Umaru Garba

Umaru Garba

I work with Umaru Ali Shinkafi Polytechnic, Sokoto (Nigeria) as English language communication skills teacher. I hold a Doctoral Degree in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) from ABU, Zaria.

Location Nigeria

Activity

  • Umaru Garba replied to Lydia Manmatharajah
    Getting to know you

    Hi everyone here learning Pre-Sessional English for successful university education. My name is Dr. Umaru Garba. I'm from the North Western states of Nigeria called Sokoto. The Caliphate city of Sheik Usman ibn Fodiyo.

    I joined this course to widen the scope of the little I know about Teaching English as a Second Language.

    I'm a teacher with a government...

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    What next?

    I wish to most sincerely thank future learn and all the tutors of this course for a wonderful for allowing me to take this course. I really benefit a lot from it. My best regards.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    From planning to drafting

    I agree with statement number 2. This is because the more review related literature for writing, the more acquire new and more appropriate ideas than you have before.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Using a dictionary

    I have copies of all the dictionaries listed.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Meet our educator and your fellow learners

    Hi everyone, my name is Dr Umaru Garba. I joined this course to learn more on how to professionally behave in the business environment. More so, I wish to sincerely express my gratitude and appreciation to future learn management for giving me the chance to take many educative courses free of charge, thank you.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Next steps

    I thank you most sincerely for this course. I indeed enjoyed learning with you.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Listening challenges

    Listening to complex concepts constitute one of the several challenges of listening for Academic purposes, in my opinion.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Content and structure

    My expectations by joining this course is to be exposed to present era communication styles as against the previous styles before the evention of mobile phones and emails.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Welcome

    Hello ladies and gentlemen, I am Dr Umaru Garba and I am happy to meet with you here.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Meet the team

    My name is Umaru Garba from Sokoto state (Nigeria). My area of specialisation is Business Communication Skills and Use of English language.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Defining inclusion in schools

    Access to education irrespective of learner's diverse needs, impairment or disability.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Weekly challenge

    Chioma, these are wonderful approaches that could soothe the burden of parents of children with disability. However, I think these approaches could be redesigned in circlic but interactive form as follows:
    1. SEARCH: to identify families living with disabled children
    2. VISIT: to have better understanding of the family through affective dialogues
    3....

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Weekly challenge

    I'm sorry to say that I've deleted my Facebook, but I'll engage like mind educators on Twitter on Nigeria policy on inclusive education. Best regards.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Interview with Looks

    Indeed according to Looks Matoto policy is both a reference point and guide on how to implement thinks. However, in my view policy is also a license for innovative education to practice.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Your country's policies

    Unfortunately I couldn't find anything significant about inclusive education, but a section on special education which in fact is another branch of exclusion. Kindly help your self with the link explaining Nigeria's Policy on Education attached.
    http://education.gov.ng/basic-secondary-education/

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Our model of inclusive education

    Hello, I'm Dr. Umaru Garba from Sokoto State Nigeria. I join this course as a continuing professional development to learn more about inclusive education.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Step 4: Set your actions

    I am to enroll in this lesson. I am following the steps attentively. I entitled my project as Reading_Fluency, and am waiting to know how to and audio-visual elements to the pages of the project.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Step 1: Learn the platform

    App inventor 2 downloaded and installed successfully.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Creating an app

    Downloaded and installed successfully.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Teaching online - a different kind of board

    I most often use edmodo for online teaching.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Developing ideas

    I concur with the first teacher. building an apps that support pupils language is just awesome.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Using a technology framework

    I use technology as support to engage my students mostly via multimedia.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Impact in your classroom

    Assalamu alaikum my name is Umaru Garba. I'm from Nigeria and I teach Use of English and Business Communication in Umaru Ali Shinkafi Polytechnic.

    I've access to computer, computer software such as video editing software and web 2 tools for teachers such as edmodo.

    I use digital multimedia to engage my studies via digital storytelling particularly in...

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Comparing email styles

    The first e-mail was casually written, while, the second one is an example of business or formal correspondence.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    What makes an effective presentation?

