Logical

For a long time, I had falsely assumed that the common mistakes that every Spanish speaker makes when speaking English resulted from their inability to disconnect from their mother tongue when learning and communicating in the second language. But I've recently discovered another type of mistake, which has nothing to do with one's first language. It comes from trying to apply logic to the English language. If the opposite of popular is unpopular and pleasant changes to unpleasant , why can't we say that someone is unpolite? The past of peak is peaked and the past of leak is leaked. So what's the problem with saying speaked? If we say yesterday morning, yesterday afternoon and yesterday evening then why don't we say yesterday night? If I like to play then I enjoy to play, right? If what I'm saying makes sense to you then I can conclude that you're understanding, right?

Announcing WikiProfe!

The latest addition to MyProfe is WikiProfe! Now, it will be easier and faster to get the information you're looking for no matter where it is located on MyProfe website. Don't take my word for it. Go and take a look for yourself.
http://www.myprofe.com/wiki

I can't live without my....

During the last few years, accept for my cell phone and mp3 player, I have been pretty much on the fence with respect to all those portable computer and communications gadgets. I never got a laptop, a PDA, a pocket PC or a GPS navigator. So when I started giving classes to my new client, Research in Motion, it was pretty obvious what was gonna happen next. These are the people who make the Blackberry cell phones. It took them less than two weeks to convince me that I needed one of their phones to organise my life and, I have to admit, they were right! Now I don't have to look for a computer to check my email. It comes directly to my phone. I can store all my music, audio and text files. It has a nice camera for those unexpected photo opportunities. It has voice recognition and hands free so that I can talk while I'm driving and GPS for when I get lost. As far as I can tell, I have everything I could possibly need, from my calendar and agenda to my flickr pictures, all in my pocket!

Basics

Language teaching, more than any other subject, provides an unlimited choice of subject matter, methods and materials. It is perhaps the only classroom where a discussion of the weather or the latest news would not be considered unprofessional or irresponsible. And therein lies the danger, both on the part of the student and of the teacher, of losing sight of the objectives of the class. The teacher, first and foremost, has to make sure that the students are called upon to use all four language skills at some point during each class. The teacher must take to the class on a regular basis a variety of reading and listening materials to avoid that the students become accustomed to and therefore limited to the teacher's voice and way of speaking. The students, on the other hand, must filter what is presented in each class and take what is useful for them.

Video Language Class

The portable cassette player had an important impact on the traditional language class back in the early 70’s. This invention made it possible, for the first time, to bring voices other than that of the teacher into the classroom. Exposure to a wide variety of accents is the best way to prepare students for the real world of English speakers. Not long after the introduction of the cassette player, came the videocassette recorder or VCR, which was also incorporated into the language class but to a lesser degree and, some would argue, with less success. Over the years, the quality and capacity of these recording devices have improved greatly and are now considered an integral part of any language class. However, the challenge of how best to use these devices is the same today as it was in the days of the cassette player. Simply watching the film is not enough.

Less Bad

People feel good when they smoke fewer cigarettes, eat less junk food and drive cars that release fewer toxic fumes into our atmosphere. Everywhere you go you see people, companies, factories, governments and entire countries trying to live, act and conduct business in supposedly better ways.

But what are we so happy about? Since when is less of a bad thing good? Less bad is not a double negative. Killing fewer whales is not good. Building a factory that releases less toxic waste into the environment is not good. Making bombs that kill fewer people is not good. All of these things are bad. Instead of doing bad things less often we should be looking for ways to do good things.

So, let’s stop fooling ourselves into thinking that less selfish is generous, less fat is thin and less violence on children’s TV is good. Less bad is still bad.

The Ultimate Challenge

Conducting business in a foreign language that you are not fluent in is challenging to say the least. Nevertheless, the benefits of doing business on an international scale far outweigh the occasional problems caused by inaccurate and confusing communication. Some will argue that these communications go better in face-to-face meetings while others prefer written correspondence. However, everyone agrees that the most difficult form of communication is the phone, with the poor sound quality of hands free devices making things considerably worse. If, on top of that, you add more people to the same call you end up with the most difficult challenge facing workers nowadays, the conference call. Conference calls are vital in today’s fast-paced global market place in which the difference between success and failure often depends on how quickly we can gather information and make decisions. Obviously, it’s time to bone up on our listening and speaking skills.

