tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51235872078122363152024-02-07T05:41:01.414-08:00EAL TeachersEAL Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616222676798526840noreply@blogger.comBlogger75125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5123587207812236315.post-32845347836693884372018-02-09T11:49:00.002-08:002018-02-09T11:50:17.568-08:00Shakespeare’s Macbeth year 7 Hinged Assessment- Differentiation for EAL Beginners In my year 7 withdrawal group, I have seven students. Three student are NASSEA’s EAL Step 1, two of the students are Step 2 and two students are Step 3. For the people who are not familiar with EAL steps, they are all EAL beginners but with DfE Proficiency Codes, five of them are A and two of them are B. They are great at learning the whole story and talk about the emotions and character features of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. However, when it comes to writing a hinged assessment that requires to answer ‘How does Shakespeare present Lady Macbeth as a powerful woman in this extract (written in Shakespearean English) ?’, they struggle to follow prescribed answer.<br />
I needed to differentiate the assessment for them. Before the assessment here are the resources I used to introduce the story and characters to them.<br />
They watched the animated story.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qfnUq2_0FOY/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qfnUq2_0FOY?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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We looked at the characters.<br />
<a href="https://eal.britishcouncil.org/resources/macbeth-character-activity">https://eal.britishcouncil.org/resources/macbeth-character-activity</a><br />
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They designed posters about the witches.<br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/Plfcealstudents/status/951862351598366722?ref_src=twcamp%5Eshare%7Ctwsrc%5Em5%7Ctwgr%5Eemail%7Ctwcon%5E7046%7Ctwterm%5E0" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/Plfcealstudents/status/951862351598366722?ref_src=twcamp%5Eshare%7Ctwsrc%5Em5%7Ctwgr%5Eemail%7Ctwcon%5E7046%7Ctwterm%5E0</a><br />
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Learned about Macbeth’s emotions using the keywords on this booklet. (They learned the spelling and meaning of the words) I then tested their spelling once a week.<br />
<a href="http://www.collaborativelearning.org/macbeth.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.collaborativelearning.org/macbeth.pdf</a><br />
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We did the DARTs activity in the link below.<br />
<a href="https://eal.britishcouncil.org/resources/macbeth-act-1" target="_blank">https://eal.britishcouncil.org/resources/macbeth-act-1</a><br />
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<br />EAL Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616222676798526840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5123587207812236315.post-3873313925952442392016-12-25T04:32:00.001-08:002016-12-25T04:32:14.281-08:00Middle leadership development course assignment- Action Research- Part 1 <b><u>Research question: What strategies can be used in the classroom to enable intermediate to advanced bilingual EAL students to reach and exceed their target level? </u></b><br />
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Introduction<br />
Middle leaders need to analyse different types of students’ data regularly, in order to identify students who need extra support. The groups are generally separated into students who are exceeding their targets, on their targets, working towards their targets and below their targets. <br />
As Head of EAL it is also quite significant for me to understand EAL students’ school cultures in their countries and help them adjust to the British School System.<br />
In my research I wanted to look into why some of these students do not make accelerated progress and how we can motivate them to achieve more. <br />
I would like to call them ‘Invisible EAL students. The term ‘Invisible EAL students’ comes from the book ‘The Invisible Child’ that is written by J. Lee, D. Buckland and G. Shaw. They describe ‘The Invisible Child’ as<br />
“… one who is unexceptional in identifiable characteristics such as attainment, ability, learning behaviour, attendance and social behaviour. An invisible child does not demand or attract special attention or consideration from the teacher, apparently working conscientiously and, in main, achieving standards of attainment which are noticeably high or low.” (Lee, Buckland, Shaw 1998, p 6) <br />
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Aim<br />
I want to investigate how subject teachers and EAL department can help these students better, so that they progress and achieve, even exceed their targets.<br />
My findings will help to improve my own practise when teaching these groups as well. My aim is based on my findings, to collaborate with other teachers and help them to plan their lessons more effectively.<br />
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Information about the school <br />
At present out of 890 students 344 of them are EAL. That would make approximately 39%. 65 of them are EAL beginners (Step 1 - 4) and rest of them are intermediate to advanced bilinguals. We have around 43 languages spoken in our school. The most spoken languages are Yoruba, French, Spanish, Turkish and Portuguese. Recently we have more students coming from the EU countries such as Romania, Bulgaria and Poland.<br />
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How EAL department works <br />
EAL team are present in the initial interviews in order to get to know new arrivals better. Majority of our students start on Tuesday the week after the interview. We spend 2 hours with the student to make sure that s/he has timetable, planner, equipment and we do the initial assessment. Hounslow’s REAL assessment papers are used to determine students’ level of English.<br />
If students have Step 2 or below, we put them in our 12 weeks long KS3 EAL Induction Programme. This programme was developed by us 6 years ago with the help of Sofia Ali. It aims to teach basics in 12 subjects; London Unit, English, Maths, Science, Geography, History, PSHE, D&T, RE, PE, Art and Music. These lessons are 2 hours per week.<br />
In year 10 students who are Step 2 or below join EAL option groups which are 3 hours per week, additionally they attend KS3 EAL Induction Programme to accelerate their level of English. They are still supported in core subjects; mainly in English and Maths.<br />
The rest of the time students attend their classes according to their timetable and we continue to support them mainly in their core subjects; English, Maths and Science. The KS3 EAL 12 subject induction programme takes the students’ prior learning into account and designed to guide them into subject language intensively and as fast and effectively as possible.<br />
Rationale of this type of teaching is for the students to achieve specific subject related academic language as a way of speeding up their progress towards what Cummins calls Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP).<br />
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When learning a new language Cummins explains that most EAL students develop BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills) before they can develop CALP (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency). Generally speaking, children learning an additional language can become conversationally fluent in the new language in 2-3 years but may take 5 years or longer to catch up with monolingual peers on the development of CALP. However, this process could be accelerated with the appropriate teaching and learning strategies which include and integrate their previous knowledge of literacy in first language. <br />
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EAL students may also have different levels of home and community expectations and understanding of the education system and various support structures for learning and language development at home and at school. These factors are also important for progress.<br />
Learners will be affected by attitudes to them, their culture, language and religion, ethnicity within and beyond the school and in the wider world. Learners’ social and cultural experiences will impact on their progress in language acquisition as well as on their cognitive and academic development. Baker points out that gaining belief, respect and social value from dialogue with others is not straightforward as there is unequal dominance, status and power in relationships. (Baker. C, 2006:137)<br />
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Jim Cummins also states that, the emotional significance of learning a new language in “subtractive” rather than “additive” circumstances is hard to overemphasise. If a child is a visitor of a country, language learning experience may be a very positive one which enhances his/her cultural heritage by adding another language to the first one. However, immigrants may not have the same positive experience when learning the new language.<br />
Gibbons stresses that it requires more linguistic skills to use language for academic purposes than it does to use it in everyday conversation (Gibbons P.2002:1) Gibbons also points out that the EAL learners will have experienced a wide range of contexts in which they have learned to use their mother tongue, but a much more restricted range of contexts in English. (Gibbons, P2002: 5). If we dismiss this experience in first language and do not give them a focused English language support, they may easily fall behind compare to the native English speakers.<br />
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EAL Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616222676798526840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5123587207812236315.post-52113634497604694632014-08-30T12:25:00.000-07:002014-08-30T14:29:48.685-07:00Highlights from my favourite books-2<ul style="border: 0px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li class="recentActivityEntry" id="eventbeh5OXFHQimjDM09keCA4Q" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0.6em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 640px;"><div class="content" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0.2em; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tuba <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/post/beh5OXFHQimjDM09keCA4Q" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">shared</a> from <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/work/am-malala-stood-education-taliban-ebook/B00C4B9KOU/B00E6X4GAW" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban</a> by Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb</span><br />
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<div class="sampleHighlight" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: url(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/reading/images/smallLeftQuote._V379391489_.png); background-position: 0px 2px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 13px; vertical-align: baseline;">
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I didn’t see the two young men step out into the road and bring the van to a sudden halt. I didn’t get a chance to answer their question, ‘Who is Malala?’ or I would have explained to them why they should let us girls go to school as well as their own sisters and daughters. The last thing I remember is that I was thinking about the revision I needed to do for the next day. The sounds in my head were not the crack, crack, crack of three bullets, but the chop, chop, chop, drip, drip, drip of the man severing the heads of chickens, and them dropping into the dirty street, one by <span class="sampleCloseQuote" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: url(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/reading/images/smallRightQuote._V379390332_.png); background-position: 100% 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 12px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;">one.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tuba <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/post/ByyCiHZZSseaj0QOIiCdOw" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">shared</a> from <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/work/am-malala-stood-education-taliban-ebook/B00C4B9KOU/B00E6X4GAW" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban</a> by Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">There seemed to be so many things about which people were fighting. If Christians, Hindus or Jews are really our enemies, as so many say, why are we Muslims fighting with each other? Our people have become misguided. They think their greatest concern is defending Islam and are being led astray by those like the Taliban who deliberately misinterpret the Quran. We should focus on practical issues. We have so many people in our country who are illiterate. And many women have no education at all. We live in a place where schools are blown up. We have no reliable electricity supply. Not a single <span class="sampleCloseQuote" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: url(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/reading/images/smallRightQuote._V379390332_.png); background-position: 100% 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 12px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;">day...</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tuba <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/post/F9UNA_dPQMaQoiddWxC5-w" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">shared</a> from <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/work/am-malala-stood-education-taliban-ebook/B00C4B9KOU/B00E6X4GAW" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban</a> by Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In Pakistan when women say they want independence, people think this means we don’t want to obey our fathers, brothers or husbands. But it does not mean that. It means we want to make decisions for ourselves. We want to be free to go to school or to go to work. Nowhere is it written in the Quran that a woman should be dependent on a man. The word has not come down from the heavens to tell us that every woman should listen to a <span class="sampleCloseQuote" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: url(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/reading/images/smallRightQuote._V379390332_.png); background-position: 100% 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 12px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;">man.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tuba <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/post/yNpGU-6DSPWSTjAdrm8T2w" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">shared</a> from <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/work/am-malala-stood-education-taliban-ebook/B00C4B9KOU/B00E6X4GAW" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban</a> by Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In Pakistan when women say they want independence, people think this means we don’t want to obey our fathers, brothers or husbands. But it does not mean that. It means we want to make decisions for ourselves. We want to be free to go to school or to go to work. Nowhere is it written in the Quran that a woman should be dependent on a man. The word has not come down from the heavens to tell us that every woman should listen to a <span class="sampleCloseQuote" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: url(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/reading/images/smallRightQuote._V379390332_.png); background-position: 100% 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 12px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;">man.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tuba <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/post/x_9tym2nRTi3NN14rhH1mQ" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">shared</a> from <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/work/am-malala-stood-education-taliban-ebook/B00C4B9KOU/B00E6X4GAW" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban</a> by Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">As we crossed the Malakand Pass I saw a young girl selling oranges. She was scratching marks on a piece of paper with a pencil to account for the oranges she had sold as she could not read or write. I took a photo of her and vowed I would do everything in my power to help educate girls just like her. This was the war I was going to <span class="sampleCloseQuote" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: url(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/reading/images/smallRightQuote._V379390332_.png); background-position: 100% 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 12px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;">fight.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tuba <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/post/1RU_k5lQQz-SMnaDTCRiXg" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">shared</a> from <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/work/am-malala-stood-education-taliban-ebook/B00C4B9KOU/B00E6X4GAW" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban</a> by Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It was decided that the prize should be awarded annually to children under eighteen years old and be named the Malala Prize in my honour. I noticed my father was not very happy with this. Like most Pashtuns he is a bit superstitious. In Pakistan we don’t have a culture of honouring people while they are alive, only the dead, so he thought it was a bad omen. I know my mother didn’t like the awards because she feared I would become a target as I was becoming more well known. She herself would never appear in public. She refused even to be photographed. She is a very traditional woman and <span class="sampleCloseQuote" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: url(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/reading/images/smallRightQuote._V379390332_.png); background-position: 100% 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 12px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;">this...</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tuba <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/post/X1GbF4bcR_2L9SpeMYWthg" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">shared</a> from <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/work/am-malala-stood-education-taliban-ebook/B00C4B9KOU/B00E6X4GAW" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban</a> by Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">One of the girls in my class did not return to school that year. She had been married off as soon as she entered puberty. She was big for her age but was still only thirteen. A while later we heard that she had two <span class="sampleCloseQuote" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: url(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/reading/images/smallRightQuote._V379390332_.png); background-position: 100% 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 12px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;">children.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tuba <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/post/lazD9zPNSI61UaIP2IlCjQ" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">shared</a> from <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/work/am-malala-stood-education-taliban-ebook/B00C4B9KOU/B00E6X4GAW" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban</a> by Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Sir de pa lowara tega kegda Praday watan de paki nishta balakhtona O Wayfarer! Rest your head on the stony cobblestone It is a foreign land – not the city of your <span class="sampleCloseQuote" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: url(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/reading/images/smallRightQuote._V379390332_.png); background-position: 100% 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 12px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;">kings!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tuba <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/post/e06Rq-GfTkSA6_tfZm66dw" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">shared</a> from <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/work/am-malala-stood-education-taliban-ebook/B00C4B9KOU/B00E6X4GAW" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban</a> by Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">LEAVING THE VALLEY was harder than anything I had done before. I remembered the tapa my grandmother used to recite: ‘No Pashtun leaves his land of his own sweet will. / Either he leaves from poverty or he leaves for love.’ Now we were being driven out for a third reason the tapa writer had never imagined – the <span class="sampleCloseQuote" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: url(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/reading/images/smallRightQuote._V379390332_.png); background-position: 100% 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 12px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;">Taliban.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Tuba <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/post/1sDmJENDQvCCK2cIMlFtMg" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">shared</a> from <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/work/am-malala-stood-education-taliban-ebook/B00C4B9KOU/B00E6X4GAW" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban</a> by Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In Washington the government of President Obama had just announced it was sending 21,000 more troops to Afghanistan to turn round the war against the Taliban. But now they seemed to be more alarmed about Pakistan than Afghanistan. Not because of girls like me and my school but because our country has more than 200 nuclear warheads and they were worried about who was going to control them. They talked about stopping their billions of dollars in aid and sending troops <span class="sampleCloseQuote" style="background: url(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/reading/images/smallRightQuote._V379390332_.png) 100% 0px no-repeat scroll; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 12px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;">instead.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Tuba <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/post/9K3On6pJSgeyQU0L5fd70Q" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">shared</a> from <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/work/am-malala-stood-education-taliban-ebook/B00C4B9KOU/B00E6X4GAW" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban</a> by Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Rabab mangia wakht de teer sho Da kali khwa ta Talibaan raaghali dena Farewell Music! Even your sweetest tunes are best kept silent The Taliban on the edge of the village have stilled all <span class="sampleCloseQuote" style="background: url(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/reading/images/smallRightQuote._V379390332_.png) 100% 0px no-repeat scroll; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 12px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;">lips</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Tuba <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/post/D3ZNcZeDTtiMZ2txj9sycQ" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">shared</a> from <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/work/am-malala-stood-education-taliban-ebook/B00C4B9KOU/B00E6X4GAW" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban</a> by Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I think everyone makes a mistake at least once in their life. The important thing is what you learn from it. That’s why I have problems with our Pashtunwali code. We are supposed to take revenge for wrongs done to us, but where does that end? If a man in one family is killed or hurt by another man, revenge must be exacted to restore nang. It can be taken by killing any male member of the attacker’s family. Then that family in turn must take revenge. And on and on it goes. There is no time limit. We have a saying: ‘The Pashtun took revenge after twenty years and another said it was <span class="sampleCloseQuote" style="background: url(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/reading/images/smallRightQuote._V379390332_.png) 100% 0px no-repeat scroll; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 12px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;">taken...</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Tuba <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/post/nqIoNEghSKObW-Hoef6aUQ" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">shared</a> from <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/work/am-malala-stood-education-taliban-ebook/B00C4B9KOU/B00E6X4GAW" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban</a> by Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mahatma Gandhi said, ‘Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make <span class="sampleCloseQuote" style="background: url(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/reading/images/smallRightQuote._V379390332_.png) 100% 0px no-repeat scroll; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 12px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;">mistakes.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Tuba <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/post/bNyBH-vRRK-onf03VMmI6w" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">shared</a> from <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/work/am-malala-stood-education-taliban-ebook/B00C4B9KOU/B00E6X4GAW" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban</a> by Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Women in the village hid their faces whenever they left their purdah quarters and could not meet or speak to men who were not their close relatives. I wore more fashionable clothes and didn’t cover my face even when I became a teenager. One of my male cousins was angry and asked my father, ‘Why isn’t she covered?’ He replied, ‘She’s my daughter. Look after your own affairs.’ But some of the family thought people would gossip about us and say we were not properly following <span class="sampleCloseQuote" style="background: url(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/reading/images/smallRightQuote._V379390332_.png) 100% 0px no-repeat scroll; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 12px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;">Pashtunwali</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Tuba <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/post/98xu5sThQ7yRsF0Ryeon8A" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">shared</a> from <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/work/am-malala-stood-education-taliban-ebook/B00C4B9KOU/B00E6X4GAW" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban</a> by Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Usually politicians only visited during election time, promising roads, electricity, clean water and schools and giving money and generators to influential local people we called stakeholders, who would instruct their communities on how to vote. Of course this only applied to the men; women in our area don’t vote. Then they disappeared off to Islamabad if they were elected to the National Assembly, or Peshawar for the Provincial Assembly, and we’d hear no more of them or their <span class="sampleCloseQuote" style="background: url(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/reading/images/smallRightQuote._V379390332_.png) 100% 0px no-repeat scroll; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 12px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;">promises.</span></span></div>