    What makes presentation effective among other things include using clear images or graphs; concise tables, and the ability to face the audience confidently.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Teaching with a purpose

    I can't figure out when it's proper to teach without aim or purpose.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    What advice would you give?

    In my opinion, all are equally important. Building rapport without proper attitude towards teaching, or paying attention to the needs of the pupils will amount to nothing.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Giving praise

    I agree with her totally.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Building rapport

    In a nutshell, she uses interactive technique via question and answer method.

  • Umaru Garba replied to Nicola Doody
    Technical terms

    Test validity and reliability, assessment, test, and examination

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Understanding your audience

    INTERNAL: Rector, Registrar, Deputy Rector Admin and Academic, College Directors,
    Head of Department, Academic and Nonacademic staff.

    EXTERNAL: State Government, General public, parents, students, etc.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Become an effective communicator

    Hi everyone, I'm Umaru Garba. I teach English Language and Communication Skills at Umaru Ali Shinkafi Polytechnic, Sokoto (Nigeria).

  • Umaru Garba replied to Umaru Garba
    Reading levels on the CEFR

    @MonicaSchiavolin Dear Monica, you can find it in the Microsoft word tool bar. Look for review, then click check document. Go to settings, and select show readability statistics. Thank you.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    End of Week 2

    I have a question. How do we assess positive or negative wash back in reading and listening skills? Thank you.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Now try scoring this next task

    I think the second version is play.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Reading levels on the CEFR

    Hi everyone, I use Microsoft Flesch-Kincaid reability formula to judge the difficulty of the text. Microsoft realibility formula calculates and display the number of words per text, number of sentences, number of words per sentence, percentage of reading ease of the text and grade level. The formula also calculates the number of passive construction in the...

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    We are always reading!

    Good morning everyone, in the past 24 hours I've read followed and liked many comments from the participants of this course, I read many tweets and online newspapers on Twitter. The purpose was to be informed about what's going on around me. It was quite surprising now thinking on different types of digital texts type I read.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Receptive skills vs passive skills

    Hi everyone, in my opinion reading and listening are not passive because, particularly reading. Reading involves a lot of physical and cognitive activities such as eye movements, decoding and understanding the message of the text. More so, these activities are learned in the classroom and that's why we've able and disable readers even in the learning...

  • Umaru Garba replied to Leonard Robinson
    Welcome to the course

    I thank you very much for the offer.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Welcome to the course

    Assalamu alaikum, my name is Umaru Garba an English language teacher from Umaru Ali Shinkafi Polytechnic, Sokoto, Nigeria. I joined to improve my skills as a teacher.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Introduction to Week 1

    Hi, my name is Umaru Garba, a postgraduate student with Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.
    I m happy to connect with you in this course.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Multisensory tasks for teaching vocabulary

    Thank you Borbála Kálmos and Gabriella Dóczi Vámos with your inspiring techniques.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Multisensory tasks for teaching grammar

    This video presents very important techniques for teaching the structure of languages to learners, not only a second language.

  • Umaru Garba replied to Umaru Garba
    Extra resources

    Thank you Anne, I am grateful.

  • Umaru Garba replied to Umaru Garba
    Remaining questions

    Thank you very much for the concern.

  • Umaru Garba replied to Umaru Garba
    Extra resources

    Yes, I am referring to such situation where children are held back by poor instruction. I ask this question because in my pilot study to test the reliability of my screening test, more than 50% of the pupils were identified as dyslexic. What is the answer to such a situation? And what does dysteachia refers to in teaching and learning? Thanks.

  • Umaru Garba replied to Umaru Garba
    Remaining questions

    Hi Borbála, I mean specific video clips prepared for dyslexic pupils probably in mp4 format. By interactive, I mean something that the pupils can tick and get an instant response whether wrong or right. Thank you for your concern.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Welcome to Week 3

    Looking forward to more educative learning techniques and methods for assisting dyslexia pupils to learn second language.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Extra resources

    Thank you for all the efforts. I however need to be cleared of one issue - how does one differentiate the issue of poor instructions and dyslexia?

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Remaining questions

    My question is how can I or which apps do I use to prepare interactive reading comprehension questions to accompany the digital storytelling clip for pupils to respond to, possibly after each view.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    How does information technology help dyslexic language learners?

