learnings

Wed 30th Sept This morning we learnt to create a website for ourselves. It was exciting and a high voltage class. Please do check out the link. I am now a proud owner of a website!! http://sites.google.com/site/swapna10tea/ Lunch with the faculty of the teacher college. It was a pizza lunch. It's amazing to see teachers/professors as old as 70- 75 years so active. Post lunch it was English Language Learning with Mila. Yesterday we had been divided into various groups and assigned various methods to do presentations on. My group was assigned "direct method". We decided to teach Common nouns using this method. My group members began the lesson using pctures/ games and objects. One member ( Anahit from Armenia) taught thro reading a passage and dictation. I summarized the session with a roleplay and song- farmer in the den.. My teaching was appreciated by my friends. Some of them took down the song! Session with Tim We had an intense discussion on the methods and constraints...

Tues -29/09 Today we had an icebreaker round with Shannon- the chicken game where we threw the chicken doll to another. that person would introduce saying the name/ country and one unique fact-- very interesting. then we categorized ourselves- visual/visual reading/ auditory/ kinesthetic based on a questionnaire. taught us identification skills. we also made name cards reflecting our country and tastes/ personality. Went shopping in the evening. Later we met up in our own group to work out teaching strategies for tomorrow

Monn 28th sept. This morning we had a techy session. Did not learn anything new. Post non was a session with Mila.What a bundle of energy she is. She must be past 60!! We had a good discussion on langage learning, the methods adopted till now... It was learning by doing and i realized how interesting such a class is.

Sat 26/09/09 This morning had a quick bit of a huge turkey sandwich. Rushed to the univ campus for morning workshop.Met Tim. What a bundle of energy he is. He is 51 years. We had an ice breaker workshop which was very useful to me. It would help me in my GVC classes!! Headed for a good lunch.Had huuuuuuuuuge strawberries, hot fudge wtc. Yummm. Post noon we had an hour discussion with Tim. Headed for a technology workshop with Bochi who is a pony-tailed goodlooking Polish ! strolled around the campus after the sessions. Its football season here. The whole city is out in red. Campers, balloons and bbq have been set up beneath colorful umbrellas or behind their cars. Lot of decorations. Helicopters are patrolling. Traffic is massive but everything is well under control... Today's learning-- I have improved my listening skill!!

Yesterday was so exhausting but I was able to hold up well!! I checked out of the room in DC at 8 am and have been up and baout till 12.30pm. had lunch andthen by 2.30 set out forthe Baltimore airport. a half hour drive. We had to stand in q for 2 hours to check in as our passports had to be checked and baggage needed to be booked. We have to pay 20 dollars for the first piece of luggage.Then we proceeded to the security check which was a cumbersome process. Shoes, laptops, bangles, watches and blah had to be removed. once again a long wait. The flight was ok and pangs of hunger set in. I missed Indian Airlines then!!! Reached Minneapolis. HUUUUUUUUUUUUge airport! Had to walk almost the distance between chintamani to blue star. GOD! all this for an half hour flight. By the time we reached Nebraska it was 1.30 am. Every one was tired and hungry. The highlight was when someone commentdthat I had always been cheerful and it made others happy. I am always surprised when such comments come...

Visitedthe Smithsonian museum of american history!!! so beautifully history is presented. it has 4.5 million visitors in a year!!. we do have lots to learn from them!! Presentation is indeed important

Its a marvellous experience. i have met teachers from so many countries-- senegal, ghana, haiti, columbia, gautemala, cambodia, equador, el salvador, kazakhistan, ajerbajian, uzbegistan, kyrgystan, turkeministan. wow. so many. and how can i forget bangladesh. they are sooooooooo excited as i speak a smattering of english!!! yesterday we interacted with 3 students and 2 teachers of washington dc. today we will be visiting museums in the noon!! the food is sooooooo delicious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Almost 20 hours of travel from Chennai to Washington!!!wow!! Am here on a teacher exchange program for 6 weeks.

“Masters of one art have mastered all because they have mastered themselves. With dominion over both mind and muscle, they demonstrate power, serenity, and spirit. They not only have talent for their sport, they have an expanded capacity for life. The experts shine in the competitive arena; the masters shine everywhere .” ~

Mute football during gvc class was a moment of satori!!!!