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<li class="recentActivityEntry" id="eventptkL_fiGTAWh9g6yaKJpfg" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0.6em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 640px;"><div class="content" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0.2em; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Tuba <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/post/ptkL_fiGTAWh9g6yaKJpfg" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">shared</a> from <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/work/am-malala-stood-education-taliban-ebook/B00C4B9KOU/B00E6X4GAW" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban</a> by Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb</span><br />
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<div class="sampleHighlight" style="background: url(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/reading/images/smallLeftQuote._V379391489_.png) 0px 2px no-repeat scroll; border: 0px; display: block; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 13px; vertical-align: baseline;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A famous poem was written at that time by Rahmat Shah Sayel, the same Peshawar poet who wrote the poem about my namesake. He described what was happening in Afghanistan as a ‘war between two elephants’ – the US and the Soviet Union – not our war, and said that we Pashtuns were ‘like the grass crushed by the hooves of two fierce beasts’. My father often used to recite the poem to me when I was a child but I didn’t know then what it <span class="sampleCloseQuote" style="background: url(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/reading/images/smallRightQuote._V379390332_.png) 100% 0px no-repeat scroll; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 12px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;">meant.</span></span></div>
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<li class="recentActivityEntry" id="eventfhTDMGKeRJm0cSIArKKT7w" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0.6em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 640px;"><div class="content" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0.2em; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Tuba <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/post/fhTDMGKeRJm0cSIArKKT7w" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">shared</a> from <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/work/am-malala-stood-education-taliban-ebook/B00C4B9KOU/B00E6X4GAW" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban</a> by Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb</span><br />
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<div class="sampleHighlight" style="background: url(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/reading/images/smallLeftQuote._V379391489_.png) 0px 2px no-repeat scroll; border: 0px; display: block; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 13px; vertical-align: baseline;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I knew as we got older the girls would be expected to stay inside. We’d be expected to cook and serve our brothers and fathers. While boys and men could roam freely about town, my mother and I could not go out without a male relative to accompany us, even if it was a five-year-old boy! This was the tradition. I had decided very early I would not be like that. My father always said, ‘Malala will be free as a bird.’ I dreamed of going to the top of Mount Elum like Alexander the Great to touch Jupiter and even beyond the valley. But, as I watched my brothers running across the roof, <span class="sampleCloseQuote" style="background: url(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/reading/images/smallRightQuote._V379390332_.png) 100% 0px no-repeat scroll; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 12px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;">flying...</span></span></div>
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<li class="recentActivityEntry" id="eventIq6uBuRwQT-b4_DIqdEEGg" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0.6em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 640px;"><div class="content" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0.2em; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Tuba <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/post/Iq6uBuRwQT-b4_DIqdEEGg" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">shared</a> from <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/work/am-malala-stood-education-taliban-ebook/B00C4B9KOU/B00E6X4GAW" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban</a> by Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">In Pashto we love to sing tapey, two-line poems, and as she scattered the rice she would sing one: ‘Don’t kill doves in the garden. / You kill one and the others won’t <span class="sampleCloseQuote" style="background: url(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/reading/images/smallRightQuote._V379390332_.png) 100% 0px no-repeat scroll; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 12px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;">come.</span></span></div>
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<li class="recentActivityEntry" id="evente2763gN5QEiavpJ8lxV8SQ" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0.6em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 640px;"><div class="content" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0.2em; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Tuba <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/post/e2763gN5QEiavpJ8lxV8SQ" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">shared</a> from <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/work/am-malala-stood-education-taliban-ebook/B00C4B9KOU/B00E6X4GAW" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban</a> by Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The worst thing that can happen to a Pashtun is loss of face. Shame is a very terrible thing for a Pashtun man. We have a saying, ‘Without honour, the world counts for nothing.’ We fight and feud among ourselves so much that our word for cousin – tarbur – is the same as our word for <span class="sampleCloseQuote" style="background: url(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/reading/images/smallRightQuote._V379390332_.png) 100% 0px no-repeat scroll; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 12px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;">enemy.</span></span></div>
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<li class="recentActivityEntry" id="eventauQBkpxoQmC4AvaLu4rvXw" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0.6em 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 640px;"><div class="content" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0.2em; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Tuba <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/post/auQBkpxoQmC4AvaLu4rvXw" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">shared</a> from <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/work/am-malala-stood-education-taliban-ebook/B00C4B9KOU/B00E6X4GAW" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban</a> by Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb</span><br />
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<div class="sampleHighlight" style="background: url(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/reading/images/smallLeftQuote._V379391489_.png) 0px 2px no-repeat scroll; border: 0px; display: block; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 13px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I was a girl in a land where rifles are fired in celebration of a son, while daughters are hidden away behind a curtain, their role in life simply to prepare food and give birth to<span class="sampleCloseQuote" style="background: url(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/reading/images/smallRightQuote._V379390332_.png) 100% 0px no-repeat scroll; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 12px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;">children.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Tuba <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/post/dGPb9gHQTwGZqLmzMch4NA" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">shared</a> from <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/work/am-malala-stood-education-taliban-ebook/B00C4B9KOU/B00E6X4GAW" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban</a> by Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Rather I receive your bullet-riddled body with honour Than news of your cowardice on the battlefield (Traditional Pashto <span class="sampleCloseQuote" style="background: url(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/reading/images/smallRightQuote._V379390332_.png) 100% 0px no-repeat scroll; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 12px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;">couplet)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit;">Tuba </span><a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/post/vtAcpAtERWmq-I0IFzI3jQ" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">shared</a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit;"> from </span><a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/work/am-malala-stood-education-taliban-ebook/B00C4B9KOU/B00E6X4GAW" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the Taliban</a><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit;"> by Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb</span></div>
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<div class="sampleHighlight" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/reading/images/smallLeftQuote._V379391489_.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 2px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: initial; border: 0px; display: block; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 13px; vertical-align: baseline;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s hard for girls in our society to be anything other than teachers or doctors if they can work at <span class="sampleCloseQuote" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/reading/images/smallRightQuote._V379390332_.png); background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 12px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;">all.</span></span></div>
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EAL Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616222676798526840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5123587207812236315.post-60365845493251875152014-08-30T12:21:00.000-07:002014-08-30T14:27:25.531-07:00Highlights from my favourite books-1<div id="expandActivity" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tuba <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/post/rxkzuHRDRqqKoyj2m1V4Sw" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">shared</a> from <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/work/mindfulness-practical-guide-peace-frantic-ebook/B003DC73Y8/B004XCFJ3E" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mindfulness: A practical guide to peace in a frantic world</a> by Prof Mark Williams, Dr Danny Penman</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">You can stop the spiral from feeding off itself and triggering the next cycle of negative thoughts. You can stop the cascade of destructive emotions that can end up making you unhappy, anxious, stressed, irritable or <span class="sampleCloseQuote" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: url(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/reading/images/smallRightQuote._V379390332_.png); background-position: 100% 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 12px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;">exhausted.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tuba <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/post/kmdqQkKCToeLiTPqauYbAg" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">shared</a> from <a href="https://kindle.amazon.com/work/mindfulness-practical-guide-peace-frantic-ebook/B003DC73Y8/B004XCFJ3E" style="border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mindfulness: A practical guide to peace in a frantic world</a> by Prof Mark Williams, Dr Danny Penman</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">A flicker of sadness, frustration or anxiety can bring back unsettling memories, whether you want them or not. Soon you can be lost in gloomy thoughts and negative emotions. And often you don’t know where they came from – they just appeared, seemingly from thin air. You can become bad tempered, irritable or sad without really knowing why. You’re left wondering, Why am I in a bad mood? Or, Why do I feel so sad and tired <span class="sampleCloseQuote" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: url(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/reading/images/smallRightQuote._V379390332_.png); background-position: 100% 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 12px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;">today?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Mindfulness is about observation without criticism; being compassionate with <span class="sampleCloseQuote" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: url(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/reading/images/smallRightQuote._V379390332_.png); background-position: 100% 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 12px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;">yourself.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">A story is like a moving train: no matter where you hop onboard, you are bound to reach your destination sooner or <span class="sampleCloseQuote" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: url(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/reading/images/smallRightQuote._V379390332_.png); background-position: 100% 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 12px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;">later.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Nothing good came free. Even love. You paid for all things. And if you were poor, suffering was your <span class="sampleCloseQuote" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: url(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/reading/images/smallRightQuote._V379390332_.png); background-position: 100% 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 12px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;">currency.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">I found a sad little fairy Beneath the shade of a paper tree. I know a sad little fairy Who was blown away by the wind one <span class="sampleCloseQuote" style="background-attachment: scroll; background-image: url(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/reading/images/smallRightQuote._V379390332_.png); background-position: 100% 0px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 12px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline; zoom: 1;">night</span></span></div>
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EAL Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616222676798526840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5123587207812236315.post-43341267069525215922014-04-20T08:03:00.000-07:002014-05-20T14:05:06.400-07:00Excerpt from my MA in Education The Education Research Project 2- The role of social media in enhancing learning and teaching<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRizQCC18fa1b8EJ5FfDot-Mt71fb_3425HSHT1szZkXICaGZcxDA" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRizQCC18fa1b8EJ5FfDot-Mt71fb_3425HSHT1szZkXICaGZcxDA" /></a></div>
<b><u><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Issues around Social Media</span></u></b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In my small scale survey, teachers
expressed their concerns about on-line safety, privacy, protection of
information and safety, viruses, giving access to strangers in a virtual
environment, appropriateness of all information shared, things being in the public
domain, unsociable use, child protection issues, technology glitches, minor
tech problems, access to inappropriate material or an inability to control or
monitor students, use of pupils’ image, access to inaccurate or untrue info,
spammers, distraction from learning and lack of access for all
students. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Chapter 5: Conclusions and
Recommendations</span></u></b><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In my study, I set out to answer the
question ‘In what way can social media be used in a secondary school to enhance
learning and teaching?’ by applying my own experience of using Blogger and
Twitter with the students, in addition to teacher-student questionnaires and
conducting a focus group interview. Moreover, through extensive research I
discovered new and diverse outlets of social media that I will definitely
incorporate into the classroom in the future. My aim was to ease secondary
school teachers’ concerns regarding the cyber world through exemplifying
enjoyable, yet safe, Social Media-based teaching and learning activities.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Choosing the suitable social media is a
very important decision when writing lesson plans and designing the tasks.<b> </b>In
order to make sure all students benefit, it is made clear that social media
tools should be used accurately and appropriately. Therefore, teachers should
understand how to choose the suitable social media for different educational
purposes (2013:17). Moore made a table which clearly explains about the
purposes of social media tools. For analysis, synthesis and evaluation blogs,
animation, clippings, games, mind mapping, podcasting, slideshows, video or
video sharing and wikis can be used. IM, chatting, clippings, mind mapping,
polls and surveys, Skype and VOIP, social networking are good for
brainstorming. If you want to develop collaboration, then the same web sites
can be used to create collaborative projects in groups. To communicate and
share the knowledge, comprehension and knowledge building, feedback,
information seeking, searching and consolidation, networking, object sharing,
opinion building and sharing, presentation and dissemination of information,
storing and managing information and visualisation can all be achieved through
social media tools (2013: 18-19). </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Internet and the Social Media are
an undeniable reality of our digital world. According to Ahn, Bivona and
DiScala’s paper, recent research on youths, new media, and education paint a
stark picture of disconnect between students’ learning in and out of school.
Students are self-directed, interest-driven and social when they are learning
outside of school (Project Tomorrow, 2010). They state that young people today
are increasingly learning with digital media (2011:1). Despite high student
demand and interest, schools are still blocking access to these websites in
order to protect students against various risks that the Internet can present.
But how realistic and effective is this approach? </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Nowadays, children are introduced to
computers and the Internet from a very young age. Parents like the fact that
their children are competent ICT users, although they would like to ascertain
that they are safe when using it.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In ‘The role of social media in
enhancing learning and teaching’ I have covered the intellectual and academic
benefits of Social Media, but there are further benefits of learning good etiquette
when it comes to the Social Media. Students must understand the ethics of
Social Media, and it is the duty of schools to teach good Internet conduct.
They need to understand how to protect themselves from cyber bullying and other
dangers of the cyber world. They need to know what plagiarism is and respect
others’ copyright and Intellectual Property while protecting their own.</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">A recent article that I read was
written by C. Thompson on Globe and Mail was called ‘The dumbest generation?
No, Twitter is making kids smarter’. (Appendix 16) (<a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/how-new-digital-tools-are-making-kids-smarter/article14321886/?page=1"><span style="color: blue;">http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/how-new-digital-tools-are-making-kids-smarter/article14321886/?page=1</span></a></span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">)</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">C. Thompson claims that there is powerful evidence
that digital tools are helping young people write and think much better than in
the past. A. Lunsford from Standford University compared 877 ‘freshmen
composition’ papers from 2006 to the papers from 1986, 1930 and 1917 and found
that the average rate of errors had barely budged in almost a century from 2.11
errors per 100 words in 1917 to 2.26 words in 2006. He also adds that
technology does not just make students better writers or more fluent, but also
lets them communicate easily with others- their peers, friends and the world at
large. Prof Lunsford stated that what made the online environment so powerful
was that it provided a sense of purpose. Therefore students are writing things
that have an impact on the world that other people are reading and responding
to. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Evidently, my study is small-scale and
many further studies can be done with larger groups to find out the impact of
Social Media being used as an educational tool. Nonetheless, in the face of a
world where the future of education will increasingly depend on digital
technologies, I challenge all educators to be bold and refuse to be
intimidated. I call for a revolution of thought; a change in our traditional
reproach of innovation. For if we do not continually develop our understanding
of learning and teaching in progress with our contemporary realities, then
there will come a time when the very notion of schooling itself will confront
extinction. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
EAL Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616222676798526840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5123587207812236315.post-69892245537368627292014-04-20T07:48:00.002-07:002014-04-20T07:48:59.731-07:00Excerpt from my MA in Education The Education Research Project- The role of social media in enhancing learning and teaching<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">According to Conole in Moore (2013:6), social media
has the potential to free us from constrains of transmission teaching. Moore
points out that social media are nimble, flexible, easy to use, and often very
powerful. They continually develop. Students can participate easily and create
own learning spaces. Dewey in Moore (2013:6) recognised the importance of these
approaches a century ago and stated that;</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> ‘<i>There should be more conjoint activities in
which those instructed take part so that they may acquire a social sense of
their own powers and of the materials and appliances used.’<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Social Media platforms put the students and learning
in the centre rather than the teacher. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“<i>If used
correctly social media</i> can <i>many
benefits of using social media in education</i>.” Moore says (2013:6). For
students breaking up the material, identifying patterns and putting all back
together to create a new or different meaning are the key features of higher
cognition. Social media is good for teaching students about the issues of
authority, legitimacy and authenticity on the web, and also encourages the
judgement skills. Properly designed tasks support the traditional literacy and
numeracy through the generation of text and arithmetic based teaching and
learning episodes. Using social media teaches students to decode and interpret
visual material. Social media can also be used to teach the role of media in
shaping our society and culture. Through social media students learn how to
create usernames, upload images, manage a profile and perform other basic
functions on the internet (2013:7)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">One important benefit of using social media is to
teach students how to behave appropriately on-line (2013:8). I think this is a
significant benefit to all students for they spend majority of their free time
on-line according to case studies questionnaires and focus group
interview. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Social media is good for classroom management as
well. The ones which have ‘wall’ functions (Home for Facebook and Timeline for
Twitter etc.) provides teachers feedback opportunities to students. There are
also archive and search facilities which allow teachers to intervene or track
students’ work. Social media users do not have to be at school to communicate
about their work. It saves time and cost for travelling. All parents who have
internet access can easily reach teachers to learn about their children’s
progress or to ask about any issues they want to know. Students can also submit
their work through internet which saves the cost of printing out or handing in
paper-based work (2013:9). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In ‘Social Networking for Schools’, Baule and Lewis
stated that ‘Social networking’ builds collaboration skills that students will
need in the work places. Students are enthusiastic about these technologies and
schools should capitalize on that (2012:9). According to these writers education
should embrace new methods and tools in order to continue to compete in a much
smaller world. The book’s aim is to provide the reader with a basic
understanding of existing and emerging social networking services and how they
can be harnessed to assist schools. They
state that social networks are the fastest growing part of the economy. If
schools ignore the impact they would go against the premises of education’s
role which is to prepare students for the society. Social networks also allow
members to communicate effectively throughout the electronic global environment
(2012:9). There is an unintended
consequence of social network use by students; it breaks down the barriers
among school cliques. Majority of students seem to be more willing to work with
others outside of their normal social circles online (2012:11). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Summary<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In this chapter I tried to explain ‘The Social Media
and its use’, ‘Issues around Social Media’, ‘Overview of the Social Media Tools’
and ‘The Role of Social Media enhancing learning and teaching’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">All the writers and researchers in my dissertation agree
that if used appropriately, Social Media is a very useful educational tool. It
is important to be aware of the risks and take precautions in order to minimise
the danger. Poore believes in using digital technology will enhance learning
and teaching. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Social Media was born around 2005 through evolution of the
Internet and the next generation of the web called Web 2.0 (2013: 4). Baule and
Lewis stated Social Media as “the assembly, or coming together of individuals
in specific groups or communities “linking people to each other in some way.