    I use TTK apps for young learners and TEDTalks for adults.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Using IT to teach students with dyslexia

    The issue with dyslexic pupils is the interest and the motivation to carry on with their language related tasks particularly reading. I believe IT has a mojor role to play in stirring and maintaining their interest, thus I set out to explore the impact of digital storytelling on Interest, Reading Fluency and Comprehension among primary five pupils struggling...

  • Umaru Garba replied to Sevuloni Tuikubulau
    Interview: Accommodating dyslexic learners in the classroom

    Hi Sevuloni, I like your suggestions on reading circle technique for helping dyslexic pupils to read. Thank you for your effort,

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Inclusion in the language classroom

    Please, I need to know the font type and point size that hinder and discourage dyslexic pupils from reading their handouts if any.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Welcome to the course

    Hi all, I am Umaru Garba from Nigeria. I have FB, Tweeter, G+, and LinkedIn accounts, but I am more active with the last three than the former. The reason, in my opinion is, in my country, the use of FB as social media was wrongly perceived and abused.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    What do our social media profiles say about us?

    Hi, my name is Umaru Garba from Nigeria. In my opinion, social media are simply our social tools. They work for or against us depending on how we use them.

  • Umaru Garba replied to Umaru Garba
    What have you learned so far?

    Thank you Bimali for your interest.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Summing up

    Mine is note question, but a request on the type of reading comprehension questions to ask, and the range of words limit of reading passages to give for fluency activities.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    What have you learned so far?

    I have learnt a lot and count myself lucky to participate in this MOOC. As I earlier stated at the very beginning of this course, I'm a doctoral student with a research topic on helping struggling pupils to develop their reading fluency and comprehension via the use of digital storytelling strategy. The two videos I watched by Prof. Judit and Prof. Kate are...

  • Umaru Garba replied to Umaru Garba
    Welcome to this course

    Hi Arnet, I felt highly encouraging. Kindly let me have your contacts for collaboration. Thank you most sincerely.

  • Umaru Garba replied to Amanda Taylor
    The basic facts about dyslexia

    That is learning for you, Taylor.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    What are specific learning differences?

    I doubt very much if Nigeria educational system and policy care to know, diagnose or cater for thousands of pupils scaling to post-primary schools unable to read. Colin 's "Kids need structure" has definitely widen my horizen as to devastating impact of pupils leaving schools unable to read. I do hope, with this course, I'll be an instrument of change towards...

  • Umaru Garba replied to Ani Antonova
    What does it feel like to have a learning difficulty?

    Ani, I felt the same. I felt challenged. I totally agree with you, that dyslexic pupils are hard working.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    What does it feel like to have a learning difficulty?

    I felt seriously challenged, just like giving up.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Students with dyslexia talk about some difficulties they face

    Before viewing this clip my perception and understanding of dyslexia is just difficulty about language learning difficulties particularly spelling, reading and memorisation. I never thought it has anything to do with social skills, organisations or time management.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Warm up activity: Common beliefs about dyslexia

    In the course of my review of literature concerning struggling readers, I come to understand that dyslexia to some certain extent can be cured. I aslo learnt that, parents, culture and the learning environment contibute immersly to certain form of dyslexia. I wish to thank Pamela from whom I just learnt another form of language related disorder called...

  • Umaru Garba replied to Umaru Garba
    Welcome to this course

    Thank you Pamela for your encouragement.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Introduce yourself

    Hell, I am a teacher of English as a Second Language and doctoral students with Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. My research topic is "The Impact of Digital storytelling on Interest, Reading Fluency and Comprehension among primary five pupils struggling with reading". Thus I believe I am at right place to learn more about dyslexia and language related learning...

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Welcome to this course

    I am Nigerian Postgraduate student of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. The course of my study is Teaching English as a Second Language and I am to write as a topic of my dissertation "The Impact of Digital storytelling on Interest, Reading Fluency and Comprehension among Primary Five Pupils Struggling with Reading" With this course I believe I have an...

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    What's the story?

