special pedagogical guidance, therapies and reeducation, individually or in a group, or in cooperation with the family. We provide full-consultations and advice. We offer one-off and repeated meetings, again as needed,” Vrbková said. “We organize consultations, lectures, discussions, seminars in schools, we work with classes focusing on the development of children’s social skills.”

E The centre works with a wide scale of groups. They have programs of individual reeducation, programs for preschoolers, preschoolers with the need for increased care, children with learning difficulties, groups where children can develop social skills and graphomotor development groups. Vrbková said: “Further, we provide relaxation programmes for children, family and individual therapies, we want to provide a continuum of educational and counselling services that best responds to children and youth with educational needs.”

Adjusted to (1)

 

1) Read the article and match each of the headings to a paragraph.

1 Prevention and early intervention are important

2 Introduction

3 Cooperation with families and schools

4 Target groups and programs

5 Offered activities

 

2) Read the article and answer the questions.

1 What is the Educational and Psychological Counselling?

2 Who is Iveta Vrbková?

3 Who is Jarmila Prošková? What does she say?

4 What does the centre offer?

5 What groups do they work with?

 

3) Explain the following words and phrases.

1 Educational and Psychological Counselling

2 acceleration in the development of skills

3 develop strategies to improve prevention and early intervention

4 children and youth with educational needs

5 individual therapies

 

Source:

(1)

Network of excellence to improve services for children, youth with complex mental health needs. New Nouveau Brunswick Canada [online]. 2013 [cit. 2019-04-14]. Available at: http://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/news/news_release.2013.12.1280.html

 

Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkESo1U1Rao

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V6EPZ2AWCo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y48AY6r3kQU

Tips, rules:

http://www.mentalhealth.gov/basics/what-is-mental-health/

http://www.newbrunswickbeacon.ca/9659/youth-with-mental-illness-fall-through-the-cracks-richard/

When school's out, millions of kids go hungry

A A record 21.7 million American kids get free or reduced-price lunch during at school. But when summer vacation starts, the vast majority of them go without this essential, federally funded benefit. Fewer than 4 million kids – or just 18% of those in the school lunch program – are fed through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s summer food program. While that’s a record number for the 40-year-old initiative, many advocates and government officials say more needs to be done.

B “In the summer, when those school meals disappear, children find themselves hungry and with few options,” said Duke Storen, a senior director at Share Our Strength, which aims to end child hunger. “It impacts their health and well-being and contributes to learning loss.” One of the top hurdles for the summer meals effort is the federal requirement that the kids receive the food at an approved location and eat it on-site. The rationale is to ensure that the children are the ones actually consuming the meals. But it’s not easy for kids to get to the meal sites, especially in suburbia, where poverty is growing. Also, the weather can be a factor, as can violence in certain cities. The increased number of children in need has prompted some local officials to try new ways to reach them in the summer months. They are bringing meals to more locations through buses or trucks and adding activities to draw the kids there.

C Traditionally, the city provided federally funded summer meals at about 70 recreation centers and camps. This year, it launched GrubUp, which will expand its reach to 34 pools, playgrounds, libraries and other new sites through a food truck. Funded by $90,000 in grants, the truck will also attend festivals and other community events. Oftentimes, it will accompany the Roving Art Cart, which traverses the city offering arts and crafts programs for kids.

D “Where we can find the kids, we are going to take the meals to them,” said Jim Griffin, director of Pittsburgh’s parks and recreation department, which serves up to two free meals a day at most of its locations. Another new activity aimed at attracting and feeding children over the summer is the Kids Cook program, sponsored by the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. In addition to receiving their summer meal, the children will learn about healthy eating and make treats to take home, such as black bean salsa, banana pancakes, flatbread and granola bars. It's the first time the food bank has offered Kids Cook when school is out of session.

E Through these efforts, city officials hope to boost the number of children receiving meals by 10% to at least 7,600 this summer. Still, that means only three of 10 Pittsburgh kids in the school lunch program will receive meals over the summer.

rationale – důvod

boost – zvýšit

1) Read the article and match each of the headings to a paragraph.

1 Children in the suburbs are hungry in the summer

2 Meals are offered in the centres and camps

3 Children are taught about healthy diet

4 Still only 30% children will get their meals

5 Poor children are fed through summer food program

2) Read the article and answer the questions.

1 Where do children in need in the US take their meals during the summer?

2 Where do they get food in the summer?

3 What factors influence their starving?

4 Who helps starving children? How?

5 How many children might be helped by the project?

3) Explain the following words and phrases.

1 summer vacation

2 learning loss

3 poverty is growing

4 children in need

5 recreation centers and camps

4) Answer the following questions.

How are children in need? What is the life in the suburb like? What kind of problems do the people have? Are there any similar places in Jihlava or other towns? Does our school cooperate with excluded localities? How?

http://money.cnn.com/2015/06/22/news/economy/hungry-kids-summer/

Video:

http://money.cnn.com/2015/06/22/news/economy/hungry-kids-summer/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Rl6u_HQ0_I

Tips, rules:

http://czechkid.eu/si1520.html

A project for schools about the Czech Muslim community and Islam which a local group tried to derail

A project for schools about the Czech Muslim community and Islam which a local group tried to derail

A Today we speak to Šádí Shanaáh – one of the founders of Muslims – about a concise handbook and course for secondary school students aimed at providing information about the country’s Muslim community and the history of Islam.

B “First though, I asked about the survey in schools which served as a foundation for the handbook and course.” “In our study we learned something which wasn’t altogether surprising, which is that very little space is given to Islam or the Muslim world. In Czech education, much time is devoted to pre-history or the origin of ancient civilizations but Islam is only dealt with marginally, which means in the 7th century Arab expansion or the period of the Ottoman Empire. There is also not much time devoted to the 20th century, either.”