Social networking sites bring people together who people interested in a
particular subject.” (2012:2). Bosman and. Zagenczyk in White, King, Tsang state
that ‘<i>Social Media’ is a widespread
phenomenon focused on connecting, sharing and collaborating</i><b> </b>(2011:3). They think that Social
Networking is a very important portion of the world and schools need to
instruct students on how to use social networks safely. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There are significant worries around using social
media. Ofsted has published ‘Inspecting e-safety in schools’ guidelines. It is
crucial that schools know about it and put into practice in order to get
‘Outstanding’ from the inspections (appendix 2). It can be downloaded from (<a href="http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/briefings-and-information-for-use-during-inspections-of-maintained-schools-and-academies">http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/briefings-and-information-for-use-during-inspections-of-maintained-schools-and-academies</a>).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Department for children, schools and families has
prepared two guidance booklets called Cyberbullying (Supporting school staff:
Appendix 3) and Cyberbullying (A whole-school community issue: Appendix 4) (<a href="http://www.digizen.org/downloads/cyberbullying_teachers.pdf">http://www.digizen.org/downloads/cyberbullying_teachers.pdf</a>)
that explains teachers about how to deal with Cyberbullying. It has been
written by Childnet International for schools.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When using social media, it is important to check
the privacy features and understand how to protect your posts. In all the
web-sites above, they have clear explanations of how to send a post public or
private. . It is also a good idea to use a good on-line anti-virus programme
and do regular scans against spammers and viruses. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There are 3 types of copyrights and IP (intellectual
property), they are; institutional copyright and IP ownership, student
copyright and IP ownership and third party copyright and IP ownership. You need
to make sure that you know the content of the rights you hold in terms of
copyright, and intellectual property; make sure you understand the Terms of
Service that you are signing up for and its implications; have approval for
posting content over which your institution holds; and speak to member of your
school executive or legal expert if you have any queries. Otherwise you may be
stripped or neutralise infringing content from the site (Poore, 2013: 203). You
should be careful to choose a service that does not require students to hand
over their copyright or IP to that service when they sign up. If you want to
use third party material, it is necessary that you check for the copyright and
IP issues. You may need to obtain permission from the copyright owner to use
the material on your site. If not you are likely to bear some form of
consequences. It is important to ensure your copyright and IP, as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The main social media sites available and includes:
blogs, wikis, social networking (FaceBook or Bebo) and podcasts. There are also
visual media such as; Video sharing (YouTube, Vimeo and DailyMotion),
Photosharing (Flickr, Instagram, Photobucket), and Slideshows (Slideshare.net,
Prezi.com), animations and comicstrips. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Twitter is one of the social media tools which
allows people to compose short, frequent messages or ‘tweets’ up to 140
characters that are distributed by the Twitter network on the internet. You can
follow and invite others, set up lists, send photos and Direct Messages (DMs).
Because there are millions of tweets sent each day, to help people find them,
members use hash (#) to tag the tweets about a specific topic. If many tweets
take the same hashtag, then it is ‘trending’ (TT: Twitter trend). (Poore, 2013:
124-125) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> A wiki can be
public or private, or on any topic. They are normally created by groups not by
individuals. Wikipedia is the most famous example of Wikis. People can
contribute to articles by editing or creating articles on any topic. However
there are other wikis out there as well. <b> <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Facebook is funded by Mark Zuckerberg. This is how
they describe their mission: <i><span style="background: white; color: #333333;">‘Facebook's mission is to give people
the power to share and make the world more open and connected.’ </span></i>The users feel that they have
control over the sites and features, and they use the tools such as; ‘like’,
‘share’ and ‘comment’. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">One of the most used Social Media sites is YouTube.
It is excellent to find short clips about the topics we do in class such as:
writing CVs, pollution, nature, bullying, PE, music etc. Others are Vimeo,
Daily Motion and Vine. Photo sharing websites are Flickr, Instagram, and
Photobucket. Slideshow and Prezi are the two of the websites that you can share
your slideshows on-line. Animations and
Comicstrips are other websites to use to create characters and tell stories
using these characters. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Possibilities are endless but I have chosen the ones
I have used or I am familiar with. Digital world keeps reinventing itself and
it is quite difficult for teachers to keep up with all the latest gadgets. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br clear="all" style="mso-special-character: line-break; page-break-before: always;" /></span>EAL Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616222676798526840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5123587207812236315.post-30310570736628339932014-01-03T15:28:00.000-08:002014-01-03T15:28:14.880-08:00The voices of high achieving Turkish-speaking (EAL) students in a British Secondary School-4<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.illustrationsof.com/royalty-free-students-clipart-illustration-213571.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.illustrationsof.com/royalty-free-students-clipart-illustration-213571.jpg" width="304" /></a></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></u></b></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Student
Profiles<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Student
A</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">:
She is 14, in Year 9 and Turkish. She was born in the UK. She describes herself
as Turkish first. Her first language is Turkish. Her parents were unable to
speak good English at first. Her mother is from Erzincan and her father is from
Malatya but they came to Istanbul when they were young and they grew up there.
Her mother is a housewife and her father owns a café. Her father returns home
quite early so they are able to do many activities together. She has a good
relationship with her father and seems very happy. She attended nursery for two
years when she was three. She has learnt English in nursery but her parents
taught her some Basic English such as colours and numbers as well. She has got
a four year old brother. Her parents read her bedtime stories when she was
young. Her mother attended college in London to become a nursery teacher but
she stopped when she had her second child. Her father attended primary school
in Turkey then he went to college in London but he didn’t complete the course.
He is literate in Turkish. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Her English and Maths levels were both 5c when she
arrived to secondary school. At present, her Maths level is 7b and her English
level is 6b. She enjoys Music, Drama and Maths. She finds Science, Spanish and
French to be quite challenging. Science is particularly tough for her because
she has difficulties in understanding the investigations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In her free time she takes violin lessons outside of
school and she attends private tuitions in English, Maths and Science for an
hour each. They help her greatly and she has improved in all three subjects and
even moved up to top set for Maths. She has not experienced any bullying issues
and she knows that she can tell the teacher or someone in school if such a
problem occurs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">She would not like to have a bilingual
(Turkish-English) education at school because she would get the languages mixed
up. She thinks there are some advantages to being bilingual such as, knowing an
extra language to add to her CV. The disadvantage is that she gets muddled up
when speaking English. Sometimes her sentences are half in Turkish, half in English.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">She spends an hour a day revising but this is liable
to increase if she has a test. She does her homework on the second day it is
given. She uses the Internet, text books and her notebooks to revise. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">She reads in English and her favourite genre is
horror. The last book she read was called “The Hunger Games”. She believes that
education is crucial to allow her to be successful and achieve higher places in
life and realises how fortunate she is to have the opportunities that her
parents did not have. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">She recommends for other students to concentrate
during lessons, revise for exams and where possible obtain tutoring in the subjects
that they are weaker at. She watches Turkish TV programmes and lots of films on
Turkish TV channels. She visits Turkey every two years. She usually goes to
Istanbul or Altinoluk where her aunt has a summer house.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In the future she would like to work in the field of
Science, perhaps to become a doctor. She hopes to study at university and wants
to live close to her family. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Student
B</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">: He is 15 years old and in Year 9. He
described himself as energetic and funny. He was born in the UK. He went to
nursery when he was three and a half, a little late as his parents did not
speak sufficient English to enrol him earlier. His first language is Turkish.
At home, he speaks mainly Turkish but his mother goes to school to learn
English at present, so to help her, he speaks English also. He learnt English both
at nursery and individually. His parents are from Marash, South-eastern Turkey.
They came here in 1998. His parents did not read bedtime stories to him but told
him about their own childhood stories from the past. They also gave him advice
about life. He’s got a little brother who attends primary school. His father
works in a shop and his mother goes to school a couple of days a week. His
mother went to school until she was thirteen but had to leave because the
secondary school was too far away to commute to from home. His father went to
school until he was fourteen but when the sole teacher in the village left, he
was unable to pursue his studies further. They got married when she was
seventeen and he was nineteen. They stayed for two years in Turkey before they
came to the UK. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When student B arrived at secondary school his
English level was 4b and Maths level was 5b. Now in Maths he has 7c and in
English 5a -6c. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">He likes PE and Drama. He finds Spanish quite
challenging because he has difficulties to learn it. In his free time, he goes
to shopping with his cousins, he also goes to saz (a musical instrument)
lessons as well as private tuitions for English and Maths in Cemevi (a place
where Shi Muslims go to pray, learn about their own culture and participate in
different activities). More information about ‘Cemevi’ can be found in the
Appendix 9. He also plays for the school football team. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">He would not like to have bilingual education in
school because it would be quite confusing to study within the dual languages. He
finds the advantages of speaking Turkish are being able to interact with other
Turkish speaking people and passing Turkish GCSE with good grades. He doesn’t
think that speaking Turkish has disadvantages.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">He has not been bullied but he knows what to do if
he’s bullied.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">He revises an hour or two per day. He uses a CD for
Maths which he borrowed from the Maths Department and books to revise. He reads
in English and Turkish. He likes adventure and horror. He thinks that the
education is important because he wants to do things that his parents could not
do. He does not watch Turkish TV regularly but watches it if his mother happens
to be watching it which has happened on several occasions. He goes to Turkey
once in every two years. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In the future, he wants to become an architect, or
otherwise pursue a job involving design. He wants to live close to his family
and to be based mainly in the UK. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Student
C</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">:
She is 15 and in Year 10. She described herself as a positive and smiley person,
not at all shy. She has got a lot of friends that are not just Turkish but are
also from other backgrounds. She has a little sister who is 10 years old. Her
mother is six months pregnant. She said she was raised differently. Her parents
had told her that they truanted often from school in their youth when they were
in Turkey. They came to London in 2000 and before that they were in Gaziantep,
the place of her birth in South-eastern Turkey. Her dad works in the textile
business and her mother is a housewife. She went to nursery when she was four
and started infant school a year after. Her parents didn’t speak English and at
the time she was an only child so she had to learn English by herself. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Her father went to college in London to learn Maths
while her mother went to college to learn how to read and write in English
because she was not literate in her first language. Her mother is now able to
write in English. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Student C attended Turkish school to learn how to
read and write in Turkish after she arrived in the UK. Her father was able to
help her with Maths but in other lessons, she had to revise on her own. They
didn’t read her bedtime stories but told her about their own lives. She admitted
that at first she was lazy in primary school because she had to change schools
twice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Her Maths level was level 3 and her English was
level 4. In Maths her target is B-C and for English her target level is A-B. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">She enjoys Sociology but feels less confident in
Business Studies, a subject which she finds more challenging. She is part of
the police cadets which demands a lot of her free time in order for to
participate in education camps with them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">She told me that there was bullying before Ms. M
(Turkish speaking parents- school liaison officer) arrived but since she
organized the Cultural Enrichment Days, bullying has stopped.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Although she does not like to read, she believes
that education is vital to self-improvement and to ‘climb up the ladder’ in
life. She does not have time to watch TV. She goes to Turkey once every
year. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In the future, she wants to become a policewoman
which does not require her to go on to higher education. She would like to
reside close to her family in the UK.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Student
D</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">:
He is 15 and in Year 10. He would describe himself and his parents as Turkish,
first and foremost. He was born in the UK and attended nursery. His parents are
Kurdish but they speak mainly Turkish, although the father does speak some
Kurdish. Both parents are able to express themselves with Basic English and
have graduated from a primary school in Turkey. They did not continue with
their education afterwards. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">His Maths, Science and English levels were 4’s when
he arrived to school. At present he has A*/A in Maths and B in English. He
enjoys Physics but finds English the most challenging. In his free time, he
goes to boxing and plays football. He attends private tuitions once a week for
two hours. He was not bullied at school. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">He thinks it would be confusing to study in two
languages but declares that he feels proud of himself for being bilingual and
having the ability to take part and relate to his own inherent culture. He says
that the disadvantages of bilingualism however, are that he feels that at
certain times some people form prejudices against those who possess multiple
cultures. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">He spends a long time revising if he has exams
coming up. For instance, for his last exam he spent 6 hours of revising per
day. He uses CGP books, gets help from his aunties and uncles, as well as the
help of his tutors. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> He reads
philosophy books in his free time because they fascinate him. He advises others
to also have the same determination to study hard to achieve their dreams. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">He doesn’t watch Turkish TV. He has visited Turkey eight
or nine times so far.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">He wants to become a doctor. He has got A* and A’s
in Science and would like to use these grades to make this career possible in
future. He would like to live and work in the UK. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Student
E</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">:
He is 16 and in Year 11. He describes himself as Kurdish and Turkish and both
languages are spoken at home. He was born in Turkey and came here in the new
millennium when he was four or five. He
did not go to nursery. His parents did not go to school at all and they could
not read or write in Turkish. They do not speak good English.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">His Maths level was level 5 and his Science and
English levels were 4. At present, he has B/C in English and A in Maths. He
enjoys PE but he finds Maths the most difficult and therefore attends Maths
booster classes. In his free time he plays football. He was not bullied in school.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> He would not
like to have bilingual education. He agrees with Student D about the advantages
and disadvantages of being bilingual. He uses a CD and study pack given to him
by Maths faculty to revise his Maths. He does not like reading. He recommends
other students to keep trying hard. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">He watches what his mother watches on Turkish TV. He
has been to Turkey three times. He wants to study accountancy and work in the
bank in the future. He also wishes to live and work in the UK.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Student
F</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">:
She is 16 and in Year 11. She describes herself as Kurdish and Turkish. She was
born in Turkey and came to the UK when she was 8 or 9. She went to nursery. Her
mother does not speak good English but she can get by. Her father went to
school but her mother has not; she learnt how to read and write in Turkish and
English in London. Student F’s parents speak Kurdish and Turkish at home, so
she speaks both as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Her Science level was 4 and her English and Maths
levels were 3. At present she has C in Maths and B in English. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">She enjoys Business Studies but she finds Maths the
most challenging. In her free time she reads. She revises at home and at
school. She was bullied in school and
although she followed the procedure and told someone, it took a long time for
the issue to be resolved. She thinks it would be good to have bilingual
education as she feels it would benefit her. She believes that the advantage of
being able to speak another language is that when she goes to another country,
she is able to relate to the people and the culture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> She spends an
hour revising per day. She uses the same CD and the study pack as Student D for
Maths revision. She also goes to the
library on Saturdays and Sundays to study. She likes reading horror books and
biographies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">She recommends other students to keep track of their
school work, to be organized and to work hard.
She likes to watch documentaries and reality shows on Turkish TV. She’s
been to Turkey only once but her grandma came to visit her in the UK. She would
like to work in the Media and while she hopes to travel in the future, she
wishes to work and reside in the UK. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> <b><u>Parent phone- interview </u></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Student B’s mother agreed to be interviewed by phone.
She told me that they lived in Maras (South-eastern Turkey) but they had to immigrate
to the UK because of political problems. They have lived in the UK for fourteen
years. She was 17 and her husband was 20 years old when they got married and
she became pregnant with her son when she was 19.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> When she
first arrived, she experienced problems with the language but her relatives
that already resided in the UK helped her a lot with the hospital appointments
during her pregnancy. They also helped her when her son suffered from a long
illness (the reason why Student B attended nursery later than the other
children). She asked her neighbours and relatives advice about the good
nurseries and schools in the area and they recommended her the nursery that her
son went to. Her son loved his nursery; he learnt English very quickly there.
However, she always felt insecure when helping with her son’s education. Therefore,
she started to send him to private tuitions from Year 4 onwards. He was tutored
in both Maths and English. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">She attends college 3 days a week and works in a
supermarket the other 3 days a week. At home all decisions are made together
with the children so the family shares a strong and honest relationship. She
and her husband would like their children to have a very good education and
they do whatever it takes to provide them with this opportunity. They have also
started to save in advance for their university education. Although many Turkish
youngsters are involved in gangs around the area, her son has very good role
models who go to university in their close family, therefore they never show
interest in following badly behaved children. She is very happy that her son’s
school employed Ms. E as a Turkish speaking parents-school liaison officer.