    Passion is the engine that keeps one motivated and focussed.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Introduction to storytelling

    Hope to learn more about Kanizsa's theory of story.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Introduction to Week 1

    Hi, I am Umaru Garba from Nigeria.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Review of Week 1

    I learnt more computing vocabularies necessary to keep me going on this course.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Glossary

    Very good initiative - startining with the known to dare the unknown, thanks.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Introduce yourself here!

    Hi everyone, I am an ESL teacher with a passion to motivate my students with digital devices.

  • Umaru Garba replied to Okechukwu Owhondah
    Introduce yourself here!

    Hi Oke, congratulations

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Introduction

    Hi everyone, my name is Umaru Garba. I am an ESL post graduate student at Ahmadu Bello Univefsity, Zaria; also an academic staff with the Polytechnic of Sokoto state (Nigeria).

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Conclusion

    Tha.m you for everything.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Writing essays: the WRONG way to do it

    Spelling mistakes, subject verb agreement, poor punctuations,lack of in text citation, anf poor parahraphing just to mention a few

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Seeking out help

    Being proactive is the GOLDEN key to academic success.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Daily routine

    My BIGGEST problem: Tailoring an effective timetable. Thanks for the five key points.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Welcome to week 4

    This week will be awesome. Time management to meet academic dateline is actually very wonderful.

  • Umaru Garba replied to bryan xu
    How should you integrate a paraphrase?

    Congratulations Xu, for publishing your English paper and I dont mind to read it if possible, thanks.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Referencing styles

    I am familiar with both MLAand APA. During my undergraduate years reading English at the Dept of modern European Languages MLA was the style accepted. In my present faculty - faculty of education Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, APA is the accepted citation style. So I am familiar with both. I however know a little about CHICAGO in the just about concluding...

  • Umaru Garba replied to Parween Saadi Abdulaziz
    What is referencing?

    Dear Saadi, reference as the name suggests refers to only literary materials you consulted when writing your easy; and bibliography list all the available materials you've about the topic you're writing used or not. Their producedure is the same. However it's important know the citation style acceptable to your faculty - APA, MLA, OR CHICAGO etc. I hope this...

  • Umaru Garba replied to Parween Saadi Abdulaziz
    What is referencing?

    Not exactly Brear other faculties of the same institution ask for bibliography other than reference list. The reason, is best known to them.

  • Umaru Garba replied to David Brear
    Using and acknowledging others' work is important

    Hi Brear, thanks for your informative contributions

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Why should you use and acknowledge the work of others?

    Citing or acknowledging other authors in one's writing is a wonderful predicator of academic research and scholarship.

  • Umaru Garba replied to Umaru Garba
    Reflection

    It does, thank you Emma.

  • Umaru Garba replied to Umaru Garba
    Exercise: update your research proposal

    Dear Shomous, it would have been helpful to speculate your research interest such as your variables, the subject area and level of the participants. Thanks.

  • Umaru Garba replied to Umaru Garba
    Questions about the peer review activity?

    At the level of writing abstract, thanks.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Why do some students cheat?

    Thanks

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Examples of exam misconduct

    Giraffing, smuggling external material into the examination hall, talking to a friend for help, swapping answer booklets.... The list is endless.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Suggested answers to 'Keeping evidence...' discussion

    Record keeing is the key to show evidence of participation - one of the basic attitude of academic integrity.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    The importance of keeping evidence

    If responsibilities are shared, it is easy to show evidence of participation.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    When getting and giving help...

    I understood; no matter who assist, the academic integrity should never be compromised.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Academic integrity in the university environment

    Thanks.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    Fundamental values

    All of them. More particularly buying the courage to face my academic activities with honesty and fairness in acknowleding the "GIANTS" I stood on.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    The definition of academic integrity

    Academic Integrity comprises anything to do with respect, honesty, upright behavious and cultural values.

  • Umaru Garba made a comment
    What do you already know?

    I understand what is meant by the term academic integrity. Confident, because I heat cheating.
    I am familiar with the values that underpin academic integrity. Confident, I respect my self and need to be respected.
    I know what plagiarism is. Confident, because I need to acknowledged.
    I know what I have to do to avoid academic dishonesty. Confident, because I...