LAD

LAD stands for Language Acquisition Device. This is an area, present at birth in the human brain, which makes the process of learning languages possible. This innate facility provides children with the capacity to learn up to three languages simultaneously. Of course, if you have tried or are trying to learn a second language as an adult, you are well aware of the fact that this area of your brain has long since shut down. This window of opportunity, to acquire second and third languages naturally, closes by the age of twelve or around puberty. In fact, it closes much sooner in schools where the second language is taught in the student’s first language. The message is very clear. In today’s multilingual world, we must expose our children to second and third languages as early as possible.

SLOW LEARNERS

I have long been of the opinion that there is no such thing as a stupid child. Children who consistently do poorly in school are, in my opinion, the victims of a bad education system. It’s not that the students can’t learn but rather that the teachers don’t know how to teach.

We all learn in different ways. All of us are born with eight different types of intelligence that we use to understand the world we live in. However, by the time we start school many of us develop some of these intelligences more than others. Consequently, it is the responsibility of the instructors to identify the more highly developed intelligences of their pupils and adapt their teaching methods accordingly.

While the majority of the class may be able to understand a simple verbal explanation, others may be lost if not provided with a visual representation of the concept.

On The Lake

It was very peaceful at the lake in the Casa de Campo the other day.

Spain's July 4th

Yesterday Spain celebrated its national holiday with a military parade down the main streets of the capital accompanied by an assortment of aircraft flying overhead. Since there are a number of vantage points in the Casa de Campo with unobstructed views of the city I decided to take the camera with me on my morning bike ride.

The first thing I noticed when I arrived was that the angle of light was really bad. I knew the pictures wouldn't be very good but I stayed just in case. In the end I was able to get a couple of decent pictures. You can see all of them at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/myprofe.

Company Language Classes - The Truth

About this time last year, I enquired at a local language academy to see if they were looking for teachers. At the time, I was free in the middle of the day. Somewhat to my surprise, they set me up with a couple of midday classes in a company, that works for the government, to start that very same week. The pay was very low but I was free to conduct the class as I please.

As my relationship with the students developed, I discovered that I had been their first “real” teacher – someone with experience. Not only that but they had never even had the “luxury” of having the same teacher for an entire course. One of them confessed that it was the first time that he had arranged his appointments in such a way so as not to miss the class.

At the end of the course, we all thought that it would be interesting if we could continue together the following year but without having to go through the language academy. We agreed to keep in touch and they promised to bring the matter to the attention of Human Resources. We were quite optimistic that something could be worked out.

I called Human Resources last week and they confessed that their hands were tied. Since the language academy in question, having made the lowest offer for the umpteenth consecutive year, had won the contract for the classes, only their teachers would be allowed in the company.

El Popo

I spent most of the month of August near a town called Atlixco, in the state of Puebla to the south east of Mexico City. I had a wonderful time and took lots of pictures. I was most fascinated with this volcano, which everyone refers to as "El Popo". You can see the rest of my Popo pictures on my Flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/myprofe/sets/72157601635260839/

Lucky Duck

This morning I made one final attempt to get a decent picture of the ducks in the pond along the bike trail in the Casa de Campo but even with my 75 - 300 mm zoom lens, it was impossible.

On my way out of the park, I decided to pass by the boating lake. I saw some birds in the water quite close to the bank and decided to try my luck. When I approached the water’s edge, they swam out a short distance from the shore but stayed close enough for me to take pictures.

You can see the rest of the pictures at: www.flickr.com/photos/myprofe

Elusive Duck

There is a small river running through the Casa de Campo. Many times when I ride through the park I notice some ducks in a small pond along this river. Several times I had tried to get a picture of them but they would always swim away or hide when I approached. Last Sunday I decided to insist. I found several spots around the pond where I could sit and hide. It was a beautiful day and I was prepared to wait as long as necessary to get a nice picture. I chose my spot put my camera in silent mode and sat down to wait. It was not long before I realized that the ducks were totally aware of my presence and refused to parade in front of me. The best I could do was the picture you see above. This guy was the lookout.

flickr

I've decided to open a flickr account to share my pictures with friends and family and to display my best pictures with everybody. For me, one of the best ways to get ideas and improve the quality of your pictures is to look at other peoples' photos.