Since Ms. E there, she is no longer afraid of going to the school and asking
any questions she has. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">She told me that one particular worry was that
during parents’ evenings the teachers always told her that her son was doing
great and he was going to achieve very high levels. However, when she learnt
that her son was not in the top sets of the subjects, she was quite
disappointed. She did not understand the reason behind this and told me that
the school did not explain to her clearly what her son needed to do to move up
into the top set.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<o:p></o:p>EAL Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616222676798526840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5123587207812236315.post-41135660444223915812014-01-03T12:50:00.000-08:002014-01-03T13:06:17.253-08:00The voices of high achieving Turkish-speaking (EAL) students in a British Secondary School-3<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Conclusion <o:p></o:p></span></u></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZy-OydDrYp1qMVSK8dX-aF6jX2VJyLZmibKrSMd42UnHSyGNXktszf82hDDUQ_jBwExdaUglhEDketbm05fFok6h7K4mBlXN1GIEz8kMKYAx_mDqZ6E9WpffzfoBJwDOfoOFfFfh3tI/s1600/Turkish+tea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZy-OydDrYp1qMVSK8dX-aF6jX2VJyLZmibKrSMd42UnHSyGNXktszf82hDDUQ_jBwExdaUglhEDketbm05fFok6h7K4mBlXN1GIEz8kMKYAx_mDqZ6E9WpffzfoBJwDOfoOFfFfh3tI/s320/Turkish+tea.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This research gave me a great opportunity to look
into the high achieving Turkish speaking students in a comprehensive secondary
school setting in the UK. In addition, I was able to see how these high
achieving students’ parents and the school were supporting them in both school
and home life. Compared to the first generation of Turkish speaking migrants,
the high achieving students in my research seemed more settled and ready to
build a life in the UK. They realized the importance and the benefits of
education and they knew how to move forward in order to meet their targets. Their
parents were aware of the advantages and the disadvantages of the British
Education System, particularly when the children did not speak enough English. Having
attended nurseries, these students learned BICS (Basic Interpersonal
Communication Skills) in English. In schools, we also call this ‘playground
language’. Cummins (1984a, 1984b, 2000b) in Baker (2006:174) discusses BICS
(Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills) as well as CALP (Cognitive Academic
Language Proficiency). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 35.45pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">‘BICS
occur when face-to-face ‘context embedded situations provide for example,
non-verbal support to secure understanding. CALP, on the other hand, is said to
occur in context reduced academic situations. Where higher order thinking
skills (e.g. analysis, synthesis, evaluation) are required in the curriculum,
language is ‘disembedded’ from a meaningful, supportive context.’ </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">When the students started in the main school, they
were ready to learn ‘academic language’ like their peers. However, as their
primary language which they spoke at home with their parents was Turkish and/or
Kurdish, they experienced some difficulty in transferring their first language
skills to the second. Parents were not able to help them with their homework
due to lack of previous education in own countries (many students’ parents of
those that contributed to this research were in fact illiterate in their first
language). In some cases this proved to be frustrating for the students; for if
the ‘academic language’ is not taught explicitly they ran the risk of falling behind
their native peers. This may be the reason why these parents sought the help of
private tuition for their children. I acknowledge the fact that many native
speakers attend also private </span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">tuition</span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"> due to the large class sizes in schools
and the limited time available for subject teachers to reinforce and elaborate
on the topics they learn. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When learning another language ‘motivation’ is the
most important key to be successful. If
schools could raise ‘motivation’, students may achieve higher. According to
Baker (2006:132);<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 42.55pt; text-indent: -7.1pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> ‘<i>Reasons
for learning a second (minority or majority) language tend to fall into two
categories; Group 1: A wish to identify with or join another language group
which is termed ‘integrative motivation. Such learners wish to join with the
minority or majority language’s cultural activities, and consequently find
their roots or form friendships. Group
2: Learning a language for useful purpose. This is termed ‘instrumental
motivation’. Learners may acquire a second language to find a job and earn
money, further career prospects, pass exams, help fulfil the demands of their
job, or assist their children in bilingual schooling.’ <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Turkish speaking students who participated in my
research possess the integrative and instrumental motivation. On the one hand,
they thought learning Turkish and Kurdish was important to communicate with
relatives and to make friends with whom they could identify themselves with. On
the other hand, they knew that proficiency in English would help them find a
good job and provide them with higher standards of living. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Strategies
for schools, teachers and parents<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Dörnyei(1994) in
Baker (2006:134) suggests that in order to promote language learning,
teachers could include a socio-cultural component within the syllabus, such as
native speakers and TV programmes. To develop learners’ cross-cultural
awareness, they could focus on cross-cultural similarities rather than the
differences. Student contact with second language speakers could also be developed
through pen-pals, exchange programmes or even correspondence via email. Reinforcing
the students’ self-confidence in their mastery of the language, promoting
student competence by explaining to them what they can do, rather than what
they can’t and encouraging students to make a personal learning plan, are just
some of the other strategies that the teachers may employ. A culturally
inclusive curriculum is vital to ensure that students feel both comfortable and
secure throughout their education. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">All the participating students in my research are ‘Advanced
bilinguals’, meaning: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0cm; tab-stops: 35.45pt;">
<em><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;">“</span></em><em><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> pupils who have had all or most of their school education in the
UK and whose oral proficiency in English is usually indistinguishable from that
of pupils with English as a first language but whose writing may still show
distinctive features related to their language background.” <o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0cm; tab-stops: 35.45pt;">
<a href="http://www3.hants.gov.uk/education/ema/ema-schools/ema-abl.htm"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">http://www3.hants.gov.uk/education/ema/ema-schools/ema-abl.htm</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Some strategies to raise their levels in school
subjects could be: providing opportunities to hear an orally rehearse the
language, using dictogloss activities, bridging talk and text, concentrating on
target vocabulary and phrases, providing glossaries for the topic before
lessons and allowing for time for the discussion of answers with an articulate
partner before resolving questions as a class.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When I spoke to one of the students’ mother on the
phone, her main concern was that her son had not been allocated a place in the
top sets of any of his classes in spite of the teachers’ assurances that he was
indeed progressing very well at school. Having been told throughout her son’s
entire academic life that he was achieving well, she had believed that was in
the top sets of Science, Maths and English. When she discovered otherwise, she
was a little upset that none of the teachers had mentioned this during parents’
evenings. “<i>I did not know why my son was not in top sets although all his teachers
told me that he was doing very well.</i>” she said. She then looked for a
private tuition facility and her son started attending Maths and English
classes there. Since then his levels have improved and he feels much more
confident in these subjects. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As teachers, we know that there is always a target
level for students and the improvements that they must make in order to achieve
that level. Had teachers clearly explained these objectives, the student would
have learnt how to reach their target level, while the parent would have been
more capable of providing the assistance her son needed to improve. In this
case having a Turkish speaking parents-school liaison officer helped a lot for
her to understand that she needed to support her son in other ways. In the case
of parents speaking insufficient English for comprehension, parents should
either bring someone who is able to converse for them or the school should be
capable of providing them with a translator. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It is the school’s duty to inform parents how their
children are progressing and what they need to do to continue to develop
academically. Schools must collaborate with parents to ensure that they
understand both the British Education System and the schools’ expectations of
the students. A consultation was prepared by DfES in March 2003 which was
called ‘Aiming High: Raising the Achievement of Minority Ethnic Pupils’ (</span><a href="http://www.ligali.org/pdf/ahconsultation.pdf"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">http://www.ligali.org/pdf/ahconsultation.pdf</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">.
Schools and teachers can also find many useful strategies to follow in their
classrooms to raise the achievement and attainment of Turkish speaking
students. Another publication which could also prove to be useful is ‘Raising
the attainment of Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Turkish heritage pupils’ which was
published in March 2007 and can be accessed via the webpage below. (</span><a href="http://www.teachfind.com/national-strategies/raising-attainment-pakistani-bangladeshi-somali-and-turkish-heritage-pupils-ma-0"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">http://www.teachfind.com/national-strategies/raising-attainment-pakistani-bangladeshi-somali-and-turkish-heritage-pupils-ma-0</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">
) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
EAL Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616222676798526840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5123587207812236315.post-12478719061176690522014-01-03T12:47:00.000-08:002014-01-03T13:18:36.623-08:00The voices of high achieving Turkish-speaking (EAL) students in a British Secondary School-2<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Data
collection<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Data were collected from: field notes; two
focus group interviews of six students, recorded face-to- face interviews
of participating students; observations from two hours of year 11 lessons
(English and Science) and a telephone interview from a Turkish parent. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Newby (2010:64) says that <i>research questions are the statements of the issue that we want to
research. It should pin down the issue that we want to investigate. What is
particularly important about research questions is this the way we phrase them
can affect our approach to the research. And this is why; research questions
point us to the data we need and are also indicative of the methodology that
will give us the data and process them.’
<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Considering
research questions, a useful way of deciding whether to pursue a particular
study is the clarity and ease in which research questions to which research
questions can be conceived and answered.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Cohen, Manion and Morrison (2011:111) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When I was preparing questions I separated the time
into past, present and future. I wanted to know where the students had
experienced, where they thought they are now and what their future inspiration
were. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I preferred the use of face-to-face interviews with
the students instead of using a questionnaire because I believed that I could
communicate with them more effectively and having the same background would
help to ease their worries during the interviews. I am pleased to say, this was
what happened.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I followed the good interviewer criteria proposed by
Denscombe (1998: Location 3621-3643) which were<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <i>The good
interviewer needs to be attentive, sensitive to the feelings of the informant,
s/he is able to tolerate silences during the talk, and knows when to shut up
and say nothing, s/he is a adept at using prompt and probes, checks as well as
non-judgemental. With focus groups, the good facilitator manages to let
everyone have a say. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In ‘How to Research’ (2010:211) Blaxter, Hughes and Tight
mention about the shape and nature of data. The shape of data is the condition
which the research data are in, and the facilities which are available to
analyse them. The nature of data is what research data are and the meaning of
numbers and words. My raw data was qualitative (group interviews) together with
some quantitative data which were given to me orally by the students about
their KS2 and KS3/KS4 English and Maths current and target levels. I had the
school’s latest OfSTED report but not specifically for my identified research
group. I also kept notes during my observation and meetings. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Conducting
the interviews<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Denscombe advises that <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1cm;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">at the beginning there should be the opportunity to
say ‘Hello’, to do some introductions, to talk about the aims of the research
and to say something about the origins of the researcher’s own interest in the
topic. The first question takes on a particular for the interview. It should
offer the interviewee the chance to settle down and relax. For this reason it
is normally good practice to kick off with an ‘easy’ question: something on
which the interviewee might be expected to have well-formulated views and something
that is quite near the forefront of their mind </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">(1998: Location:
3667-3678).<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I had about 45 minutes with the first group of three
students, but afterwards I had time pressure with the rest of the three. All
the students who were participating the interviews, needed to be back at their
lessons after the break time and I haven’t quite finished with the questions
for the first three students. Therefore, I had to conduct the rest of the
interviews quite quickly. I did not have time to reflect or expand on the
answers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The students were very welcoming and open. They did
not have any hesitation about discussing their experience in school. They
seemed very pleased that they were chosen for the interviews as successful
students. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Having introduced myself to the first group of
students, I explained why I was doing this research. I showed them the voice
recorder I was going to use and explained them how I was going to ask questions
as well as in what order it was going to take place. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Interpretation
of the data<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Blaxter, Hughes and Tight (2010) clearly explain the
process of analysing the data that has been collected, identifying two closely
related processes: the first one is managing the data by reducing its size and
scope, so that it can be reported upon it adequately and usefully; secondly one
is analysing the managed set of data, by abstracting from it and drawing
attention to what is felt of a particular importance or significance. The table
below presents a whole picture of quantitative data in the research. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Table 1: Participating students’ KS2 and KS3/4 Maths
&English levels<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; margin-left: 34.2pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 115.5pt;" valign="top" width="154"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Student<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td colspan="2" style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 152.15pt;" valign="top" width="203"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">KS2
Level <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td colspan="2" style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 115.55pt;" valign="top" width="154"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Current
Level/Grade<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 115.5pt;" valign="top" width="154"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 69.9pt;" valign="top" width="93"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Maths<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 82.25pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">English
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 54.7pt;" valign="top" width="73"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Maths<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 60.85pt;" valign="top" width="81"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">English<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 115.5pt;" valign="top" width="154"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A
(Year 9)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 69.9pt;" valign="top" width="93"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">5c<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 82.25pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">5c<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 54.7pt;" valign="top" width="73"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">7b<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 60.85pt;" valign="top" width="81"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">6b<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 115.5pt;" valign="top" width="154"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">B
(Year 9)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 69.9pt;" valign="top" width="93"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">5b<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 82.25pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">4b<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 54.7pt;" valign="top" width="73"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">7c<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 60.85pt;" valign="top" width="81"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">5a-6c<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 115.5pt;" valign="top" width="154"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">C
(Year 10)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 69.9pt;" valign="top" width="93"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">3<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 82.25pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">4<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 54.7pt;" valign="top" width="73"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">B/C<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 60.85pt;" valign="top" width="81"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A/B<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 115.5pt;" valign="top" width="154"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">D
(Year 10)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 69.9pt;" valign="top" width="93"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">4<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 82.25pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">4<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 54.7pt;" valign="top" width="73"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A*/A<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 60.85pt;" valign="top" width="81"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">B<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 115.5pt;" valign="top" width="154"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">E
(Year 11)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 69.9pt;" valign="top" width="93"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">5<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 82.25pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">4<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 54.7pt;" valign="top" width="73"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 60.85pt;" valign="top" width="81"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">B/C<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 115.5pt;" valign="top" width="154"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">F
(Year 11)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 69.9pt;" valign="top" width="93"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">3<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 82.25pt;" valign="top" width="110"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">3<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 54.7pt;" valign="top" width="73"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">C<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; width: 60.85pt;" valign="top" width="81"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">B<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Table 1 shows that all participating students but
two achieved level 4 and above in English and Maths for KS2 results which is
the expected level for year 6 students. Year 9 students have made two levels
progress while the year 10 and 11 students have also achieved and expanded
their target by reaching A* to C‘s in both, Maths and English. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When analysing the qualitative data drawn from the
focus group interviews, it is clear that the common features of the
participating high achieving students were: a supportive family; attending a
nursery and additional private tuition. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In Foundations of Bilingual Education Baker states
that if children learn two languages from the birth it would be called <i>simultaneous or infant bilingualism </i>but
if they learn one of the languages after about 3 years old, this would be
called <i>consecutive or sequential
bilingualism </i>(2006: 4).<i> </i>The
students who took part in my research were consecutive bilinguals and they
started learning English around 3 years old in the nurseries they attended.
Some of these students live in bilingual and multilingual communities (Turkish
and Kurdish). They had to speak in Turkish and/or Kurdish at home because their
parents did not speak any English. Additionally the parents’ education levels
were quite low in first language as well. Many of them did not have the
opportunity to continue with their education. However the difference between
high achieving students’ parents and low achieving ones was that high achieving
students’ parents wanted their children not to be disadvantaged by the system,
so they started supporting their children from early on. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Another feature which could be seen between the high
achieving Turkish students in British schools was that the participating successful
female students’ families also had high expectations of their daughters and had
good relations with them as opposed to some families who wanted to follow the
traditions of their culture. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Research relating to families conducted from the
early 70s until the recent times, such as that by Berk (1972:109) in Turkish
speaking Communities and Education in Aydin Mehmet Ali (2003:16), stated that <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1cm;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘<i>Turkish- Cypriot youth is discontented and
frustrated. The failure at school and the number of those leaving school early
are very big among the Turkish-Cypriot youths. The girls have less opportunity
for choosing their jobs, education, friends or partners. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In my research,
however, it is pleasing to hear that the participating Turkish speaking
students’ aspirations were varied and still quite challenging such as; working
in media, wanting to become a policewoman, accountant, scientist, teacher and
architect. This shows that students’ aspirations are shifting from what their
families want towards what they want and what they are good at. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Student A told me that
she would like to become a doctor because she loved Science. Student C wants to
become a policewoman and she is a police cadet. Student F however, would like to work in Media
which would give her the opportunity to travel around the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Berk (1972:60) in Turkish speaking Communities and
Education in Aydin Mehmet Ali (2003:17) also said that; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0cm;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">‘besides
the underprivileged social, economic, situation in the inner London Boroughs,
the traditional Turkish family upbringing restricts and inhibits the child’s
linguistic and intellectual development… and ..Children are less likely to be
allowed, if at all, to use their creative imagination in play…parents buy very
few toys…’ <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Ugur (1990) in Mehmet Ali (2003:22) showed that; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0cm;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">‘the
educational achievement levels of Turkish speaking students who were from
Turkey, depended on the living and working conditions of their families and
their attitudes to education.’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">By listening to the participating students, I
noticed that although their parents did not have proper education, they
encouraged and supported their children to study further. Hence, their
attitudes towards education were positive and motivating for these students. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For example; Student B stated that education was important because he wanted to
do what his parents could not do. Lack of education was a barrier for his
parents. His parents incessantly encouraged him to achieve better in school. Student
C said: “<i>When my mum came here, she
wasn’t literate in Turkish as well, so she went to a school to learn reading
and writing in Turkish</i>.” Student E
said; “<i>My mum has never been to school in
Turkey. She never learnt how to read and write in any of the languages</i>.” Student F’s father has attended school but
her mother has not, so she learnt how to read and write in both Turkish and
English in London.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Yazar (1992) in Mehmet Ali (2003:23) looked at
Turkish Kurdish cultures and the use of bodily complaints as a symbol of
emotional distress amongst refugees and argued that it was linked to<i> “…wanting to be acknowledged, to be
integrated with family members, into the host country and have their voice
heard.” </i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For example, Student C stated that there was
bullying before Ms. M (school liaison officer for Turkish speaking parents)
arrived but ever since she organized Cultural Enrichment Days, bullying has
ceased. She believes that becoming acquainted with Turkish culture has helped
other students to become more aware and friendly towards Turkish speaking students.
