Feedback of an English Faculty

(Jijeesh TK is a Faculty Associate (English) Department of AI Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham Deemed to be University, Coimbatore)

I've been paying more attention to Mr. Vinod Kaliyath's blog, “Think in English,” recently. In the chapters of this blog, I found a scientific approach to acquiring English language skills. Vinod Sir has adopted an effective approach by including 40 English sentences that help learners understand the most basic patterns in English.

The way one learns is a crucial aspect of the teaching-learning process. Only a teacher who comprehends the depths of teaching can explain how to advance the learning process in a scientific manner. We see such a teacher in Vinod Sir through his blog.

When we observe the most basic pattern of the 7-English questions section, we see that he provides various examples:

Am I writing clearly?

Have I written clearly?

Was I writing clearly?

Will I write clearly?

Can I write clearly?

He clearly demonstrates the differences in verb usage across different sentences. The examples continue in this manner.

Vinod Sir's method is effective for language learners to gain competence.

That's precisely why we should encourage the efforts of writers like Vinod Sir. He has also written a book on English language learning. All the best in his pursuits.

TO BE CONTINUED...

THOUGHTS IN MOVIES

 EVAN ALMIGHTY

TO BE CONTINUED...

THE PRONUNCIATION CONUNDRUM FOR MANY ENGLISH USERS

1. SIMULTANEOUS: SEE-MULL-TANEOUS (UK) ; SAI-MULL-TANEOUS (US)

2.EITHER: AI-THER(UK) ; EE-THER(US)

3.SCHEDULE

4.ADVERTISEMENT: AD-VER-TIS-MUHNT (UK) ; AD-VER-TAIS-MUHNT (US)

5.DYNASTY: DIN-UH-STEE(UK) ; DAHY-NUH-STEE (US)

6.ZEBRA: ZEB-RUH (UK) ; ZEE-BRUH(US)

7.FINANCE

8.MENTOR

9. CARIACATURE

10. DEMON

11. DIVORCE

12. DIRECTOR

13.BECAUSE

14. SEQUEL

15. PEDAGOGY

16. ATHLETE

17. POEM

18. IMAGE

19. MALL

20. PRECIOUS

PLEASE REFER TO https://dictionary.cambridge.org if needed.

TO BE CONTINUED...

SOCIAL TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION

1. USE OF PLASTICS
2. DIGITAL PAYMENTS
3. NEW MOVIES
4. ONLINE EDUCATION
5. SHOPPING MALLS
6. SOCIAL MEDIA
7. ONLINE SHOPPING
8. FAST FOOD
9. LOVE MARRIAGES
10. FASHION TRENDS
11. TV SERIALS
12. EXTRAVAGANT WEDDINGS
13. MNREGA

TO BE CONTINUED...

EC CLASS

  An "English Communication(EC)" classroom

Number of students: 30
Duration of the class: 2 hours

For whom: IELTS students and for those having personal interviews in future(for jobs,admissions etc.) and also for school students, college students and people who are interested in English communication skills

PARTS OF THE EXERCISE

1. Main Exercise: A few speakers(seven or more) will speak on the selected topic for 2-3 minutes.

2. Ground Work Exercise: Before the main exercise starts a group of people(three or more) from the audience will act as friends(also called friendly circle) and ask the selected speaker a few questions informally and privately to guide him/her in thinking critically and 
comprehensibly about the topic in order to deliver a good speech publically. This can last for 1-2 minutes.

3. Interactive Session: After every speech is over, a few questions will be asked from the audience side about some of the points mentioned in the speech.

4. Doing the ABC: After the speaking exercise is over, the participants can do ABC that means Activity-Booklet Compilation. All the speakers who have delivered their speeches will make a booklet by compiling their speeches in written format for future reference. 

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE EXERCISE

1. Slips: Making a lot of small slips on which the topics to speak are written, folded and kept on the speaking desk to pick and choose for the speaker.

2. Making a friendly circle: Selecting a few students from the first row(to begin with) to help the main speaker to think about the topic and compose a speech mentally.

3. Interaction and discussion: After the speech is delivered, the people in the audience can ask questions or reflect on the content of the speech to probe the topic further to understand and appreciate the English communication skills of the speaker.

Some of the topics for this exercise are: 

1. A typical festival in your country
2. One of the happiest events in your life
3. Your favourite institution
4. Your ideal home
5. The place where you grew up
6. A person from your childhood whom you admired very much
7. A skill which is also a hobby

A few more topics for doing this exercise are:
Your favourite food/dish
Your favourite actor/stage performer
Your favourite movie/drama
Your favourite short story/poem
Your favourite music/musical instrument
Your favourite dance form/dancer
Your favourite song/singer
Your favourite TV show/channel/personality/anchor
Your favourite historical personality/period
Your favourite country
Your favourite hotel/shop
Your favourite possession
Your favourite tourist spot
Your favourite hobby
Your favourite mode of travel
Your favourite subject to study
Your favourite friend
Your favourite leader/role model
Your favourite game/player
Your favourite celebrity
A person in your family 
What do you like the most about your "self"/job/life/place/state/country/world?
What do you dislike the most about your "self"/job/life/place/state/country/world?
A typical day in your life (a week day).
How do you spend your weekends?
The first day in your school/college/job
An important decision of your life.
A memorable family function
A memorable party
A memorable public function
-------------------------------------------

Watch this class in action

TO BE CONTINUED...

SIMILES FOR A FRIEND

Athlete A friend is a balancing pole that enables us to walk the tight rope of life without falling.

Physician A soft bandage and a soothing ointment for the cuts and bruises of life.

Botanist A vine that clings to us and hides the discrepancies and rough places of life.

Florist    Greater the ruins, the more closer a friend clings.                                                                                                          

Jeweller A golden link in the chain of life.

A person in mourning One who comes in when the whole world goes out.

COURTESY-  INTERNET

ONLINE NETWORKING TIPS

 

Top 6 tips to ace it on SOCIAL MEDIA

1) Your profile picture, headline and summary are the 3 golden words on LinkedIn, use them well.

2) Engage with other people’s content by adding meaningful comments.

3) Post relatable, observational and knowledgeable content that gives insights or drives conversations.

4) Don’t shy away from creating content just because you feel that no one would read your content or that you don’t have enough experience to talk about something.

5) Build a good network by connecting with relevant people.

6) Be consistent in everything.

COURTESY - LinkedIn

TO BE CONTINUED...