Here's one of my latest pictures. You can see the rest at: www.flickr.com/photos/myprofe

It's Not The Camera!

As an avid photographer I really like my Sony DSC-R1 10.3 megapixel digital camera. It combines all the features of my old reflex cameras with the advances in digital technology. But it doesn't take better pictures than my film cameras, not yet.

What it does do is make it cheaper and easier. But the quality of the picture depends on the photographer not the camera.

We have 3 tulips in a pot on the window sill. I can't get a good picture from the street.




It doesn't look like there's any way to get a good picture from inside the house either.



But if I move the pot to the left and shoot from a low angle I can get a decent picture with the sky in the background.



It's not the camera!

My Weekend

On Saturday I took the camera with me to the Casa de Campo and I'm glad I did. You never know when you're going to have a photo opportunity. This is the wall along the northeastern limit of the park. This is as close as you can get to the mountains. Click on the pictures to see a larger version.



After taking a few pictures I continued my ride. At one point I heard a siren off in the distance which I thought might be an ambulance. It's not unusual. Some of the biking trails are dangerous. It wasn't long before I discovered what that there was race in progress.



I realized that the circuit or a large part of the race was being held inside the park and that there were still many laps to go. It was a great photo opportunity. So, I got off my bike, sat on the ground and started shooting away. I like taking action shots. There are a lot more things to calculate.



This was a lot of fun!









I wonder how old he is!



This guy doesn't need snow!



I checked out the flowers on the way home.







In the afternoon I went to a demonstration. We were protesting against the way the government is dealing with the terrorists.



It was nice to see so many young people and families. The government claims that only the right wing extemists and members of the opposition party participate in these events. So what does that make me?



As you can see there was a festive atmosphere. The government says that we shouldn't display the flag at these events. I don't understand this.



Sunday was an unusually clear day so I got some nice pictures in the park. This was the most difficult picture of all mainly because I took it myself. I must have spent a good hour here before I got what I wanted.



There's still some snow in the mountains.



I love these trails!











See you in the Casa de Campo!!

Memory Dignity Justice

On Saturday I went to a demonstration in support of the families and friends of the 25 people that were killed over an 18 month period by a single ETA terrorist whom the government is preparing to set free after spending 19 years in prison. This man has never apologized for his crimes and has written threatening letters to judges and elected officials from his cell that have been published in newspapers sympathetic to the separatist terrorist group. Ever since the government initiated its so-called peace process the victims have become the criminals and the criminals the victims.

I took the camera with me just in case there were some photo opportunities and also to have something to entertain myself with during the long wait before the event got underway. I always prefer to carry the camera and take no pictures than to not have it and miss a great shot.

As it happens I was in a pretty good spot and the light was good. I had no idea that during the event one of the volunteers was going to approach me to suggest that I go up onto one of the TV platforms that had been set up for the event but was not being used. When I climbed up the ladder and stepped out onto the platform and gazed out at the sea of faces below me I couldn’t believe my eyes.

The courageous relatives who volunteered to tell their stories, many addressing the terrorists and political officials by name, pleaded for memory, dignity and justice.

Forum Etiquette

There was a post in my forum asking about the difference between the words small and little. This type of question is very common in foreign language forums where native speakers of a language help learners. If you put yourself in the position of the teacher you will see the problem with this question. Imagine that someone asks you what they should wear but they don’t tell you why they are asking. You’re certainly not going to waste your time explaining what clothes to wear in every possible situation. Not knowing how much information will be necessary to satisfy the learner, there is a good chance that the teacher will skip the issue all together. However, if the student writes a few sentences using the words in question then the teacher will be much more inclined to make corrections and can, at his or her discretion, add an appropriate explanation.