She said that she was grateful to Turkish speaking students’ parents-school
liaison officer for improving the relations between non-Turkish speaking and
Turkish speaking students. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Another aspect in
my research is that all participating students would like to live and work in
the UK in the future. This is quite interesting as the first generation always
wished to return either to Cyprus or Turkey as soon as they had acquired the
sufficient financial opportunities to do so. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Student B declared
that he wanted to live both close to his family and primarily in the UK in the
future, while Student F said that although she wished to travel, she would also
like to be based mainly in the UK. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Mehmet Ali (2003:7)
explains the migration patterns of Turkish speaking people to the UK. She says
that migration from Turkey commenced in the early 1970s with men arriving on
their own and bringing their families in later years. It also says that the
first original migrants originated from rural parts of Turkey. Mehmet Ali
(2203:8) explains that in 1990s, Turkish speaking Kurdish communities started
to arrive because of the Turkish-Kurdish political conflict in South-eastern Turkey.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">All of the students
involved in my investigation confirmed Ali’s words by telling me that their
parents came from the South-Eastern part of Turkey and that they had migrated
to the UK due to the conflict in the area. However, it is important to take
into account that the students partaking in this research had either been born
in the UK or arrived in their infancy. This may have been a contributory factor
to their decision about where they choose to reside and work in the future. They
may not possess a feeling of belonging or emotional attachment to their
parents’ countries. Furthermore, since they are achieving well in school, they
are also aware of the education and job opportunities available within the UK. <o:p></o:p></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4LF3tqi67sB8c3juDyxmB9GmArSKqnoZZ_MyObYBAA_IsXGJ9gZWuGjkbO20ABwfP1hgoHZFYNWiPpO9KX_um2rzzAIOtKrWvCs5EmsNKA3cKusUbSvTJVIDGAVPkJ0ybbNwTwHwFYqc/s1600/turkey-tourism-map-cartoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4LF3tqi67sB8c3juDyxmB9GmArSKqnoZZ_MyObYBAA_IsXGJ9gZWuGjkbO20ABwfP1hgoHZFYNWiPpO9KX_um2rzzAIOtKrWvCs5EmsNKA3cKusUbSvTJVIDGAVPkJ0ybbNwTwHwFYqc/s400/turkey-tourism-map-cartoon.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">All the
participating students, except Student E, stated that they did not want
bilingual education because it would be very confusing for them. As they are
the fifth generation of the Turkish- Kurdish community in the UK, we can see
that their attachment to their first language has changed. They accept their
language as a medium to access their culture and to be able to communicate with
grandparents and relatives around them. For example Student B stated that the</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">
advantages of speaking Turkish were being able to interact with other Turkish
speaking people and passing the Turkish GCSE with a high grade. He did not
think that speaking Turkish had disadvantages. Student D said; “<i>the advantages of being bilingual are to be able to relate to own
culture and to be proud of you. The disadvantage is at certain times, you can
feel that people have some prejudices against you.” </i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Within this
particular school however, although they boasted over 200 Turkish speaking students,
they did not hold Turkish GCSE classes. In my experience, students who are
connected to their culture and language become more successful and settled
citizens within their new country. When
I inquired about the absence of these classes to the Turkish speaking
parents-school liaison officer, she informed me that many of the students were
already attending weekend schools as well as participating in cultural
organisations to promote the language, thus the school did not see the need for
additional classes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
EAL Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616222676798526840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5123587207812236315.post-386680026618118902014-01-03T12:44:00.001-08:002014-01-03T13:12:00.025-08:00The voices of high achieving Turkish-speaking (EAL) students in a British Secondary School<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfwVTcebzmgR9vqWjkoTPSBN5uyDeKaXkoOO45QpuHbUMKiUnXmKDJPDqvz1SqjWHkL1sF6yp1I8RmzVwhwc5U_853PFJXkt2MbKjmN8AyOT91TUaBSDCUjtyhhEYOpHDW3sJgnvHZ2pM/s1600/British-Turkish+flags.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfwVTcebzmgR9vqWjkoTPSBN5uyDeKaXkoOO45QpuHbUMKiUnXmKDJPDqvz1SqjWHkL1sF6yp1I8RmzVwhwc5U_853PFJXkt2MbKjmN8AyOT91TUaBSDCUjtyhhEYOpHDW3sJgnvHZ2pM/s400/British-Turkish+flags.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Introduction<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This assignment presents a small scale case study of
the education experiences of Turkish speaking high ability students with
English as an additional language (EAL) in a school in London together with my
own reflections of carrying out the research as a beginning researcher.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When Cohen, Manion and Morrison (2011:105) wrote
about what gives a rise to a research project, they stated that <i>some
research projects may begin with an area of interest or personal experience
that researchers may have been wanting to investigate.’</i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Edwards and Talbot (1999:3) in Blaxter, Hughes and
Tight (2010:22) recommended that researchers should be selfish and focus on what
interests them. <s><o:p></o:p></s></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I wanted to investigate the experiences of high
achieving Turkish speaking students in British Secondary Schools because as a
Turkish speaking- EAL co-ordinator in a secondary state school in London, I
have read many reports about underachieving Turkish speaking students, but no
reports about high achievers. I believed that to investigate the factors
contributing high achievement may be more useful for education practitioners,
schools and parents enabling them to raise the attainment and achievement of
EAL students.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Two key studies informed my investigation: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">‘<i>Assessing
Maths National Curriculum Education through a Bilingual Environment (AMEBE)
which is the first socio-linguistic investigation of language use in a
bilingual Turkish/ English Maths lesson in secondary schools in the UK </i>(state
the Author, 2010<i>). </i>It
aimed to improve the achievement and attainment of Turkish speaking students in
Maths lessons. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The more recent report by Issa, Allen and Ross (2008) was called
‘Young people’s educational attainment
in London’s Turkish, Turkish Kurdish and Turkish Cypriot Communities’.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> I thought
being Turkish and speaking the language might give me a better access to the
target group of students and their families and I decided to choose a school in
North London because many Turkish speaking students attend schools in the area.
I chose focus group interviews because I enjoy talking to people. I contacted the school’s Turkish speaking
parents-school liaison officer and was given the approval of the school
management through her. I have looked at different research methods and decided
to do my research through a focus group. I asked the school to identify
successful Turkish speaking students for me from year 9 to 11 and six students
agreed to take part in two focus groups to help me to answer the question:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What
are the experiences of high achieving Turkish speaking students in British
Secondary Schools? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Choosing
the research method</span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">According to Arbnor and Bjerke (1997:5) in Blaxter,
Hughes & Tight (2010:58) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1cm;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">we can never empirically determine the best
approach. This can only be done reflectively by considering a situation to be
studied and your own opinion of life. This also means that even if you believe
that one approach is more interesting or rewarding than another, we cannot on
any general ground. The only thing we can do is to try to make explicit the
special characteristics on which the various approaches are based. </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What I would like happening as a result of this
research from the point of schools is to change the way teachers look at the
Turkish speaking students in the UK secondary schools; to understand how to
raise the expectations, how to recommend parents & students constructively
also to understand the parents’ and students’ expectations from schools. On the
other hand, I would like Turkish speaking parents to realize how to support their
children’s learning and how to build constructive relationship with schools to
supervise their children in their study life. In addition, the Turkish students
should have a handle on how much commitment and effort it takes to achieve and
attain in the schools. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There are advantages of focus group interviews; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Watts and Ebbutt (1987) in Cohen, Manion and
Morrison (2011: 432) explain that,<i> <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1cm;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘such interviews are useful’ where a group of people
working together for some time or everyone concerned is aware of what others in
the group are saying. The group interview can generate a wider range of
responses than in individual interviews. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Bogdan and Biklen (1992:100) in Cohen, Manion and
Morrison (2011: 432) <i>add that group
interviews might be useful for gaining an insight into what might be pursued in
subsequent individual interviews. </i>Arksey and Knight (1999:76) in Cohen,
Manion and Morrison (2011:432) <i>suggest
that having more than one interviewee present can provide two versions of
events – a cross-check – and one can complement the other with additional
points, leading to a more complete and reliable record. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There are also disadvantages: Arksey and Knight
(1999:76) in Cohen, Manion and Morrison (2011: 432) note that the respondent
may dominate the interview. They also suggest that antagonisms may be stirred
up at the interview, individuals may be reticent in front of others,
particularly if they are colleagues or if the matter is sensitive.<i> </i>Watts
and Ebbutt (1987) in Cohen, Manion and Morrison (2011: 432) add that group
interviews may produce ‘group think’, discouraging individuals who hold a
different view from speaking out in front of the other group members.<i> </i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">During the interviews I had quite a limited time of
one and a half hour with all the participants and the interviews took place
from 9 am to 10 am then from 11am to 11:30am. However the questions that I
prepared enabled me to ask the same questions to all the participants without
an exception, and so I was able to have the answers from all of them. The way I
dealt with when one of the students wanted to dominate the conversation was to
remind him/her that I had a very short time with them and in order to give
everyone an equal chance, I needed to get the answers within a time limit. <b><u><o:p></o:p></u></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
school context<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The names of the school and the students who took
part in my research will not be given in order to maintain their anonymity. The
information presented here is taken from the latest OfSTED inspection report
which was in November 2011.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The school is a comprehensive and community
secondary school. The age range of pupils is 11-19. It’s a mixed school. There
are 1385 pupils on the school roll. In addition, there are 192 students in the
6<sup>th</sup> form. The governing body is the appropriate authority. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The school is a larger than average school, with
specialist Arts College status. Just over 50% of students come from a wide
range of minority ethnic groups and there are more boys than girls on roll. The
students eligible for free school meals are well above the national average. A
larger than average proportion of students with special educational needs
and/or disabilities attend school. However, proportion of students with
statements is below national average. The proportion of students of who speak
English as an additional language is above the national average.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Inspection <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">judgement:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Overall effectiveness: 2 (good)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The school’s capacity for sustained improvement: 2
(good) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Students who speak English as an additional language
perform particularly well. Girls perform slightly better than boys but any gap
in the rate of progress is narrowing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The school has a positive relationship with parents
and carers. Initiatives including the appointment of a Turkish home liaison
officer, and an effective parent staff association, demonstrate the school’s
commitment to engaging parents and carers in parents and carers is high. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The school holds the international School award. It
also has Healthy School status as well as the Leading Parent Partnership
Award. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Students’ prior attainment on entry to the school is
variable but is broadly in line with the national average. Attainment in 2011
showed a sharp increase, compare with the previous two years, with 68% of
students gaining five or more good grades at GCSE level including English and
Maths. This represents an increase of 22% compared with 2010.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Choosing this school for my research gave me the
opportunity to investigate Turkish speaking boys and girls equally. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><u><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Ethical
considerations<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Blaxter, Hughes and Tight (2010:156) state that
there are two key issues are likely to confront the researcher as soon as s/he
begins to consider collecting data for the project; access and ethics. Access
is about the reliance on adult gatekeepers. If there is a good research
relationship with the teacher, it may ensure access. In addition, the setting
and the autonomy of children are quite important in order to get the best
result;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1cm;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A researcher should perform or negotiate two
identities which balance out the researcher’s own theoretical perspective, the
interest of the teachers and of the children</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> (Davies 2008:4.15 in Blaxter,
Hughes and Tight (2010:156).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In my research the main gatekeeper was the Turkish
speaking parents-school liaison officer and the head teacher but I also had to
get permission from the participants’ subject teachers to allow them to attend
the interviews and for me to observe some of the lessons. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Colin Lankshear and Michele Knobel in A handbook for
Teacher Research: from design to implementation state that <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">‘Ethics
is concerned with ensuring that the interests and well-being of people are not
harmed as a result of the research being done’ </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">(Location
1470:5296).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Considering the factors above, I asked the school’s
Turkish speaking parent-school liaison officer about the ethical codes of the
school and she told me to send her an email about my request to get permission
from the school management. I emailed her about my research, and she organized
the first visit to get together to plan the next steps. The fact that I
intended to carry out research about successful students made it easier to get
an access to the school. It also made the parents pleased that their children
were selected because of their high attainment and achievement. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Cohen, Manion and Morrison (2011:77) note that <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">‘<i>The principle of informed consent arises
from the subject’s right to freedom and self-determination. Being free is a
condition of living in a democracy, and when restrictions and limitations are
placed on that freedom they must be justified and consented to, as in
research.’ </i> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Blaxter, Hughes and Tight (2010: 157) also suggest
strategies to increase the chances of gaining access such as; asking for advice
on the most appropriate to negotiate access, being modest in the requests,
making effective use of existing contacts, and those of the supervisor, manager
and colleagues, basing the research within the institution to which you need
access, offering something back to the research subjects, asking the right time
and being as clear as possible about what you are asking for. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I wrote parent permission letters in Turkish in
which I clearly stated that the real names of the school and the students would
not be mentioned in the research. In the same letter, I requested permission
for recording the interviews. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
EAL Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616222676798526840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5123587207812236315.post-41332888082159600572012-12-03T06:53:00.000-08:002012-12-03T08:55:09.949-08:00EAL & Reading Conference notes 2The second workshop I attended in Naldic's EAL & Reading conference was run by Mr. Manny Vazquez from Hounslow Language Service and called 'Reading across the secondary curriculum: developing the reading skills of advanced learners of English.<br />
Mr. Vazquez explained that there were 3 ways to support advanced bilinguals' reading skills; helping students read for meaning and read at length; the notion of re-visiting the same text in different ways and for different purposes; making students aware of the underlying knowledge structure of the text they are reading. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzXZloCDro1fP6Dv_r3wOHkRU4pTZWxEfWo9-K86kojKnWS5G-tF2kweJimA9yN7jdXJR71Uhdn3iEGIXWKGSCIbHKZnEdZwG8Xat05UL-LWCNhbnDPUp-CcZ0esp3OyKy8VLfXSVwvtM/s1600/mobile+phones+and+radiation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzXZloCDro1fP6Dv_r3wOHkRU4pTZWxEfWo9-K86kojKnWS5G-tF2kweJimA9yN7jdXJR71Uhdn3iEGIXWKGSCIbHKZnEdZwG8Xat05UL-LWCNhbnDPUp-CcZ0esp3OyKy8VLfXSVwvtM/s1600/mobile+phones+and+radiation.jpg" /></a><strong>To develop reading for meaning,</strong> it is important to create a context to make sure pupils have some knowledge of the subject matter. In this case we looked at a similar picture without captions and we had to discuss and guess in groups what the picture could be about. Then we were told what the passage was going to be about. Mr. Vazquez divided the class into groups of 4 or 5 and asked each group to come up with 8 words they thought would come up in the passage. He collected the vocabulary and dealt with any words which may need clarification. He then brought the list down to possibly no more than 16 words. He asked each group to come up with 3 questions that they think this text will answer. While listening to the questions, if one group had a similar question, he left them out. Finally, he handed out the text. In the first reading, he told us to skim read very quickly and to highlight any of the words we could find from our vocabulary list. In the second reading, he asked us to re-read, looking to see if the questions we generated in our groups were answered. </div>
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<strong>The notion of re-visiting the same text can be done in different ways;</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Y_hOjlbfgjG7RHsSHGInC5GmLxr13uBZs1ABwdoR4wilxwG4elfryEduKqLYxgLXAKHBVO9uirEJYwHHsouOuiqjdKTwKBs_qPW3TuvedDE1TsVXgP1JcEEMbu9ev-oGYNyUhvE8n-M/s1600/167681main_armstrong_neil_150x200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Y_hOjlbfgjG7RHsSHGInC5GmLxr13uBZs1ABwdoR4wilxwG4elfryEduKqLYxgLXAKHBVO9uirEJYwHHsouOuiqjdKTwKBs_qPW3TuvedDE1TsVXgP1JcEEMbu9ev-oGYNyUhvE8n-M/s1600/167681main_armstrong_neil_150x200.jpg" tea="true" /></a>We looked at the different pictures of the same person and we had to guess who that person was using these pics as clues. In this case the person was Neil Armstrong. The task was to write about him. In order to do that he showed us the examples of starters and got us to decide which ones were interesting, which ones were blend.</div>
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We, then, had to focus on words and <a href="http://www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/collocations.htm">colloqations</a>. To extend the vocabulary, we had bingo cards to put the definitions next to the words. We did paragraph sequencing, sorting and ranking the paragraphs. We also discussed if Neil Armstrong was famous, successful or both. </div>
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<strong>These strategies can be used to make students aware of the underlying knowledge structure of the text they are reading;</strong></div>
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We started with a discussion of 'Can you be successful and not famous or vice versa?' We were given flash cards which we had to read and rank them from the most famous to the least or the most successful to the least. Afterwards we compared our group results with others and discussed in the whole class. Before writing the whole task, it's important to make students aware of the <a href="http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/nounphrase.htm">nominal groups (noun phrases)</a> to help with their writing. In addition, for EAL beginners, sentence makers and writing frames can be used. <strong> </strong> </div>
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EAL Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616222676798526840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5123587207812236315.post-32908113495396092022012-11-18T09:27:00.000-08:002012-12-03T09:05:32.389-08:00EAL & Reading Conference notes 1<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK3_pfl99HfK1W8dIwVzxEWHhJifEs8QTHa19fuXIrT40x0XOXPRXYR4wPYnkfRiSGfrVkh9DFvdjPs_cCQ4DrT0GQdyMEReLDy68mfa1gOhyphenhyphenyfpjYP00ejl3efkJfrCdNYbsHh7fepRw/s1600/naldiclogo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK3_pfl99HfK1W8dIwVzxEWHhJifEs8QTHa19fuXIrT40x0XOXPRXYR4wPYnkfRiSGfrVkh9DFvdjPs_cCQ4DrT0GQdyMEReLDy68mfa1gOhyphenhyphenyfpjYP00ejl3efkJfrCdNYbsHh7fepRw/s320/naldiclogo.jpg" width="320" /></a>This weekend I attended NALDIC's EAL and reading conference in the University of Reading. As an EAL practitioner, I found the workshops very useful. The strategies that were introduced, were very easy to implement in lots of lessons. Some were practically resource free.<br />
<br />
The first workshop I attended was run by Yvonne Foley and it was called 'Critical literacies: language, meaning and power. We started with a discussion about Janks' quote (2010) which said:" Diversity without access to powerful forms of language ghettoises students." <br />
<br />
Many teachers believe that if EAL students are exposed to the language and vocabulary more than once, they would automatically learn it, so they don't see the need of pre-teaching vocabulary explicitly. However, this is the wrong approach. Dimensions of literacy have different layers as well as the cognitive ability, to communicate meanings, social and cultural context need to be explored. They all impact each other. Grabe& Stoller (2001) explain that the linguistic and processing differences such as; differences in writing system, sounds, grammar, vocab, discourse as well as translation add to the processing burden.There are also individual/ experiential and sociocultural/ institutional differences. For example, some socially constructed norms are; woman doctor, male nurse or female astronaut. Not being able to think that a doctor can be a woman, gives away the socially constructed norm.<br />
To start with, we did some pre-reading activities. We answered the questions in pairs to explore and activate our prior knowledge about the text we were going to read. The questions were related to 'domestic workers'. Then, we discussed about a photo of a domestic worker in our groups. The work sheet had a diamond shape in the middle and there were places to write the names of group members. This gave everybody an equal chance to contribute to the task, also gave opportunity to the group members to help each other to complete the task. By the time we read the actual text, we were familiar with the prior vocab. To explore the language further, we had to find answers to some questions, and we listed the verbs or verb phrases which the writer connected to the characters in the text. We grouped the verbs into active and passive. Finally to activate the higher order thinking skills, we had to redesign speech bubbles attached to the previous picture of the domestic worker, to make sure that she was stronger and she was able to take control of her own life.<br />
<br />
Cathy Wallace (2009) who was my teacher in the previous years, explained that in reading there are field (who is the text about), tenor (who is the text written for) and mode (how is the text organized?). EAL students need to be exposed to all these aspects in order to understand the texts. These questions would help them to do so. Whose views are represented in the text?, Whose world view is represented? The Western world? The developing world? Does the writer have a feminist perspective? Are there gaps and silences in this text? How reliable is the evidence given in this text? How does this text match your understanding and experience and other knowledge and understanding of the topic?<br />
Grant and May (2007) tell us that the schools are 'cross-cultural meeting sites'. Wallace (2003) also clearly stated that classroom practices need to enable EAL pupils to demonstrate their ability to link their personal histories with school texts are crucial. <br />
<br />
Critical Literacy approach enables multiple identities to be enacted during literacy practices. Multidimensional Critical Literacy practices provide multiple entry points for EAL pupils as they engage with classroom texts. As Kucer and Silva (2012) said "cognitive, linguistic and other sign systems, sociocultural dimensions are drawn upon as pupils engage with texts. EAL Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616222676798526840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5123587207812236315.post-36388416950802807722012-07-24T12:39:00.000-07:002012-07-26T01:00:17.218-07:00What warms your heart?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitHs30n_nIYR-kjR4ZZVvBZyl6kuhJZm_RexfsE5mGaqeJpxGJ888jtq4kNGao_6tw-tto-tSfxmoY23woFEJ_cBYGK0crddqUOfOVEjY14Scbyg2lCLeAM396us0st2AvbxdNJa6oLeg/s1600/roman-holiday_jpg_627x325_crop_upscale_q85.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitHs30n_nIYR-kjR4ZZVvBZyl6kuhJZm_RexfsE5mGaqeJpxGJ888jtq4kNGao_6tw-tto-tSfxmoY23woFEJ_cBYGK0crddqUOfOVEjY14Scbyg2lCLeAM396us0st2AvbxdNJa6oLeg/s400/roman-holiday_jpg_627x325_crop_upscale_q85.jpg" width="400" /></a>This morning, my daughter was watching the same romantic
comedy film for the fiftieth time. I asked her why bother wasting her time with
the same film instead of doing something more useful. By the way it’s not that
I don’t do it too. I have my favourite films that I watch many times and then
always feel guilty for watching them. They are mostly romantic comedies. My
favourite one is Roman holiday. I love the beautiful scenery of Rome. I also
love the chemistry between Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn. Audrey Hepburn is
one great woman who lived a horrible life with dignity during the Second World
War and managed to survive all the other odds in her life. </div>
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When I analyse my favourite actors I realise that all of
them have a kind of depth in their lives which gives them the opportunity of
being a role model. They inspire the people around them. </div>
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I have read a lot of criticism about romantic comedies. Most
of them were about how these films gave wrong expectations to women, raising
their standards to a platonic or utopic level. Others condemned the
predictability of their endings. Most romantic comedies end happily and we all
know too well that life is rarely like that. There are many ups and downs as
well as sad endings and disappointments. I admit that some of the plotlines can
be often quite repetitive and tedious. </div>
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Still, we continue watching them. My daughter’s answer gave
me the main reason why people including myself may watch them. She said: “I’m
watching it because it warms my heart.” I am very lucky to have such an intelligent daughter who teaches me something new everyday and never fails to impress me with her wise words. </div>
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Yes, finally I get it. There is so much negativity in our
lives that we need things to warm our hearts. Innocence and love warm our
hearts. This is why we like reading romantic novels too. Only if our hearts are
warm, we can stay sane to help other people, because we listen to our hearts
more than our brains. A warm heart is tolerant, accepting and respectful. Of
course there are other things which help such as art, drama, music, poetry,
literature, friendship and family. I have never doubted that they are the main
factors to having a stable and compassionate personality. </div>
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In conclusion if one has a warm heart there is nothing
unachievable in life… </div>EAL Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616222676798526840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5123587207812236315.post-12503184368324003862012-06-17T10:33:00.001-07:002012-06-17T10:33:50.080-07:00Professional Enquiry Assignment (Part 4)<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Methods of data collection and
analysis<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b>Questionnaires<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Questionnaires are used to stimulate responses to set items (Pollard). They require a certain level of writing skills because they are
given to respondents. They can be used to collect factual information and
personal opinions. The format of the questionnaire may consist of closed
(yes/no answers) and open (general answers) questions. Appendix 4 is an example
of close questions; appendix 5 is an example of open questions. Open forms of questionnaires
enable respondents to express their points of view more efficiently but demand
time and writing ability. They are useful in providing information for school
records; finding out how students are feeling about certain aspects of school
life or in evaluating lessons. </div>
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<b><br /></b><br />
<b>Interviews<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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According to Cohen, Manion and Morrison,
interviews are flexible tools for data collection. Many types of channels can
be used such as; verbal, non-verbal, spoken and heard. There are certain aspects
which can be controlled for example, the order of the interview questions.