C “Is it fair to say that one aspect of the whole project is to fight xenophobia, racism, and for students to learn more about their Muslim neighbours who are practically invisible, a very tiny community in the Czech Republic?” “The motivation is also that there is an overreach, that the skills learned or applied are not just limited to this one issue. As you rightly said, Muslims are a tiny minority here. Of course, we wanted to respond to what we see as growing anti-Muslim attitudes but the ambition is to show that issues are often not black and white, that students can develop a critical approach or reading of contemporary problems.”

D “At the same time, when we talk about what is going on today with terrorism and radical Islam, do the students get any sense of that?” “As I said we are flexible and aside from the three core subjects we also organize panel discussions or invite a Muslim guest.”

E “Many Czechs don’t know any Muslims so they get to hear from a person themselves. More and more we are organizing things outside the classroom as well, so we are changing the name of the project and the logo because there is a demand from governmental institutions, communal level leadership, social services, the judiciary, the police to have a better understanding. The information meets the needs of the different institutions.”

overreach – přecenit, přehánět

demand – požadavek

1) Read the article and match each of the headings to a paragraph.

1 Muslim guests are invited

2 Interview with Shanáah

3 Many people are involved in the project

4 Muslim world is described very briefly in our textbooks

5 Students should learn about today’s issues and take a critical approach

2) Read the article and answer the questions.

1 Who is Šádí Shanaáh? What does he think?

2 What kind of project does he introduce? Why?

3 What do students learn about Muslim world at school?

4 What activities are organized?

5 Who participates on the project?

3) Explain the following words and phrases.

1 survey

2 skills

3 critical approach

4 panel discussions

5 social services

4) Answer the following questions.

What are differences between Czech and Moslem culture? What is islamophobia? What are reasons for anti-Muslim prejudice? What is a multicultural centre? How does our school cooperate with this facility?

http://goo.gl/Lj8Gjh

Video:

https://goo.gl/NYFmSV

https://goo.gl/CGnh7M

https://goo.gl/7k1A51

Tips, rules:

http://goo.gl/1RF0yR

http://goo.gl/OghVeN

Czech Republic: More than 40 % of Romani children do not attend preschool

Czech Republic: More than 40 % of Romani children do not attend preschool

A Open Society Fund Prague has supported projects aiming to educate children from socially excluded communities, as a high percentage of children from such communities do not attend preschool and their families’ complicated situations lead to their children’s inadequate development. Many children from socially excluded localities do not attend preschool, which influences their lack of success in primary school. This increases the probability that these children will be placed into special education, newly termed the “practical schools”, where their chances at education and at finding good jobs as adults come to an end.

B “According to the Report on the State of the Romani Minority in the Czech Republic more than 28 % of the pupils in the ‘practical schools’ are Romani. Those schools are intended exclusively for children with light mental disability,” says Robert Basch of the Open Society Fund Prague. “Preschool education, which can equalize the initial handicaps of children coming from disadvantaged environments, is difficult for Romani children to access,” Basch says. However, around 40 % of Romani children in the Czech Republic never attend preschool.

C One solution is to work with Romani children directly in their homes and at parents’ centers, which can substitute state-run preschool facilities. At the centers, children can perfect their language and speech skills, train their attention, fine motor skills and memory, and practice basic tasks such as using buttons and tying shoelaces. “Experience from programs abroad shows that the earlier such work begins, the better chances such children have of becoming integrated into mainstream education,” explains Filip Rameš of Open Society Fund Prague.

D “In order for aid to Romani children to succeed, it must also focus on their parents so they can manage to ensure their children enjoy conditions for healthy development and are not exposed to the risk of social exclusion in adulthood,” Rameš says. This intervention method is financially the most advantageous. The highest return on investment occurs with children under three.

E These arguments were presented at a conference in Ostrava. The conference was an opportunity to find a solution for preventing the repetition of the discrimination of Romani children in the Czech schools, discrimination to which the current generation’s parents were also exposed. The conference was held by Open Society Fund Prague in collaboration with Ostrava City Hall and the Czech Government Agency for Social Inclusion.

Adjusted to (1)

shoelace – tkanička

advantageous – výhodný

exposed – vystavený

1) Read the article and match each of the headings to a paragraph.

1 Romani children might be educated at home or at parents’ centres

2 Children from socially excluded localities do not attend preschools

3 These solutions were spoken about at a conference

4 This method is financially convenient

5 More than a quarter of pupils in practical schools are Romani

2) Read the article and answer the questions.

1 What does Open Society Fund do?

2 What are problems of Roma children?

3 How can the problems be solved?

4 How can Romani parents contribute to the solution of the situation?

5 What kind of conference took place in Ostrava?

3) Explain the following words and phrases.

1 children from socially excluded communities

2 practical schools

3 equalize the initial handicaps of children

4 fine motor skills

5 integrate into mainstream education

4) Answer the following questions.

What are socially excluded localities? What are their typical problems? Who helps the people there? How does our school cooperate with Roma children? What is the difference between mainstream and practical schools? How are Roma preschoolers supported to attend mainstream schools?

Video:

https://goo.gl/E5nG0F

https://goo.gl/qVou2R

https://goo.gl/a4apqD

Tips, sources of information:

http://goo.gl/QciHP4

https://goo.gl/ls6enc

http://goo.gl/LjIIcz

Source:

ALBERT, Gwendolyn. Czech Republic: More than 40 % of Romani children do not attend preschool. Romea [online]. 2014 [cit. 2015-09-20]. Available at: http://www.romea.cz/en/news/czech/czech-republic-more-than-40-of-romani-children-do-not-attend-preschool