Why are quizzes hard for students?

Why are quizzes hard for students?

Quizzes are an essential part of the learning process since they help us see if students have acquired certain knowledge, and if they have some deficiencies in learning. They are also important because they give teachers parameters to take into consideration for other classes. In many cases, teachers find quizzes very easy to do, but they never think if students are going to understand or do a good job when doing it. Ninety percent of students find all quizzes difficult; even though, they have studied for them. I consider there are three main reasons why quiz takers find them difficult. If we are creating tests, we have to think about the order of the items. We have to include things students have studied in our classes. Finally, we have to create a variety of parts so that students can feel comfortable by doing the quiz.

First, the order of the items is really important. There are some teachers who don’t take enough time for creating the quizzes and the order of the items is not so appropriate. Students sometimes find it difficult to understand. Besides that, instructions are not well explained and students get lost when reading them.

Secondly, the topics that are being evaluated are not the ones studied in class. Many teachers are used to include things students haven’t studied in class just for making them fail. I believe that this is not appropriate since the goal of testing is to measure if students have acquired knowledge.

Finally, many students fail quizzes and find them difficult because there is not a variety of activities presented. Sometimes students have a hard time because the quizzes just include open questions in which they have to write the exact concept.  If teachers do that, students won’t be able to explore their abilities. Some researchers say that those exams are not appropriate for students since they are not fair. On the other hand, teachers must create quizzes that contain at least four different parts. If a quiz has more than three parts, students are going to have the opportunity to put in to practice all the knowledge acquired in the classes.

Quizzes are really important for the learning process, but they can be also a frustration for students because these quizzes don’t show all characteristics of a good quiz. If quizzes are well organized with clear instruction, students won’t find them difficult unless they don’t study.  

THE POWER OF GRAMMAR

THE POWER OF GRAMMAR

The English language is one of the most popular languages to learn, it must be the most spoken language around the world. And many people choose to learn the language simply to place them in a better position to secure work, or to communicate more effectively with others. English might be a popular language to learn, but this doesn't necessarily mean that it is a simple language to use. However, there are many challenges people face when learning English, and if you are aware of this issue, you can overcome any situation using the language. Stephen King said once: “Grammar is… the pole you grab to get your thoughts up on their feet and walking.” It is a really important part in the language; furthermore, there are also some problems people face when learning it. The main issue is grammar itself, it is a little complicated to understand since every language has its structure. Then we have vocabulary, ESL students always face a problem here, and it is difficult to decode what word to use in any situation. And finally, word order is another issue many people who learn a new language have.

Grammar is something difficult to understand; however, it is the most important part in any language. With grammar, we can convey a very accurate message when talking or writing to other people. It is important to recognize that grammar is used spoken and written language. One of the problems ESL students have is that they try to use the new grammar they are studying according to the one they use in their mother tongue. But when they see that grammar totally differs in both languages, they get disappointed and in that part of the learning process, many people give up.

Secondly, vocabulary is another issue faced when learning a new language. In a Spanish speaking country like El Salvador, a very simple thing can be named in many different ways, and it can be even more different according to the context. Many people who speak Spanish tend to associate the English language with Spanish and in that context; they don’t convey a very accurate message. The problem is that we use many words that are very similar in in Spanish. For example “Repeticion” that in English is Repetition. But when we say “Repollo” people think it is “Rechicken” since “pollo” means chicken. Vocabulary is a really difficult topic to talk about.

 Finally word order has been a really big problem when speaking and writing. In Spanish, people always use adjectives after the noun when they describe something. Example “Carro bonito” in this peculiar case, “Carro” means “Car” and “Bonito” means beautiful. In this case, people mostly translate it in the same order their use it in their mother tongue. If this example were from Spanish to English “Carro Bonito” would be translated as “Car beautiful” which sounds awful. People get confused with the order of words. It has been one of the most difficult issues with ESL students that are in a basic level.

Grammar is a really powerful tool and it opens a lot of doors for people who want to learn something new. One of the most important things is to understand it and to use it in the most appropriate way. We have to understand that if we want to use the language in a very accurate way, we have to pay attention to this beautiful thing which is grammar. Grammar is like math, it has its structure, and if the structure is not well used, it can cause a lot of misunderstandings. 

The challenges of virtual classes

The challenges of virtual classes

 “eLearning doesn't just "happen"! It requires careful planning and implementation.” – Anonymous. Technology has become the key to a new world in education. Online learning has become one of the most popular ways of gaining access to education. Although this is a really great tool since it helps people learn new things and become better, it has some challenges that need to be taken into consideration. On line learning is a great tool, but learners with low motivation or bad study habits may fail. Another challenge is for instructors because they are not all the time in front of the computer to help students when they have doubts. Finally, having slow internet connection can be frustrating for people who take any course on internet.