However, the responses are complex and uncontrollable. If the interviewer is
amiable, the interview will be typically more successful, only if the subject
is expansive and to interviewer bias, however. Furthermore, the respondents’
emotions may influence the result of the interview, if the timing is
inconvenient of the meeting is inconvenient, for instance. Additionally, keeping subject anonymity may
prove difficult if the interviewer is uninformed of the ethics necessary. </div>
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<b><br /></b><br />
<b>Focus group interviews<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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When interviews involve two or more people (either subjects
or interviewers) they are referred to as ‘focus groups’ (Blaxter, Hughes &
Tight).</div>
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There are numerous advantages of focus groups. The group
members can define the interviewer’s agenda with their experience. The group
members may be diverse, so that different views may be generated. The
discussion between the members will allow for an analysis of process in
negotiating the meanings and challenge the interviewer. Group members may feel
safer having their friends around to discuss the important issues. As a result
of discussion, the interviewer may come across with some surprising findings. However, there are also disadvantages to focus
groups. For example, it is difficult to document the data in order to find out
who said what during the interview. What is more, depending on group dynamics,
there may be silence or exaggeration of issues.
The interviewer should be careful about fair amount of participation in
the group even for those who are shy or quiet. It is also important to consider
confidentiality and ethics (Blaxter, Hughes & Tight). </div>
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<b><br /></b><br />
<b>Observations<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Observation is looking systematically at people, events,
behaviours, settings, artefacts, routines etc. (Marshall & Rossman).</div>
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It enables the observer to directly gather data from its
natural setting, like in ethnographic research. The observer can focus on a number
of books or students in a class, number of visitors in a library, the behaviour
of students in a class, the amount of teacher-student talk and so on. Observing
allows the spectator to see more detailed accounts of the events. However, the
clarity of evidence depends on the number of observers and the amount of time
they observe as well as how they observe (Cohen, Manion and Morrison ).</div>
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There are also some issues to this data collection method.
The observer requires choosing the time relevantly and deciding if s/he needs
to devise an observational schedule or determine pre-coded categories. It would
be wise to form a pilot group first to test these. If there is no need for a
schedule, it would be wise to decide how to organize the data. Is it important
to record absolutely everything or is it ok to record the events partly? The observer needs to select his/her focus
group well and try to make sure s/he blends with the observed group (Blaxter,
Hughes & Tight)</div>
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<b><br /></b><br />
<b>Surveys<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Surveys are systematic observation or interviewing where the
questions are dictated by the researcher. The biggest distinction in surveys is
to standardize the research and get consistent answers for their questions. In
order to standardize the questionnaire as a measuring instrument, the questions
are always structured in the same way. </div>
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The advantage of a survey is that with a suitable sample, it
can aim at representation and provide generalized results. Surveys are
relatively easier to administer and they don’t require fieldwork. They can be
repeated in the future to compare the results. A good response rate will
provide a lot of data rapidly. There are also disadvantages of surveys. The
data may not address the more important issues and may get lost in pie charts,
tables and statistics. The survey- provided data allows us to see snapshots of
points in time rather than in-depth issues. The researcher cannot check the
data himself/herself. The survey relies on extent rather than intensity.
(Blaxter, Hughes & Tight)</div>
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<b><br /></b><br />
<b>Analysing data<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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My research will consist of observations, one-to-one
interviews and focus group interviews. Therefore, I will be looking at
different approaches to qualitative data analysis. My other sources will be
field notes, documents and reports, memos, diaries and website data. I will decide if I would like to have the
interviews transcribed or not. The
results will be presented as narrative accounts. Cohen, Manion and Morrison explain that the narrative account may be in the form of chronology,
a logical analysis, a thematic analysis or a series of stories about the
research findings. I aim to present my findings as a series of stories
structured by chronology, causal relations, key participants, key themes, key
behaviours, and actions, turning points in a life history, key decisions and with
collective analysis of the unfolding events for the participants (Cohen, Manion
and Morrison). </div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Ethical considerations<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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Two significant issues for researchers are access and
ethics. These are also the key issues throughout data collection. Access means
to locate and identify suitable participants who would be willing to take part
in the research (Blaxter, Hughes & Tight). The questions to
consider during access are identifying key people for the subject that is to be
researched and the general rules about recording informed consent which needs
to be complied (Blaxter, Hughes & Tight). </div>
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There are many different
rules and regulations for informed consent depending on the type of
establishment. For example,<span style="color: #e78b9e; font-family: MetaPlusNormal-Roman; font-size: 25pt;"> </span>the Informed
consent in health and social care research of Royal College of Nursing is different than Bera (British Educational Research Association). To increase the chance of access, it is really important to ask
advice for negotiation, to be modest in requests, making effective use of
existing contacts, to base research within the establishments which one has
access to, to offer something back such as a report or feedback, to know when
to ask, to be as clear as possible and to explain the reasons for one’s
research (Blaxter, Hughes & Tight). </div>
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The main goal of all researchers should be to carry out an
ethically approved research. Most ethical issues rise from the nature of
relationships between the researcher and the subject. (Blaxter, Hughes &
Tight). Common ethical issues are confidentiality, anonymity,
legality, professionalism and participation (Blaxter, Hughes & Tight). </div>
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In the matter of confidentiality, it may be tempting to
share some unwanted information with others but this may be damaging for the
participant. Linking to confidentiality, anonymity may not be protected due to
giving away too much information about the institutions. The researcher should
make sure that s/he is not involved in concealing any criminal activities. In
addition, s/he needs to make sure to keep the professionalism at all times,
even though it may be difficult if the research takes place among fellow
professionals. It is quite important to understand the nature of the
participants who may be the same people required the research, particularly in
mental health and disability. </div>
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Some of the websites which include the ethical guidelines of
different institutions may be found listed under “references”. </div>EAL Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616222676798526840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5123587207812236315.post-21047190725340414072012-06-17T10:22:00.000-07:002012-06-17T10:22:06.214-07:00Professional Enquiry Assignment (Part 3)<br />
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<b>Case studies<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Newby states that a case study is a thorough
analysis of a typical or unusual event or occurrence which was either
successful or encountered a problem. Case
studies analyse particular instances rather than search for the general truth. They
usually have two goals: to find the patterns created by the processes at work
and to uncover variations from the expected. </div>
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Case studies are methodologically eclectic. The numerous
types of case studies involve ethnography, experiment, action research, surveys,
illuminative, observational and documentary research that allow flexibility in
using different ways of data collection such as quantitative and qualitative
data collection, as well as flexible means of analysing the data which can be
both short and long term.</div>
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Case studies possess different advantages (Adelman); the source of data is based from real
situations, they allow generalizations about an instance, recognise the
complexity and ‘<i>embeddedness</i>’ of
social truths, hold the archive values for other researchers and users whose
purposes are dissimilar to each other. Their results instigate action for staff
or individual development, formative evaluation and educational policies. The
research findings and data from case studies are more accessible than other
types of research because they are easier to understand. They can also serve
multiple purposes and audiences for they allow readers to judge the situation
themselves before making decisions. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are also disadvantages of case studies (Nisbet and
Watt). If there is not an
application, for instance, the results may not be generalizable. Moreover, the
results can be selective, biased, personal and subjective. If the researcher or
observer is biased, the results may be problematic to use. Additionally, the
complexity of the case may make the analysis harder. Even though everything may
appear relevant, one might find that they are irrelevant when writing up the
actual case. Finally, with case studies it can be difficult to know where
‘context’ begins and ends (Blaxter, Hughes & Tight) </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Action research<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lewin (1946) named this method of research, which originated
from ‘action’ and ‘research’ (Pollard). It requires teachers,
researchers and other practitioners to plan, act, observe and reflect in a
cyclical process. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Action research aims to directly improve practice through
self-development (Pollard) and its characteristic methods are cyclical
designs, based-on self monitoring using a range of data in a practitioner’s
workplace. Action research is evaluative; it describes and analyses personal
practice. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Action research can be used in different areas such as: in
teaching methods, learning strategies, evaluative procedures, attitudes and
values, continuing professional development, management and control as well as
administration (Cohen, Manion and Morrison). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Action research is a device which includes identifying the
problem, planning an intervention, implementing the intervention and evaluating
the outcome. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The research in appendix 3 is a typical example of action
research. It was planned by an elementary school teacher and the new head
teacher of the school. The aims of the research are to find out if there was
significant increase in learning using the inquiry-based strategies and also to
see if the students were motivated more by learning science concepts using inquiry-
based instruction versus traditional teaching practices. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the biggest strengths of action research is that it
is quite straightforward in tackling issues. The methodology and data gathering
are not complicated therefore an action researcher does not need to learn
analytical skills. There is no need to rely on researchers, experts or outside
authorities. (Kember) </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However, there are also difficulties in undertaking action
research. The first one is making sure that the experiment and control are
genuinely comparable. Educational settings are quite difficult to control or
design experiments for, because of their variables which interact with one
another in unexpected ways. There are also ethical issues during the
investigation; one side may feel disadvantaged. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0cm;">
<i>Designing different teaching programmes, arranging for the separation
of groups and holding extraneous variables constant becomes more difficult the
longer the trial. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(Kember) </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Ethnographic research<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The meaning of ‘ethnography’ is to describe peoples and
cultures. Originally, it was used as a research method by anthropologists and
aimed to provide an account of the cultures and lives of small, isolated tribes
(Denscombe). For instance, a book called ‘The Navaho’ by Clyde
Kluckhohn and Dorothea Leighton is written after an ethnographic research about
the biggest American- Indian tribe in 1946. The purpose of this research was to understand
the traditions & culture in Navahos, to find out how they were coping with
the American-Western way of living, if it is possible to protect their heritage
despite the pressure of industrialization.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
According to Whyte ‘ethnographic’
research requires the researcher to spend a long time in the field amongst the
people whose lives and culture are being investigated. The ethnographer needs
to share the same life as all aspects of ‘everyday life’ are considered to be
valuable data. Special attention should be paid to those whose lives are being
studied. It generally prefers a holistic approach towards relationships,
connections and interdependency. It is a construction which requires particular
writing skills and is influenced by the ethnographer’s own experiences (Denscombe). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The advantages of ethnography are: it is a direct form of observation
and empirical which involves direct contact with relevant people and is also
possible to link with theory. The data is relatively rich in detail and seeks holistic
explanations which put things in context. Furthermore, it allows the comparing
and contrasting of other culture. The ‘actors’ point view and perceptions are
open and explicit. Finally, it is ecologically valid so that the researcher
should have little impact on the setting (Denscombe).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
According to Denscombe there are also disadvantages
of ethnography such as: tension between wanting to stay as close to the truth
as possible and the influence of the ethnographer’s personal experience and
social awareness. Although it produces a large number of stories, they may be
isolated from each other if the researcher isn’t guided by the theoretical
framework. If the researcher makes storytelling their only purpose, there is a potential
of losing analytical insight or theoretical position. Reliability can be
another problem as it is often difficult to generalize culture and events.
Ethics can be an obstacle because of the intrusion into private lives. Finally,
two other disadvantages are: accessing the settings without disruption and
insider knowledge which may result with a blind spot that obscures the obvious.
(Denscombe) </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Phenomenology<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Newby describes ‘Phenomenology’ as how we give
significance to our experiences of the world rather than how the world really
is. Phenomenologist examines the
individual and collective experiences of the ‘life-world’. They use
description, observation, reporting and reflection. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cohen, Manion and Morrison say that; </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 42.55pt;">
<i>‘Phenomenology’ is</i> <i>a
theoretical point of view that advocates the study of direct experience taken
at face value; and one which sees behaviour as determined by the phenomena of
experience rather than by external, objective and physically described
reality. </i> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
According to Curtis there are three distinguishing philosophical viewpoints in
Phenomenology: firstly there is an important belief and subjective
consciousness; then there is an active understanding of this consciousness and
lastly, there is a claim that there are certain essential structures to the
consciousness of which we gain direct knowledge by a certain kind of
reflection. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Advantages of phenomenology are; it is suited to small-
scale and low budgeted research where the main resource is the researcher
his/herself. It allows the researcher to deal with the complexity of the social
world through phenomena in depth. The approach is humanistic as there are
efforts to base its enquiry on the lived experiences of people in the everyday
world. (Denscombe) </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The disadvantages of phenomenology (Denscombe)
are: it lacks a scientific basis; it can easily turn into the weakness of
researcher by people who do not share the same opinion; may only provide description
without analysis. Moreover, generalizing the research can be difficult as it
involves only small numbers or instances. In addition, the issues a phenomenological
researcher deals with may not be relevant to apply for big issues such as the
spheres of social policy, international relations and economic progress. Therefore,
it is possible to assume things in advance by the researcher which may cause
feasibility of suspending common sense. </div>EAL Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616222676798526840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5123587207812236315.post-78663286262383094242012-06-17T10:15:00.000-07:002012-10-07T03:21:35.187-07:00Professional Enquiry Assignment (Part 2)<br />
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Paradigms<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;">There are certain styles of thinking and methods to follow
when doing research. They are called ‘Paradigms’. Here are various ways people explain
them: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;">Newby describes paradigms as ways of thinking
about a subject and proceeding with research which are accepted by the people
who work in that area. Both purpose and process should be widely agreed within
a discipline or a part of a discipline, and the research results should change
or enlighten the professionals or researchers about their understanding of the
world more effectively. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;">Cohen, Manion and Morrison define a paradigm as a
method of investigating or examining a view or phenomena that is an established
model or pattern (Kuhn). They claim that it takes the form a
collective belief system or principles; it marks the identity of a research
community, it is a way of pursuing knowledge or reaching a consensus. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;">Therefore, ‘Paradigm’ is a way of thinking and exploring
about phenomena. There are distinct
types of paradigms and they are ‘Positivist’ and ‘Anti-positivist’ paradigms. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="background-color: white;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="background-color: white;">Positivist Paradigm<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;">The philosophical doctrine of positivism became known in the
19<sup>th</sup> century with the progress of science and technology. Being a
social movement, it intended to employ technological and scientific achievements
in order to elevate the welfare of mankind (Schön) </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;">The French philosopher Auguste Comte was the first thinker
to use the word for a philosophical position (Beck). He gave rise to sociology as a distinct discipline.
