Tag: #education

The Last Weekly Lesson of 2024

For study until the end of December 2024

Subject: The Last Weekly Lesson of 2024

Audio: On usual social media platforms

You might not know this but the weekly lesson is a rather new entity on my website and it is still evolving and transforming so that it can serve you better. The first one came out in mid 2024 and it was rather different from the lesson you see today. It was dry, factual and more about study, before I changed it to give it an online storytelling function.

Telling a story in the form of a weekly lesson is exciting and fun. You get to teach and tell a story and students get to  learn a lot about UK life and culture as well as learning new words, idioms and phrases. I designed it particularly for those who are looking to advance more and change. Some of you ask  if I could produce a vocabulary list with meanings or add more bells and whistles. That is a lovely idea but like everyone else I have very severe time constraints which stop me from getting so involved with it. I write it, check it post it and leave it to you to study.  If it serves you then great but if you feel it isn’t, then come and talk to me and I will try to help.

The idea behind the weekly lesson is that it can help you read, write, speak and listen better. So even if you feel that you don’t understand anything, it can still be of value.  Let me explain:

Speaking: The audio is presented on all of my social media channels so you can recite the audio lesson along with me. This process is called shadowing – you don’t need to understand anything, you just need to try to speak like me, to improve your accent. This is the natural way to improve your accent. This is what kids do.

Listening: I don’t actually speak slowly, I just speak clearly ensuring that you catch my words as I speak.

Writing: If you are feeling brave enough, you can try to write as I speak. Bring what you have written to one of our lessons and we can look at it together and Bob’s your Uncle.

Reading: The lesson is published on the main page of my website, teacherjoseph.com and it is also put on my blog as a post, so it is easy for you to find.

About me, well, when it comes to storytelling, I’m an absolute natural, the problem is they can’t really shut me up once I start talking. I’ve been presenting a podcast every day for the last 3 years like clockwork.  I’m up with the lark, reading the news and then posting it for you. I am approaching episode number 1000 and am currently looking at how to make it better.  I am currently reviewing my social media strategy so you will be seeing some changes in the new year. I don’t think two separate broadcasts (one videoclip on YouTube and one podcast on most days) are really serving your higher needs. Also, as much as I love making them, there are other ways I can help you, especially in these days of Artificial Intelligence where machine learning is all the rage.

I think probably one clip or podcast once or twice a week might be enough to bring the weekly lesson to you, along with my usual “outside broadcasts” which I make when I am on the street or in the shops.  For that to happen I will need to ensure the lesson itself is brimming over with better content.  My preference would be to bring about positive thinking and motivation. I can do that with laughter and I know many of you think my content is funny, but there also needs to be some discussion about how to get you motivated and that is something which takes a bit of work, many of you would rather see new words on the page rather than hearing me talk about psychology. So things are changing and I hope you journey with me through this transitional process.

The great thing about this lesson is that I can see its possibilities and that is what we need to focus on without losing the  core value of why the lesson is presented, the reason why it exists: to bring you English in a practical way.

Storytelling is a great way of getting points across but that doesn’t always have to be experiences about me. It can be stories about anyone or anything. Also, to take a news story of the day or another person’s story to study would add greater value and is actually paramount in learning to read how people present information in a different way from me. That’s something else to look out for, content from other people or news stories which we can dissect and digest together. So, there’s plenty of  new content coming your way but it might look a little bit different from what we are doing right now.

Anyway, whatever comes up for you in 2025 I hope its joyful, peaceful and full of happiness and I am looking forward to working with you throughout the year. Happy Christmas and Happy New Year.

Weekly Lesson: Mindsets for Language Learning

For study until 20th of October 2024

Subject: Mindsets for Language Learning

Audio: On usual social media platforms.

I had been studying Dutch for three months when a very predictable situation raised its ugly head. It happens over and over in language learning situations and I was in some ways expecting it. It is the nature of the beast when it comes to learning  or to put it plainly, the dark side of the human mind.

It all started when the students started to organize their own Zoom and Whatsapp groups to practice, there was nothing wrong with practicing with others but I knew the stage was being  set for something. I wasn’t the teacher in this class  but I sensed the great  machine of negativity and mental assassination was ready to be switched  on and already  subtle signs had started to appear. I knew that something was rotten in the state of Denmark. To put it another way, trouble was brewing.

Sure enough, during the practice time on zoom, I could see one student who seemed a bit uneasy, chatting more in English than in Dutch, a sure sign that a difficult English conversation was about to take place.

“I really like our teacher” she remarked “but things move a bit quick, she doesn’t really give me a lot of time for questions”. I could see her name was Samantha from the bottom of the Zoom screen.

