InterculturalITY

I come from a small city in a valley. I remember that every time somebody from another place arrived, they would become, spontaneously, the most popular person ever. I suppose this had to do with the fact that it is always fascinating to discover how others see the world.

Two language assistants shared our learning experience this year: Anna and Scott. Both were really nice and charismatic. I really enjoyed their visit since they had both this foreign appeal I have mentioned and English as their mother tongue.

I missed some of the classes with Anna but still, I profited a lot from all the information she gave us from Britian. She loves it so deeply that her presentations were passionate and detailed. She had a charming sense of humour too.

As for Scott, I admired his critical description of his country. His presentations showed his commitment. For instance, when he talked about hip-hop, he focused on the social side this music genre depicts. We learned lots about discrimination, politics and the North-American - as he did not think the term "American" was fair enough - way of life.

Both Anna and Scott appreciated our intercultural gift a lot. Surprinsingly, they were familiar with much of the cultural information we put into it. We all enjoyed the indoor picnics on their last classes as well.

All in all, I must say that the fascination foreigners inspire is sometimes justified and we had the chance to be part of two fruitful examples of juicy visits. Thanks Anna and Scott!

Speaker's Corner

Although I am publishing this rather late...I can clearly remember those two days when we got on our soapboxes.

I admired my peers as they confidently delivered their speeches. We all chose thoroughly different topics. Still, we all shared the same enthusiasm.

Every time we talk with our friends or family we try and find the moment we can squeeze some comment into the discussion. Sometimes it gets really hard to be heard. So, I found this Sp's Corner quite utopic. All the attention! Just one or two hecklers interrupting...

I felt quite nervous which, of course, made me speak really quickly. On top of it, I feel so strongly about the mindless waste of drinkable water that I got all het up!

I believe it a was a good chance to actually meet all the members of the class. Speaking your mind shows lots. Really interesting indeed.

Poster Presentation

Well, what can I say about yesterday presentations... I really enjoyed listening to my fellow classmates talk about the topics they had chosen, they were all really enthusiastic. And the posters! They were wonderful.

As for my own presentation...well, well. To begin with, my poster looked as if it had been used as a tablecloth in Palermo on Sept 21st. I must say the poor piece of paper had travelled in the San Martin train, the 146 bus and the subway. Anyway, this excuse is not good enough. My classmates' comments are definitely subjective. Only ONE thought I needed to improve my visual aids. Thanks for stroking my self-esteem but let's face, it can be better.

As regards the presentation itself, I forgot to say the most important thing at the right moment. GRRR! Again, the feedback sheets from my fellow classmates said things like the information being in the poster. Still, bad girl. If I had given out the copies of the abstract (which I had run!) I could have organised my talk more effectively.

I wish I could speak more slowly! I can't help it. On top of it, I imagined that at any moment we were going to be interrupted by the drill so I stepped on it! I had recorded myself and it took me 10 minutes so, in my mind I was thinking I had to make it in 5. You witnessed the consequences.

I suppose my voice and attitude were ok. Even though I don't like these talks, I look friendly and somehow confident. If only you knew what's going on deep inside!!!

That's about it! I suppose I'll be sharing my poster again next week. I'll do my best to improve! What a challenge!

Here is the abstract I never shared with you - selfish me!

Teaching English to Low-educated, Low-literate Adults.

Increased demand of high-skilled workers as well as social prestige often make people face the challenge of learning English. In the case of low-educated, low-literate learners, the test is even greater.The number of hours of instruction required for grasping concepts and perceiving progress are almost discouragingly long both for students and teachers. Most instructors working with these groups have not been sufficiently trained. Thus, even the most experienced ones may shy away from this slow and often rather frustrating task. This poster presentation is empirically based and focuses on some of the strategies tried out as well as the failures and achievements in some privately-run courses in the City of Buenos Aires.