Observation and reason as means of understanding behaviour form Comte’s
positivism. He explained behaviour through scientific description. Comte believed
that social phenomena can be researched with the ways of physical phenomena.
This research can generate rules, theories and laws. His belief led to a
general doctrine of positivism. He also believed that all genuine knowledge is
based on sense experience, which can only be advanced by means of observation
and experiment. The philosophers use positivism as a residual meaning of always
present and it results from an acceptance of natural science. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;">In positivist paradigm, research approach is quantitative, over
a period of time, variable related, based on scientific experiments, almost
identical and applied retrospectively. For example; the research of Smith,
Mahdavi, Carvalho, Fisher, Russell and Tippett from Goldsmith University of
London which is called ‘Cyberbullying: its nature and impact in secondary
school pupils’ employed the quantitative approach in positivist
paradigm by using surveys, previous data, experiments and hypothesis testing. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;">The biggest criticism to positivist approach is that it
undermines life and mind (Cohen, Manion, Morrison). <i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0cm; tab-stops: 49.65pt;">
<i style="background-color: white;">‘The precise target of the anti-positivists’
attack has been science’s mechanistic and reductionist view of nature which, by
definition, defines life in measurable terms rather than inner experience, and
excludes notions of choice, freedom, individuality and moral responsibility,
regarding the universe as a living organism rather than as a machine (e.g.
Nesfield-Cookson,) <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;">In the research, we can see some examples
of this criticism as they did not interview the students face to face and they
did not consider the emotions of these students who may have been going through
a really difficult phase because of the different kinds of bullying. They
targeted too many students at once. The conclusion was open-ended and there was
not a lot of clarity about what to do next. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="background-color: white;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="background-color: white;">Interpretive Paradigm<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"> Pollard declares that ‘Interpretive research’ is research which aims to inform
judgement as a basis for improvement. Its characteristic methods are flexible
designs, involving detailed, holistic case studies and emphatic gathering of
qualitative data. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;">The forms of knowledge for interpretive research are
subjectivist, describing cases and developing understanding. Interpretive
researches presume that the prime responsibility of the teachers is to describe
and analyse social processes. Their involvement in the change of these
processes is considered to be of little significance. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;">One example of interpretive research is demonstrated by <span class="searchword">Troyna</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>&<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="searchword">Hatcher</span>. Its name is <span class="searchword"><i>Racism</i></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><i> </i></span><em>in</em><span class="apple-converted-space"><i> </i></span><span class="searchword"><i>Children's</i></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><i> </i></span><em>Lives. (A</em><span class="apple-converted-space"><i> </i></span><span class="searchword"><i>study</i></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><i> </i></span><em>of</em><span class="apple-converted-space"><i> </i></span><span class="searchword"><i>mainly</i></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><i> </i></span><em>white primary schools)</em>.
On page 19, they explain that in their investigation they used a quantitative
research based method, known as sociometry, to try to establish how far
ethnicity informs the formation and structure of school based friendship
groupings (Pollard). </span><i><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><o:p></o:p></i></div>
EAL Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616222676798526840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5123587207812236315.post-4431637038478870322012-06-17T10:10:00.000-07:002012-06-17T10:10:47.300-07:00Professional Enquiry Assignment (Part 1)<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">What do we mean by research?</span><span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">There are not many clear cut definitions of
research but most people give features of research and these are some of
them. According to Cohen, Manion and Morrison the term <i>research </i>has
many meanings.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 1cm;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">One of them is the activities and undertakings
aimed at developing a science of behaviour, the word science itself implying
both normative and interpretive perspectives. They state that social
research is the systematic and scholarly application of the principles of a
science of behaviour to the problems of people within their social contexts.
However, educational research is the application of same principles to the
problems of teaching and learning within education along with the clarification
issues having direct or indirect bearing on these concepts. </span></i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Kerlinger defines ‘Research’ as truth we set out to
discover. <i> </i></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Yates explains that;</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 1cm;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Good research’ must mean ‘scientifically-based
research. Good research in education must contribute to learning and speak to,
and be usable by, practitioners.’ </span></i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">In conclusion, ‘Research’ is an investigation to
uncover the truth using science and social behaviour in practice. Therefore
research is quite significant for people working in this field. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Why do we do research?</span><span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Cohen, Manion and Morrison state that people have
been trying to understand their environment for a long time. They can achieve
this through experience, reasoning and research. They say that in our daily
lives we encounter many problems that we need to overcome. Although, we are
very dependent on experience and authority, these are not enough to solve the
problems on their own. Scientific research will help us in testing the theories
carefully and systematically.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Newby says that goals of educational research are;</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 35.45pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">‘t<i>o explore issues, to shape policy and to
improve practice. Identifying and specifying a problem or issue that should be
the subject of further research. We collect information and use it to make a
judgement that informs policy goals and indicates how we attain them. We also
carry out research to find out whether we are going in the right direction once
a policy has been implemented.’ </i></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">People state that the main reason of a research is
the will of being able to understand the nature of own environment or to solve
a problem which stops progress. For example; DfE (Department for Education)
investigates regularly to find out about the issues in education and existing
policies. One of these researches is ‘Achievement for All National Evaluation:
Final Report’ </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt 49.65pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <i>The main aim of this evaluation research
was to examine the impact of AfA (Achievement for All) on a variety of outcomes
for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities
(SEND) also to find out what processes and practices in schools were most
effective in improving these outcomes. </i></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />EAL Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616222676798526840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5123587207812236315.post-3570836856949388022012-05-03T12:21:00.001-07:002012-05-03T12:21:14.584-07:00Running for her life…<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA6d6Q4aC7OHLSLAxRjYQYEJj0GVcBWY4Wi7PaI49q-6zMc8ky2GtraVrWlGBCIcJJ1h0zvGr6jW1sStdiMRzt8bGs06AmNXFJ9dSdaaoCjuMgq6d4dcJZDHvtNO11jE7g0dOl0QpKuLI/s1600/1254533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA6d6Q4aC7OHLSLAxRjYQYEJj0GVcBWY4Wi7PaI49q-6zMc8ky2GtraVrWlGBCIcJJ1h0zvGr6jW1sStdiMRzt8bGs06AmNXFJ9dSdaaoCjuMgq6d4dcJZDHvtNO11jE7g0dOl0QpKuLI/s320/1254533.jpg" width="203" /></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">She is only 25... When she saw us, her
face lit up with a smile. She told me that she had two kids and needed child
care to be able to come to the meeting. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I asked her, her story. She told me
that she got married by religious ceremony at 17 with her own consent. Her
family was quite wealthy, so she had had a very good life until she got
married. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">When she arrived at her new home, her
in-laws started to use her like a slave. They told her she was their property.
She had to work from dawn to dusk every day, even when she was pregnant. Her
husband was very weak-willed against the mistreatment of his wife. He didn’t do
anything to stop it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Her in-laws forbade her to call any of
her parents, relatives or friends. They wanted her to work for them incessantly.
They also used to abuse her both physically and verbally. They even tried to
persuade their son that the child was not his. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Her in-laws were quite upset when her
best friend came to visit her one day. Her mother-in-law gave her a mobile
phone so she could check her whereabouts when she went</span> out with her
friend. <span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> What she didn’t know was that her father was
very worried about her and he had arranged for her to escape with her child
with the help of her best friend.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">She had to leave at night in order to
be able to reach the UK. She didn’t know if she was going to be accepted as a
refugee, so she experienced a terrible couple of years. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">As her husband’s dad is politically strong
in the country, she still lives in constant fear of being tracked down and
murdered by her in-laws. <o:p></o:p></span></div>EAL Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616222676798526840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5123587207812236315.post-32326399867355244932012-01-21T05:56:00.001-08:002014-05-20T14:08:14.831-07:00Dissecting the bilingual brain- Insights of thinking in two languages...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://img.scoop.it/Ot-viDxNO7M_9YZRfHVjXjl72eJkfbmt4t8yenImKBVvK0kTmF0xjctABnaLJIm9" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://img.scoop.it/Ot-viDxNO7M_9YZRfHVjXjl72eJkfbmt4t8yenImKBVvK0kTmF0xjctABnaLJIm9" height="266" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">A bilingual can listen to songs in one language whilst reading in the other. </span> <br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">A bilingual can watch a sitcom in one language and tweet in another whilst laughing hysterically.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Beware of a bilingual! During a conversation in one language with you, s/he may suddenly say things in the other.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">A bilingual can talk to people on the phone in one language and talk to people in the same room in another at the same time.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">A bilingual can dream in one language and then abruptly start dreaming in another. (My daughter)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">A bilingual can visualize numbers in one language and recite them aloud in another.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">A bilingual likes watching films in their original language. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">A bilingual has interest for other cultures. (My husband) </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">A bilingual may start a sentence in one language and finish in the other. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">A bilingual likes listening to the rhythm of other languages even though s/he may not understand them. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">A bilingual likes the transcendental journey between languages. (Elif Shafak)</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">A bilingual likes the challenge of translating between languages. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: HelveticaNeue, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Let's dissect the bilingual brains.. Write your daily experience or emotions about being bilingual and I will add to my blog..</span><br />
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</span>EAL Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616222676798526840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5123587207812236315.post-86452435626139077342011-08-04T13:59:00.000-07:002011-08-06T03:04:22.400-07:00My reflections of a documentary called On a Tightrope<a href="http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/on_a_tightrope/#.TjrEDdQ6KvE.twitter">http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/on_a_tightrope/#.TjrEDdQ6KvE.twitter</a><br />
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I must say that not many documentaries touched my heart as much as this one. It could be because of the way orphans tell their stories or the desperation I see in their eyes. Particularly to watch the kids who practise tightroping without a safety net to be able to make a decent living in the future is very heart breaking.<br />
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In the beginning of the documentary there are Chinese officials trying to understand the reason of the filming and asking the film makers not to translate or show the part when they interrogated them. Of course the film makers rebel and show us this part as well.<br />
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This documentary is about group of orphan kids who live in an orphanage where Uighur Turks settled in China. Although I am Turkish, I didn't have an extensive information about Uighurs which was a shame really. At school in Turkey, we did not have the chance to explore the other Turks living in other Asian countries in detail. I did a quick research about the area on the Internet and this is what I found.<br />
Turks originated in Siberia and Mongolia and mobilised long before Uighurs. It is rumoured that even Vikings were Turks originally. There are lots of debates about that!<br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><a href="http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php?topic=113196.0">http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php?topic=113196.0</a><br />
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The name ‘Turk’ came to stand for unity and a common language: variants of Turkish are still spoken from the Balkans to Yakutia (present-day Siberia).<br />
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Uighurs are leaders of a Turkic tribe which emerged in the eighth century from the scrum of nomads along China's northern border to create an empire rivalling the Tang dynasty of China.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #ffcc66; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; line-height: 17px;"> </span></span><br />
<a href="http://www.turks.org.uk/index.php?pid=35">http://www.turks.org.uk/index.php?pid=35</a><br />
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Vast majority of Uighurs live outside Xinjiang in China is in Taouyan County in South-central Hunan province.<br />
<div>Their religion is Sunni Islam. The language is written in Arabic letters. </div><div><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghur_people">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghur_people</a></div><div><br />
</div><div>In this documentary hearing Uighur Turkish was very interesting. It felt like I would understand what they were saying but despite many common words I had to rely on the English subtitles which was very frustrating. The orphans are trying really hard to succeed in a very hostile and strict rules and regulations of Chinese government. One teacher says; "I can't have two masters; Science and Religion. I have to teach these kids Science because I am a member of the Communist Party and I have responsibilities for my country. If they are in school, they can't practise their religion."</div><div><br />
</div><div>The kids are asked what they would like to become in the future. One girl says; "A Chinese language teacher because there is a massive need for Mandarin language teachers in all over the world". </div><div><br />
</div><div>I particularly recommend for teachers to watch and show this documentary in a lesson and discuss about the different issues mentioned in the film. </div><div><br />
</div><div>There are many disputes between Chinese government and Uighur Turks at present. You can read about them through the links below:</div><div><br />
</div><div><a href="http://en.baybak.com/chinese-killing-uygur-turks-in-east-turkistan.azr">http://en.baybak.com/chinese-killing-uygur-turks-in-east-turkistan.azr</a> </div><div><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-01/china-says-restaurant-attack-was-terror-after-18-die-in-violence.html">http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-01/china-says-restaurant-attack-was-terror-after-18-die-in-violence.html</a></div><div><a href="http://www.homebodrum.com/how-do-turkish-people-feel-about-the-violence-between-uighur-turks-han-chinese-in-chinas-xinjiang-province/">http://www.homebodrum.com/how-do-turkish-people-feel-about-the-violence-between-uighur-turks-han-chinese-in-chinas-xinjiang-province/</a></div><div><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1E1KNyQgAoxfXyGVUktJTRyx5tP9JGCQgoB-pEjNScdckG1yS73CyPTmSjUGPlCTqYkov3PGIjns9qwcdXQnN_Cuux2VczEKiKPWrkdgFmP1mvETQpKuxHxvcCijzEIHSeyBd3Jy_jTc/s1600/istockphoto_6855330-uighur-mosque-in-xinjiang-china.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1E1KNyQgAoxfXyGVUktJTRyx5tP9JGCQgoB-pEjNScdckG1yS73CyPTmSjUGPlCTqYkov3PGIjns9qwcdXQnN_Cuux2VczEKiKPWrkdgFmP1mvETQpKuxHxvcCijzEIHSeyBd3Jy_jTc/s200/istockphoto_6855330-uighur-mosque-in-xinjiang-china.jpg" /></a> <br />
Uighur Mosque in Xinjiang, China<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0FFt7UR6jOMo-m_1GpJZWyJSTWCce_csV6MkIZFl977d1L6tuNNvLSlyKtOfJTBrCP-7RuN9jQh5Tdw5xJ0wIRZnFCPqXD8qC83FXRPJsxxFsRWXP6AKXdMccaEAMgRCw4ErnzI19Yx0/s1600/istockphoto_5334605-doppa-cap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0FFt7UR6jOMo-m_1GpJZWyJSTWCce_csV6MkIZFl977d1L6tuNNvLSlyKtOfJTBrCP-7RuN9jQh5Tdw5xJ0wIRZnFCPqXD8qC83FXRPJsxxFsRWXP6AKXdMccaEAMgRCw4ErnzI19Yx0/s200/istockphoto_5334605-doppa-cap.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Doppa Cap</span></td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiovFXemL2sMxRDJWkRgLLS-opXdM3dHn6Iofin1v0qWTmuRF_im9N1PR3LSMh6r2hBhvmbY4HOCoYNEcyx-yKZ1l9qJDoZzu9Hkyem5GE1mr7oQ2tCnmr48oeu5EFp_sFsaMiOwhS4Ovo/s1600/istockphoto_2483527-old-kashgar-city-in-china-xinjiang-province.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiovFXemL2sMxRDJWkRgLLS-opXdM3dHn6Iofin1v0qWTmuRF_im9N1PR3LSMh6r2hBhvmbY4HOCoYNEcyx-yKZ1l9qJDoZzu9Hkyem5GE1mr7oQ2tCnmr48oeu5EFp_sFsaMiOwhS4Ovo/s200/istockphoto_2483527-old-kashgar-city-in-china-xinjiang-province.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Old Kashqar City in China</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>EAL Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616222676798526840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5123587207812236315.post-48930411136734040582011-07-22T10:31:00.000-07:002011-07-24T03:29:43.744-07:00My musings/tweets about this and that...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"><a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23goodmorning" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#goodmorning"><span class="hash" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">goodmorning</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"> to all waking up to a brand new day. If not </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"><a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23Goodday" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#Goodday"><span class="hash" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Goodday</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"><a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23goodafternoon" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#goodafternoon"><span class="hash" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">goodafternoon</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"><a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23goodevening" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#goodevening"><span class="hash" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">goodevening</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"> or </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"><a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23goodnight" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#goodnight"><span class="hash" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">goodnight</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"> pick one pls..</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">What gets greater and sweeter by giving&sharing? Love,freedom, aspiration,success,inspiration, appreciation,kindness,food, drink&money,LIFE!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">Reading about some connections freaks me out. We're actually managed by dark people so matrix is true.It's very dirty underneath!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"><a class=" twitter-atreply" data-screen-name="Mruff221" href="http://twitter.com/Mruff221" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;"><span class="at" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.5; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">@</span><span class="at-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Mruff221</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">: asks; Who is your favorite super hero and why?" My favourite super hero is Bond.James Bond, shaken but not stirred.He's invincible..</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">12 Turkish soldiers are killed by terorist organization PKK today. The peace process is ruined once more by violence and murder..</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"><a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23goodmorning" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#goodmorning"><span class="hash" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">goodmorning</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"> This morning we woke up to a world where humans are still dying from hunger. Please help </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"><a class=" twitter-atreply" data-screen-name="unicef_uk" href="http://twitter.com/unicef_uk" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;"><span class="at" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.5; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">@</span><span class="at-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">unicef_uk</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"><a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23Somalia" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#Somalia"><span class="hash" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Somalia</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"><a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23Africa" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#Africa"><span class="hash" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Africa</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"><a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23drought" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#drought"><span class="hash" style="color: #6c961c; display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">drought</span></a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">It breaks my heart to see children in </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"><a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23EastAfrica" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#EastAfrica"><span class="hash" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">EastAfrica</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"> die from hunger while lots of food is thrown away in many parts of the world:(</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">Somalia's starving driven into violent Mogadishu.. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">I think it's quite embarrasing to watch and not being able to do anything about it. All Somalians I know are lovely and friendly! </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">My students from Somalia describe the pain and destruction. Poverty is the main reason for these horrific scenes..