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Boy Rates
Joined: 13 Mar 2006
Posts: 36
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 Posted: Mon Mar 13, 2006 1:38 pm Post subject: Helping Advoca (Part 1) |
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Advoca, I�m sure you will not mind if, as your teacher, I provide some examples of exemplary answers to students' posts so that you may learn from them.
There are many teachers and students here who believe Philo Kevetch to be the quintessential teacher. He is helpful and kind. He encourages students with honest praise. You would do well to study all of Philo's posts.
Here are some examples of the way this outstanding teacher encourages students to love learning:
| Philo Kevetch wrote: |
Hello zhangzoro - What a great post! It really made my day to read your story. Please continue to write your stories and post them here. I'll be looking for them. Thanks.....Philo  |
| Philo Kevetch wrote: |
| I think students know quite a bit about learning English!! After all, you guys are the ones learning and know what works for you. I like your advice about not being too shy to make mistakes. Building your vocabulary slowly using flash cards is a good idea, too. Thanks. |
| Philo Kevetch wrote: |
| Just a gentle reminder about using articles..... "Which one is THE right answer?" A small thing compared to the difficult grammar you are learning now. Keep up the good work. |
| Philo Kevetch wrote: |
| That's the best advice anyone could give....get over the embarrassment and just keep talking...you can't get worse..only better!! |
Pretty impressive, huh? If you begin by trying to emulate Philo you'll be on your way to becoming a real teacher.
From what I�ve heard, Brian Boyd is another fine teacher. After reading the answer Brian recently gave to a question from an aspiring ESL teacher, I certainly agree.
| Brian Boyd wrote: |
I think patience, a variety of teaching approaches and a good sense of humour are three of the most important characteristics of a good teacher.
One of the best ways to improve as a teacher is to constantly self evaluate, using questions like: What did my students learn today? What was the purpose of that activity? Was it successful? How would I do that differently the next time, in order to make it better?
The worst thing any teacher can do is to assume they've learnt everything there is to know. A good teacher is one who knows that there are always ways to improve and develop - so even if you get to a stage where you think you're doing a really wonderful job, keep looking for fresh ideas and approaches. Only an arrogant fool could believe he or she has reached perfection. |
These are but two of the excellent teachers whose posts you can learn from Advoca. There are many more and I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I�ll be continuing to provide examples for you as I work my way through the list. |
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advoca
Joined: 09 Oct 2003
Posts: 422
Location: Beijing
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| Posted: Mon Mar 13, 2006 3:35 pm Post subject: |
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Congratulations, Boy Rates. Your sudden burst into this forum with no other purpose than to destroy me has been completely successful.
Et tu, Bud. You have joined in and supported this vituperative attack. Thanks.
I shall bow out and never again participate in or contribute to this forum. |
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Boy Rates
Joined: 13 Mar 2006
Posts: 36
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| Posted: Mon Mar 13, 2006 3:58 pm Post subject: |
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But Roy! Why do you interpret my help as an attempt to destroy you? All I've done has been to treat you as you've been treating others. Surely you were not attempting to destroy THEM?
Last edited by Boy Rates on Mon Mar 13, 2006 6:30 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Boy Rates
Joined: 13 Mar 2006
Posts: 36
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| Posted: Mon Mar 13, 2006 5:41 pm Post subject: |
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Advoca destroyed himself, Roy.
You can't blame me and you can't blame Bud. He tried to be your friend, but you wouldn't listen to him. Your friends warned you and even your "enemies" warned you, but you just wouldn't listen. Sadly, you were so consumed by your need to prove your superiority that you just went blindly on, destroying anything that stood in your way. It was inevitable that eventually you'd crash and burn and someone would have to get out the extinguisher before you took this whole place down with you.
But now that the fire's out, why not stay on and make a fresh start? You know - "up from the ashes"? You do have knowledge to share and if you can try to see your fellow human beings in a different light it might even make you a much happier man. I'm sure many here would admire you for your strength of character if you were to stay on.
As for Boy Rates - He'll stay away unless things get out of hand again. He's your teacher. No one wants to see you succeed more than he does and he's willing to give you a chance to try it on your own. If you put kindness before "being right" Boy Rates will be your biggest fan.
You're a fine writer Roy, and you can be a fine teacher too - if you're willing to learn from your colleagues. There are some real stars here. I'm sorry I didn't have time to meet more of them and I only know a few of their names: Lotus, Bob S., Iitimone7, LucentShade, Lorikeet, Philo Kevetch, Brian Boyd, and let's not forget Bud. (Apologies to those I haven't named. I'm sure there are many of you.)
So at least take some time to think about it before you make a final decision.
I'll be leaving now, but I'll stop back in once in a while to see how things are going.
Goodbye Roy Bates aka Advoca.
Fare thee well!
| Quote: |
| A good teacher is one who knows that there are always ways to improve and develop. |
- Brian Boyd
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| I'm surrounded by teachers everyday, and believe me, they each have their own personality. But, the only personality that lasts is the one that believes teaching is a calling. Nobody gets rich by teaching. The happiest teachers are the ones who get satisfaction from knowing that they make a difference. Remember - when one enters a cause with good intentions - he/she enters cautiously, but is ready to exit quickly. |
- Lotus
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| "A positive learning environment is key in learning anything." |
-Corey
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| "I have so much affection for this forum, and it grows through time. I look out at the world and I see so much hatred, so much need. I look at my own country and I see so much venom spewed with no second thoughts whatsoever. It is great solace to embrace the little beauties that we have in our lives. For me, this is one of those little beauties. At its core, the forum is blessed with bright, extremely motivated students who ask so many challenging questions. Then come the teachers and native-speakers, who all share a love of the language and an eagerness to help others. To top it all off, we have Dave Sperling who gives us the tools to communicate. How can it get any better than that for those of us who like to hang out in here? A short time ago, Lotus wrote that this is the best English forum on the web. Since this is the only English site that I hang out in, I really had no idea. But it meant a lot to me to hear that. It made me feel proud that I play a small part in it. Or more accurately, it made me feel inspired. |
- Bud |
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