[etni] fw: in reponse to Jennifer

From: "Aviva Shapiro" - alshapirose@xxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: in reponse to Jennifer

Dear Jennifer...and all others on the list,

It is good to hear what you have to say.. because you are right. !!! The students (way too many of them ) are being given material they can't handle. (and I wish I knew what story you were talking about !!) because teachers are petrified.. They feel an immense amount of pressure put on them to get the kids to the highest level bagrut exam possible and they think (incorrectly) that this means giving material which is at a high level..
(unfortunately inappropriate ) .

As for projects.. Projects can and do teach English if they are done correctly but yes.. probably many, many teachers either haven't done the NBA course or didin't understand it and don't know how to use a project as a learning experience. A project should be done in school.. ( 80 % of it with only small details completed at home).. Kids need to be taught the skills
used in acessing information and this takes time at school.. What is
happening,, obviously is that many teachers throw a few pages with a few unclear instructions on them at the students and send them HOME to write a project. Kids get others to do it for them and therefore learn NO English.

I know that this is not what is supposed to be happening but again teachers feel the pressure of BAGRUT and more than ever we are being assessed by how well our students do on the "EXAM". Having a good looking project impresses
our principals and those who test the kids. This is unfortunate. Not to mention that at some schools ( a lot??) the conditons needed (like computer labs and hours to use it !!) are not being given to the teachers..

As for grammar.. Teachers feel comfortable teaching it and kids feel that they are learning if taught it. Again teachers tend to do what feels safe.

The changes in the curriculum are still very new and without criticizing the Ministry, I feel that even more effort has to be made in order to ensure that all the new guidlines and requirements are understood and are being implemented. This means getting the inspectors and their coordinators out
into the field even more.

Maybe.. (well most probably !!) our inspectors are overworked and our coordinators are definitely overwhelmed so what happens is that our teachers - those out there in the front are being shortchanged !!!! Principals don't know what we are expected to do in many cases and need to be made aware by their inpsectors, and mostly by their English coordinators.
(who are overworked, overwhelmed and overtired !!!)

So as not to leave us all with only a feeling of |nothing can be done.." I will conclude with my humble opinion that if more resources are made
available to those in management in order to raise the awareness of what we, the English teachers need, things may change and teachers might start to understand what they need to teach , how to teach it and where they need to end up.

Or maybe it's just that by having a 'bagrut ' test hanging over our heads as the main way of assessing us, is what will doom us to failure in teaching English.. But I hope not.

Not hopeless yet,
Aviva Shapiro

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