First of all, there are many people who don’t have any motivation to learn. Many people haven’t been taught to follow processes and to do them on a schedule. These people might have a lot of problems when learning things on internet since they are not accustomed to following a program. Some people need to be motivated by their instructors in order to learn something and people who take online courses will never receive that encouragement. At the end, these people are going to quit since they don’t find a purpose for their learning of a new language.

Secondly, there are many students who are very imperative in classes. When they learn new things, they need to be asking all the time, they also need to be in contact with their instructor. If a teacher gives them an assignment online, they won’t be able to do it because they need to be asking all the time, and instructors are not in front of the computer 24/7. Some students feel frustrated due to that fact that they don’t receive instant feedback.

Finally, having a good internet connection is something really important when taking an online course. In El Salvador not everyone has a good internet conectin due to the development of the country. If people want to have virtual classes, they need to have the best connection for making video calls and for downloading or uploading their work. Internet is the most important part in virtual classes.

Virtual classes are the key of success if we manage them in a correct way. People who administer those courses need to take into consideration all these factors if they want to succeed. On the other hand, people will just start their classes and they will never end them since they won’t be motivated, and they won’t have all resources needed.

The Role of a teacher in E-learning

The Role of a teacher in E-learning 

“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand” this is one of the most important quotes Confucius, a great and known philosopher. This quote is totally related to e-learning. Nowadays all students are from the Post-Millennial Generation, we need to see the importance of implementing new teaching and learning techniques. This term enrolls all people who were born after the year 2000. it means that they actually were born using technology. It is really important to make a migration from traditional learning to e-learning, but it has to be done in a really smooth manner. Based on those ideas, we are going to discuss the role a teacher has to play using this great tool. First the teacher has to act as a tour guide and help students to learn new things by using technology. Since this process sometimes is a little hard, the teacher needs to be a cheerleader as well as a person who socializes with his or her students. Finally the teacher has to be a learning coach and help students learn and grow.

First of all the role of a teacher has to be a tour guide. Many teachers sometimes tell students to work on presentations or projects that include the use of technology, but they never tell students how to do them. First if a teacher wants to use technology in the classes, he or she has to show students how to use it, and he or she has to show them the pros and cons of using these types of tools.

Secondly the teacher has to see the importance of giving correct feedback to his or her students. Sometimes students do a lot of effort working on some projects, and they spend a lot of time, and their teacher just doesn’t say anything. In this case the teacher has to praise his or her students for the effort they made. If teachers do that, at the end students will surprise them and they will show amazing projects. Teachers also have to monitor students’ performance and provide help when needed.

During this process teachers have to be not only models but also learning coaches. This means that the teachers not only have to show a great video they did for example, but they have to teach students how to create their own video. Teachers have to monitor the process as well. However, they don’t have to do the project for students.

Since we are in the 21^st century, we need to see the importance of e-learning in everyday classes. Teachers have to evolve in their way of teaching, and technology is something many students are accustomed to, so it won’t be difficult for them to use it. Teachers need to explode all advantages they have in technology and instead of seeing them as something really bad, they have to see it as a way of being closer to their students. 

The importance of using technology in education

The importance of using technology in education

David Warlick, an educator, author, programmer and public speaker. An early adopter and promoter of technology in the classroom, once quoted “We need technology in every classroom and in every student and teacher´s hand, because it is the pen and paper of our times, and it is the lens through which we experience much of our world.” I totally agree with his idea since this quote truly summarizes what I think about the purpose of technology in the classroom. First of all, the Twenty First Century is demanding teachers and students who have skills for learning new topics. Secondly students are being exposed to technology everywhere they go, and this is something teacher can use on behalf of their work, and finally technology not only demands linguistic skills, but also technical ones. This topic is one of the most important to teach nowadays.

Since the Twenty First Century Skills emerged, there has been a great necessity for teacher to know a lot about the different techniques and abilities to teach students. It provides a lot of activates to use in the classroom, and of course many of these activates require the use of technological gadgets and knowledge. Teachers nowadays are working hard in order to get new ideas. One important idea is the use of authentic materials such as cellphones or social networking sites. This new topic can increase their chances to have a great English class.

Secondly there has been a great dilemma for teacher when they see students using their cellphones in class and everywhere. They can see that their students pay more attention to things posted on a social networking site like a video or a picture that a session in a class. One alternative might be using these things people consider horrible in class to teach a great interactive lesson. Why don’t using those pictures and videos to teach a communicative class effectively, and the best part of this is that students are going to love it.

Since teachers need to manage technology and they need to be up to date, they have to study a lot learning new things. This is really important because they have to bring always new and innovative things to the classroom. I really encourage them to take any online course and to see tutorials in YouTube to learn something new. Teachers need to be experts in this area and this is going to be something really beneficial; furthermore, it is going to make their lives easier.

Teacher need to understand that they have a great opportunity to teach and learn something new. Remember that we never stop learning in this life, and an up to date teacher is someone students like because they feel identified with him or her. Let’s use this great tool which is technology for making your teaching experience a fantastic way of living not only for your great students, but also for yourselves.