“She’s under a lot of pressure, I commented, “she’s only been given one hour a week to teach us, she is under as much pressure as we are, besides, we are supposed to learn at home and come prepared” I quipped.

“I suppose, but she could at least let us speak more…” she responded. Heads started to nod, I could see a mindset developing.

“She is good… but…” she continued.

I could see in my mind’s eye a vortex opening before us, ready to devour us one by one but I doubted Tom Cruise was going to appear and save all of us, he was too busy making Mission Impossible movies.

 This wasn’t the first time I’ve sat in these kinds of circles and it isn’t something teacher training really prepares you for. Besides, in this class I was a student, I should’ve learnt to shut up.

“Sharon’s Dutch is very good, I mean its ok for her because she knows the stuff already, I don’t even know why she’s in our class” continued Samantha truculently as she mouthed off about another student.

“I just get the feeling she doesn’t like me” came another voice  from the room, more heads started to nod as I watched the vortex in my mind’s eye expanding, remembering that these kinds of conversations are deadly in language learning circles.

“My friend had our teacher last year, she says that she is very good but really strict and by the book” someone else chimed in. The argument started to build and I realised that I had to get the class mindset back if we were ever going to learn anything.

“You know the Dutch are very direct, it’s a cultural thing, no one is to blame for that – we just aren’t used to it, besides its only a stereotype based on accent and ways of speaking. It has nothing to do with liking you or disliking you” I reasoned.

“Well I still don’t like her” piped up another student.

In every language learning class there is always one person who has too much fluency for the class they are in and another who knows next to nothing. This immediately gets people’s backs up and creates a culture of blame when people compare themselves to each other and feel they are not learning. If these students had been kids, it would have been brushed off as one student being more intelligent than the other but when everyone is the class is mature, there is always a level of discomfort. In the minds of adults in these kinds of situations someone has to be blamed and I could see that just like a sliding puzzle everything was beginning to slip into place. Someone had to be blamed for what was regarded as a lack of progress, and in this meeting, attention was turning to the teacher.  In my career as a teacher, I had seen heads roll for this, I was well aware of the dangers of mesmerism in the classroom, opinions  can travel faster than any virus and there is no one really to blame exactly, except some bad ideas which are misplaced and personalised to make us feel better about learning.

“Well lets start by going over what we’ve learnt so far from the class” I replied, trying to get into a position of leading the class away from negativity.

Samantha at that point made an excuse that she had forgotten an appointment, and then vanished. Although I was glad to see the back of her, it was too late, she had already left her mark on all of us. Nobody in the class wanted to practice and it led into a mindset which was not ready to practice or learn. As for Samantha, well the whole point of the practice session was that she and others could participate but she eventually left the group and the course citing that “she wasn’t getting anywhere” although I doubt she realised the legacy she had left on everyone else.

I am always really fascinated by these experiences in language learning, especially how a group of well mannered students can become tribal and end up looking like they are in  a scene from the book Lord of the Flies by William Golding, tearing people to shreds given half the chance. Although the actual learning part is very individual, there are often cultures which are created by individual mindsets in places of language learning and they can become very difficult to break if left unchecked.

I stopped attending the practice group because it was a breeding ground for arrogance. At one stage they even agreed amongst themselves to try and talk to the School Head Teacher about their “problem with the teacher” who promised to investigate.

By the end of the course, there were only a handful of us left and we, including the teacher, were all left scratching our heads wondering what had happened. Worse than that, a culture has been created and future students no doubt had their comments “My friend Samantha studied here and she said…” and the culture is enabled again and the whole thing is repeated.

The key in any class is always in finding unity with others in learning, without that there is nothing. It becomes like a kingdom divided against itself. This happens not only with language students but also with teaching staff, teams in offices and wherever people are asked to work together. The way to deal with this is not to attack the person who voices it but to realise it is an opinion which is on the scene and it needs to be disarmed before it causes panic. The person and their opinion must be separated. It is important not to label the person bad and shun them, but to see the only thing at work here is a fake opinion.

My advice to any learner or team member who wants to succeed, guard your thoughts well, not only about learning but about any thoughts or opinions which are developing in the classroom. Avoid discussions about personalities and focus as much as you can on unity. If your learning is slow, have a look at what’s going on around you and make sure your mind is not caught up in any negativity. If you have a problem with the teacher, voice it immediately with the teacher  and don’t let it fester.