</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">Reading</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"><a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23TheElement" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#TheElement"><span class="hash" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">TheElement</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">by</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"><a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23SirKenRobinson" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#SirKenRobinson"><span class="hash" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">SirKenRobinson</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">and loving it. He says 'We don't know who we can be until we know what we can do'. So true..</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"><a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23goodmorning" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#goodmorning"><span class="hash" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">goodmorning</span></a> everyone. I wish you a fab Thursday:) Heavy rain is announced for UK today and tomorrow...I will try to have fun with that:)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">First, new year 7 induction morning then year 8 graduation ceremony and now I don't feel my legs. It was all fun. Nice to see smiling faces.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">Our 80yr old neighbour never fails to impress us with his knowledge of our local area. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">He's not only able to tell the yr some of the houses were built, also how many of them were bombed by Germans during WW2. A walking history! </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">He was in the British Air Force during the war. He told us our house was built in 1934.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">There's no religion,race,belief, sexual orientation and ethnicity of terrorism.Stop using Islamic, at the beginning of a terrorist activity!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">Started primary school visits today, kids look so fragile and worried about moving to secondary. Giant step for them.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"><a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23goodmorning" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#goodmorning"><span class="hash" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">goodmorning</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"> ve </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"><a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23Gunaydin" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#Gunaydin"><span class="hash" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Gunaydin</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"> today I woke up to the same Monday as last week. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"><a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23groundhogweek" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#groundhogweek"><span class="hash" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">groundhogweek</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">All the children should have the right to love, care, attention and decent education they deserve. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"><a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23worlddayagainstchildlabour" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#worlddayagainstchildlabour"><span class="hash" style="color: #6c961c; display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">worlddayagainstchildlabour</span></a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">I finished</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"><a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23aysekulin" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#aysekulin"><span class="hash" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">aysekulin</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">'s great books</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"><a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23life" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#life"><span class="hash" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">life</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">and</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"><a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23sorrow" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#sorrow"><span class="hash" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">sorrow</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">so quickly that now I feel like a child who lost her candy...</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">I had a very challenging </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"><a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23yoga" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#yoga"><span class="hash" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">yoga</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"> session and don't feel my abdominals anymore. I still don't understand </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"><a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23yoga" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#yoga"><span class="hash" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">yoga</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"> language but know that it hurts...</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">I feel more tired than yesterday, if it's possible. Can't open my mouth to speak, my husband thinks it's wonderful:)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">I am extremely worried about the future of <a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23Afghanistan" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#Afghanistan"><span class="hash" style="color: #6c961c; display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">Afghanistan</span></a>, don't think they're doing enough to improve human rights.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">Do these volcanoes have to erupt just before or during the school holidays? Poor families will be stuck at airports once again:(</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">Sleep deep <a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23TwitterRepublic" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#TwitterRepublic"><span class="hash" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">TwitterRepublic</span></a> but not too deep that you wouldn't be able to recognise the thieves, hypocrites and cheaters:) <a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23goodnight" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#goodnight"><span class="hash" style="color: #6c961c; display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">goodnight</span></a></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">Celebrating my 5000th tweet. I am so lucky to tweet up many beautiful people on Twitter. Thank you for bringing your colours into my life.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">Still trying to recover from a very busy week. It's sweet to wake up and see my daughter's smiley face, telling me that breakfast is ready:)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">Teacher: What do you want in life dearest? St.: A big house, a big car, a husband, a business, children etc.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">Teacher: But your subject levels are really low, how are you going to have all these things without education? St: Don't care!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">Teacher: you need to stop being rude to teachers and students. Student: But i'm like this to everybody, you can't blame me!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">Today is <a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23CharityTuesday" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#CharityTuesday"><span class="hash" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">CharityTuesday</span></a> <a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23FF" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#FF"><span class="hash" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">FF</span></a> Help in anyway you can. Sometimes, even a nice smile or word would be enough..</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">I would like to follow and have followers who I can learn from..don't care about the numbers, I'm lucky that I met such fab people on Twitter.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">The sun is shining..What a wonderful day to..........do the ironing:(</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">A wonderful and happy Mother's Day to all the mothers around the world. To my mother: Thank you for loving us unconditionally.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"><a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23GM" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#GM"><span class="hash" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">GM</span></a> <a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23GD" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#GD"><span class="hash" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">GD</span></a> <a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23GE" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#GE"><span class="hash" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">GE</span></a> <a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23GN" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#GN"><span class="hash" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">GN</span></a> Twitter Republic..Pls pick the suitable part of the day and have the best of it:) Have your lucky charms always with you!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"><a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23GN" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#GN"><span class="hash" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">GN</span></a> tweeties...Catch all the good tweets in your timeline while they are pouring. All of them are for you cause you're worth it!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">If you don't create opportunities for kids to learn first language, you create enemies in your country, who feel they don't belong anywhere! </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">Multilingualism is the key to have feet on ground and strength..</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">Happy <a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23worldpressfreedomday" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#worldpressfreedomday"><span class="hash" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">worldpressfreedomday</span></a> . I hope in the future, we'll praise the journalists who tell us the truth, not persecute them!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">Sometimes I think 365 days of the year aren't enough to address all issues in the world! Come on people, wake up, so we don't keep reminding!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">I was sorry that Gaddafi's grandchildren were killed in the attack. This is why war doesn't solve anything apart from deepening the pain!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;">Installing furniture from IKEA is like putting together a very complex jigsaw puzzle...with several missing pieces! It drives you crazy:)</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 19px;"><a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23iyigeceler" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#iyigeceler"><span class="hash" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">iyigeceler</span></a> tatli ruyalar! <a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23goodnight" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#goodnight"><span class="hash" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">goodnight</span></a> sweet dreams! <a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23gutenacht" rel="nofollow" style="color: #6c961c; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#gutenacht"><span class="hash" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">gutenacht</span></a>schlaf gut! Add other languages and have multilingual sweet dreams:))</span><br />
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</span>EAL Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616222676798526840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5123587207812236315.post-42669729245846919152011-06-07T14:53:00.000-07:002011-06-07T14:53:30.680-07:00People who inspire me...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">On Twitter, I follow lots of great people who I learn a lot from. I wanted to write about three of those people and their great links I enjoy reading and learning.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Here they are;</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs2pLWMGIgpyPZyfINSSzW4JYwblF9elX6p7ofv4mZSf6IO5JF1SfINxVIjn6Y4gAgY5M0Ey52Zha04inznmsim2F1Nyozxjty3pPUEvKQmOJcjYG0mVuDQS3BTbFPicnx9Msw-Ne297k/s1600/aede9bf1-da02-4dc8-a406-e172dc8d4db1_reasonably_small.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs2pLWMGIgpyPZyfINSSzW4JYwblF9elX6p7ofv4mZSf6IO5JF1SfINxVIjn6Y4gAgY5M0Ey52Zha04inznmsim2F1Nyozxjty3pPUEvKQmOJcjYG0mVuDQS3BTbFPicnx9Msw-Ne297k/s1600/aede9bf1-da02-4dc8-a406-e172dc8d4db1_reasonably_small.png" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://twitter.com/#!/ShellTerrell">@ShellTerrell</a> is the writer of The 30 Goals Challenge and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px;">International Speaker,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px;"><a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23Edchat" rel="nofollow" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#Edchat"><span class="hash" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Edchat</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px;">/</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px;"><a class=" twitter-hashtag" href="http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23RSCON11" rel="nofollow" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;" title="#RSCON11"><span class="hash" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.7; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">#</span><span class="hash-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">RSCON11</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px;">cofounder, VP of Edu Outreach</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px;"><a class=" twitter-atreply" data-screen-name="Parentella" href="http://twitter.com/Parentella" rel="nofollow" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;"><span class="at" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.5; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">@</span><span class="at-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">Parentella</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px;">, SC Mgr</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px;"><a class=" twitter-atreply" data-screen-name="TheConsultantsE" href="http://twitter.com/TheConsultantsE" rel="nofollow" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;"><span class="at" style="display: inline-block; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; opacity: 0.5; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">@</span><span class="at-text" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; white-space: nowrap;">TheConsultantsE</span></a></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">She is another wonderful humanitarian who I learn a lot from. She worked with troubled teens at alternative schools and in low income neighbourhoods. She also participated in programs that reached out to teens in juvenile detention centres. She worked with homeless children as part of her non-profit organisation, ETHOS. She now teaches English to children, teens and adults in Germany. Her edublog is <a href="http://teacherbootcamp.edublogs.org/about/">http://teacherbootcamp.edublogs.org/about/</a> won 'Most Influential Tweet and Series of Tweets' and the 'Tweet Discussion' award.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-oq-TYFHWzn64ud_WBDiX3Nt0t4ycrw1En4Q5yXObkdrwOtx0GKukrH0vhbeHLiFAF6fimuwSyzbioz5OWAmrT7s4d9bjA71F47MLHy0eBSnrcOMITJlnZ_9I96wym1Lcg8kNpfhLyc/s1600/sue-ribbon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-oq-TYFHWzn64ud_WBDiX3Nt0t4ycrw1En4Q5yXObkdrwOtx0GKukrH0vhbeHLiFAF6fimuwSyzbioz5OWAmrT7s4d9bjA71F47MLHy0eBSnrcOMITJlnZ_9I96wym1Lcg8kNpfhLyc/s200/sue-ribbon.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://twitter.com/#!/esolcourses"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">@esolcourses</span> </a> Sue Lyon-Jones is a webmaster, writer/multimedia author, teacher & REFL bod. She runs English lessons website <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.esolcourses.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">www.esolcourses.com</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #777777;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">which has free lessons, games, quizzes and teaching resources. She is a great educator and provides excellent resources which I enjoy using </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">for extra curriculum activities and special days and events in my school. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkr51r6p3Qs08P-dWVMM_F6JBfbG4qCM1yCmXCUzA1WZ3idaVyqX104DZ7_vgK1wmUBy3iNRypyQXsiNIg7DTtLSKIf8OFn2pX8BqzDKa1mFzX461UI6NMCeBsbs0Gr78c3Yw_gVE6FJI/s1600/IMG_0772.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkr51r6p3Qs08P-dWVMM_F6JBfbG4qCM1yCmXCUzA1WZ3idaVyqX104DZ7_vgK1wmUBy3iNRypyQXsiNIg7DTtLSKIf8OFn2pX8BqzDKa1mFzX461UI6NMCeBsbs0Gr78c3Yw_gVE6FJI/s200/IMG_0772.JPG" width="150" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><a href="http://twitter.com/#!/Mruff221">@Mruff221</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"> is</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><b>Mark Ruffalo</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;">who is a great actor and director. He was recently nominated with Oscar for 'Best Supporting Actor' and he made his directorial debut with 'Sympathy for Delicious'. He is now playing in 'Avengers' as the Incredible Hulk and I believe he really is...He fights for so many causes and really supports all the relevant organisations and charities which are close to his heart. One of these charities is</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="http://twitter.com/#!/WaterDefense">@WaterDefense</a> and</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;">has a web site </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="http://www.waterdefense.org/">http://www.waterdefense.org/</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"> Fracking, tar sands and coal are the issues that the charity tries to raise awareness against. Another charity he supports, is</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="http://twitter.com/#!/crowdrise">@crowdrise</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="http://www.crowdrise.com/markruffalo"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;">http://www.crowdrise.com/markruffalo</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"> In 2001, he had to have a brain tumour removed which is why he initiated projects for the 'Acoustic Neuroma Association and the Brain Tumour Foundation'. He wants to make sure that through these organisations, tumour victims have access to the much needed support and resources to get them through treatment.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">All three of these people are truly inspirational figures who encourage me to become better at what I do. </span><br />
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</span>EAL Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616222676798526840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5123587207812236315.post-76559196979418944142011-05-23T06:46:00.000-07:002011-05-23T06:46:27.546-07:00UNICEF...<object width="600" height="400"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.fotobabble.com/mediafiles/templates/basicslideshow/fb.swf"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><param name="FlashVars" value="autoPlay=false&remoteXML=true&appURL=http://www.fotobabble.com&id=Skl2NVdVdEs2TGc9&increment=true&layout=default&size=large"/><PARAM NAME=BASE VALUE="http://0ztevmk3kfy73v4y4m82-fb-production-content.s3.amazonaws.com/content/Skl2NVdVdEs2TGc9"/><embed src="http://www.fotobabble.com/mediafiles/templates/basicslideshow/fb.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" FlashVars="autoPlay=false&remoteXML=true&appURL=http://www.fotobabble.com&id=Skl2NVdVdEs2TGc9&increment=true&layout=default&size=large" BASE="http://0ztevmk3kfy73v4y4m82-fb-production-content.s3.amazonaws.com/content/Skl2NVdVdEs2TGc9" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="600" height="400"></embed></object>EAL Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616222676798526840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5123587207812236315.post-30742404346573212772011-05-08T10:24:00.000-07:002011-05-08T11:07:44.691-07:00How would I explain to my children and students that it's OK to kill for revenge?Since childhood, we are taught to respect and obey the law. The law is there to protect and serve us. We are led to believe that the law exists for the people by the people. Is that right?<br />
In some developing countries, it is well known that the legal system protects constitutions rather than individuals. The citizens of these countries are mostly undereducated or undernourished, so they are not able to see or fight with the abusiveness of their governments or corporates. Those countries are recommended to look up to the advanced democracy of Europe or the USA. Certainly when I was growing up, I thought there was nothing European and American governments could do wrong. I thought they treated all their citizens and the citizens of other countries with respect. Sadly, the time and events showed me otherwise. Particularly witnessing USA and UK attack Iraq, left many people in shock and caused more hatred. I could not believe that to catch a terrorist group they would sacrifice so many innocent lives. After so many years of victims, suffering and pain, we heard that USA caught Osama in Pakistan. Yes, but why did they attack Iraq and Afghanistan without being exactly certain? No one can explain that clearly. There are rumours such as their will to control Middle East and the oil..<br />
I honestly wanted to believe the opposite but then when the conflict in Yugoslavia started, America stood back. Women and children were begging for help. They claimed that they were being raped and murdered but none of the European and American governments moved a finger to help them. Some said this was because there was no petrol in Yugoslavia. I still wanted to see this as the governments not wanting to interfere with Yugoslavia's internal business. In the meantime, many innocent lives were lost.<br />
I asked my children what they thought about America killing Osama Bin Laden. Their reply was that it was right and he deserved to die. How about law, justice, fairness, democracy and all of the above? I had to tell them that an unarmed man who did not resist to soldiers would not deserve to die even if this man was the most dangerous terrorist. What he would deserve is to be arrested and to stand trial before being brought to justice. Otherwise, this would be called murder. And what makes us better than a murderer, if we don't follow the law?EAL Mattershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17616222676798526840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5123587207812236315.post-48176249078738498222011-04-03T07:30:00.000-07:002011-04-03T12:57:16.472-07:00Have you ever given up on a student?As teachers, we talk about students in the staff room. These chats are good for communicating and getting to know about students. <br />
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I know that I am able to talk in depth about EAL new arrivals in the school because I interview and meet them on their first day. This gives me a great opportunity to get detailed information about their background and level of education. In addition, I learn about their hobbies, likes and dislikes before anyone else. When I discuss a particular EAL student with teachers, unless it’s confidential, I am able to give more inside information about an EAL student than anybody else.<br />
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</div><div> 'Every child matters’ and ‘every child has a gift waiting to come out’ but there are times when I feel hopeless and say ‘No, s/he will not make it’. This feeling of hopelessness bothers me immensely. I don’t like this negative feeling inside me. So I start asking other teachers about the student to find out if s/he is better in other subjects. My feelings have changed so many times about a student after listening to her/his side of story or other teachers telling me about how great this student in their subject is.<br />
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I also think about my teaching style to find out if I need to make adjustments for this student’s preferred way of learning. If s/he is good at music, homework would be to write lyrics for a song from a topic we learn or if the better subject is physical education, homework maybe to find some pictures of sport actions related to the topic etc. <br />
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Many years of living but not so many years of teaching (7 years) taught me that no matter what I think about a student in my mind, I never really lose hope for her/him in my heart. If s/he makes the slightest effort, I am prepared to forgive and forget whatever happened in the past and accept that as a bad patch or phase we went through...I feel so lucky to be part of the teaching profession which teaches me patience and inspires me to become a better person, day after day... <br />
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