Weekly Lesson: The Return to Education

For study until 8th of September 2024

Subject: The Return to Education

Audio: On usual social media platforms

Deciding to go back to study at University sounded enthralling. It brought back memories of Education when I was younger. Being part of something, a time when we all knew for sure we were loved and affirmed by forming deeper friendships.

 As I work in the Education sector, I am very aware of the changing face of teaching but this was going to be interesting. To be on the other side of the classroom for a change, not the one in front of the class. It came as a bit of a shock to find that “Campus life” was simply online.  Opening a new tab on my browser is hardly the same as bursting through the University doors wearing too much aftershave and white socks in 1987.  

My first day arrived and I was feeling intrepid. It was something of a relief to find an Internet room full of middle-aged cynical bitter looking faces staring at me. I was expecting teenagers.  Arriving into an Internet video chat is like changing a TV channel, you give it a few seconds to gauge what it’s like before you feel altogether settled and you are immediately hit with feelings but you don’t quite know what they are  yet.

I am no stranger to Internet chats, but this was one of the few times I was in a room full of native speakers – that was a bit of a game changer.  The balance of power felt different – these people had years of experience of judging others and there was no language barrier to protect me from that.  I felt like I was being X-rayed and anxiously awaiting the results. For the first time in a long time, I was vulnerable in an online learning environment.

 The song “Forever Young” by Alphaville played in my mind.  Jeez, they were more cynical than I was – this was not about having fun, for them, they were more concerned about funding.  Their online background scenery was interesting, some people lying in bed, others sitting on the sofa, some empty chairs and a few with cameras turned off. Was this really the new definition of diversity at University?

I’d forgotten how much American Psychology had crept in over the years. The Tutors had been told to tell us one exciting fact about their personal lives.  I really didn’t care who had driven a tank through a desert or who makes kitsch medieval tapestries when they aren’t out walking dogs. My mind drifted, Forever Young played in my head again as I remembered the first day of University the first time round. I was studying Theology and Philosophy back then, we should in theory have been very well behaved kids with such a serious subject but we weren’t, we were crazy maladjusted kids with a tutor who looked like a relic from the Dark ages. Riding brightly coloured cars, wearing crazy hats and listening to Elton John defined us, we were teenagers.

 I was quickly brought down to earth again with a thump when another student asked me the  question:

“Tell us something about yourself Joseph?”

“I’m an avid traveller” I quipped looking around the screen to see who was listening. Most of them were busy surfing the web – I doubt the answer even registered with them “and happily married” I quickly added. That last comment got the attention of a few people and clearly raised a few eyebrows.

“Great”, she cackled voraciously.

“My first husband was like you…. Not the happily married bit, I mean…. He travelled” while she took another puff of the cigarette and then stubbed it out in the ashtray, blowing smoke in the air…..

“What about you Sonia?” she said in a loud gritty voice moving her head around the screen to her next victim.

“Oh by the way, are all of our lectures  on Fridays?  I have the grandchildren the  rest of the week” she chortled.

 No one else seemed to care except for one woman who kept sending me private messages to help her find stuff on the Uni. website while asking questions about MS Teams. I’d forgotten how my role in group situations is always the “helper”. There to bring a bit of calm to panicking hysterical women.

“We can meet after class” I quipped – “just like last time”.  We had previously met online at the intro. sessions a few days before…. Suzanne was an interesting person, she carried an immense sense of  tragedy and didn’t have a clue about computers.  Just like the kind of women who always seem to find special places in my English classes by booking lots of packages and then self-predicting that they will never pass exams. Then there were the others who kept asking me about times of lectures. I’m not sure what bit of “its all online – there are no lectures” that they couldn’t understand.  Yes, I grappled with that as well, we just had to like it or lump it – we read, write and then submit things.  

Like it or lump it – this was indeed University for older people, fun meant going for blood tests and Covid vaccines.

 Like it or lump it was always the preferred idiom in my family growing up and it simply means “take it or leave it”.  It is one of those phrases that you can hear everywhere, especially when there is little choice in a decision which has to be made.  My mother used to say – “you are having potatoes for dinner like it or lump it… you don’t want them? Fine, you can lump it then”. (in other words, starve).

The one curious thing was how the tutors kept pleading with us to attend lectures:

“I know we are all busy but can we please try to get to lectures? You will struggle if you don’t…”

That was repeated many times and I remembered the countless times I waited for students who weren’t going to appear online for English classes.  I don’t plead anymore, I’m kind of past that stage.  

My mind drifted again and I remembered how middle aged teachers feel like parents sometimes but not with this crowd. Walking sticks, crutches and doctors appointments meant that I wasn’t about to find myself cruising through the streets in brightly coloured cars this time, this was post middle age – cruising up to the local Doctor’s surgery is as good as it gets. For some people here the best years of their lives had quickly become the last years of their lives. I was one of the youngest and as such expected to be the IT expert of the room.

 I was no longer the English teacher around here, I was the baby.

Weekly Lesson: Teachers, Then and Now

For study until 7 July 2024

Subject: Teachers, Then and Now

Audio: On usual social media platforms.

Women in particular used to have very defined roles in society and I recall that my teachers in the 1970s and 80s were for the most part unmarried women. 

There was an expectation that they would devote their lives to education and could not be educators as well as look after a husband. Female teachers were simply not allowed to marry, culturally or legally.

 That rule had been officially lifted in 1944 yet the tradition remained, likely out of fear that a community may judge a woman unfairly. After all, in the 1970s and 80s, most of our elders were born before 1944 and they themselves were educated by unmarried teachers.  Sex, sexuality and physicality were completely repressed during the 19th century so a woman who was abstaining in order to educate children was a serious vocation. It was perhaps a throwback to a time when we would have been educated by Catholic nuns and Priests.  There were practical reasons for this as well, particularly regarding the high number of unemployed men.

 By default we often referred to teachers as “Miss” rather than “Mrs” because it showed more respect.  Female teachers here in the UK were expected to be single until 1944 and if they were found to be married then they were sacked.  Women working, was generally seen as something negative but exceptions were made of course for cooks, cleaners and general domestic roles, but even those kinds of roles were reserved for single women or spinsters who had no chance of marriage or a profession because of their age or class system.

By the time the 1970s came, times were indeed changing and more women were becoming teachers. Our social revolution of the 1960s had left its mark and women felt empowered to do anything they wanted.  The Headmaster in my School was Mr Cameron, of course the opinion was that his job as Head Teacher with all of its administrative tasks needed a man to manage it and I often wonder how he dealt with ten woman on a day to day basis. He was an older man, never having been married himself. When he was due to retire the school held special celebrations for him and wished him well. He was so taken by our Love for him that he changed his mind and decided to stay longer which perhaps gave us a glimpse into what his life was really like. Perhaps just like the rest of us, he had his own self doubts and loneliness but he was not allowed to show those publicly.

The Teachers I recall were very happy.  The older ones who were well passed their sell by date seemed very contented. They were like matriarchal figures, quick to give advice with a very blunt practical masculinity (yes they were all women) which surfaced when required.  Corporal punishment was still in place until 1981 and you really did not want to be on the receiving end of that, especially if you were in any way squeamish. It involved being belted across the hands with a trouser belt or cane until you almost bled. The weirdest part of that punishment was the ritual. The most well behaved boy in the class was sent to collect the belt from another teacher, giving the message to the other class that someone had been playing up. That belt was then carried back with great reverence to the class of the troublemaker so that everyone could see what was about to happen. A few of the teachers even cried when carrying out this brutality as I recall and on the other hand (excuse the pun) some of them enjoyed it.  Questions remain in my mind about why  a bunch of middle aged women had men’s belts hanging on the walls to punish us with?

By the mid 80s married teachers were becoming as common as single ones. In my community today  there are still a number of older teachers who choose note to marry, but they are mainly retired, morally upright woman who look like relics from another time and then of course there are also nuns. Some of them are in prison serving sentences for physical cruelty to children in the 1960s. Others are simply sweet old ladies.

Times have changed and now teachers are required to be formally educated. In the past they simply had to attend “teacher training colleges” whereas now there is an expectation that they will hold at least a Degree. Headlines appear regularly about inappropriate relations between kids and teachers as well as violent threats and lack of safety in the classroom.  Some of the teachers do not look much older than the kids.

As my colleagues and I discuss our experience of school days, one thing we all agree upon is this: We would never send our children to  British schools, we would either “home school” them or live in another country. There is an opinion that frankly speaking, children here are exposed to too many things.

I yearn for the old days but do understand things were not perfect then either,  it simply looked that way through the eyes of a child.

Monday’s Affirmation – I am a valued member of the language learning community

Reflect on your own childhood – what opinions do you hold about school? Describe your friends you learnt with and compare them to exchange partners that you have now.

Tuesday – I am making progress every day

In what ways were you successful in education? What do you regret?

Wednesday – I am a capable learner

Write a short essay on how education has changed in your country.

Thursday – I find joy in learning

What could you do to improve your joy level in learning? What would stepping outside your comfort zone mean?

Friday – Mistakes help me learn

Compare punishments – making mistakes at school and making mistakes as an adult.