Dolores Jean Wendell
I hae been teaching English in Italy for about 7 years, but have been a teacher all my life for around 40 years. I've taught as a volunteer in NGOs around the world (Africa, Mexico, Eastern Europe).
Location Verona, Italy
Activity
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
It was interesting that you started with rhoticity, as that seems to be one of the main differences in pronunciation of English. I'm looking forward to the next part, and especially the part on vowels, as this is where a lot of my students have difficulty. For example, Italian has only 5 basic vowel sounds, and Italian speakers often have a hard time hearing...
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
Which is the easiest accent to learn- rhotic or non-rhotic? which should I recommend to my students? I've noticed that my students who have a language that "rolls" the r (Arabic, Italian, Spanish) can easily learn the rhotic pronunciation. Brazilians and French seem to have more difficulty with it.
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
Well, it certainly has a lot of r's.....
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Most of my students tell me that they can understand Americans better than British. This exercise shows clearly why- it's impossible to know the difference between the two words in a non-rhotic pronunciation, if you don't speak the language well enough to understand the context. For example, I'm very fluent in Italian, so if I miss a word in a sentence, I can...
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Not only are the r's pronounced differently, but there is quite s difference in the vowel sounds too.
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I already knew that American English is rhotic, but this explanation is really helpful to understand the concept fully.
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I am a native speaker of English and therefore I don't think my participation in this exercise would be very helpful, although I am willing to review one of the non-native speakers' exercise.
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I want to learn how to teach my students a pronunciation that follows their needs to understand and be understood.
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I'm American but I've lived in many different countries on three continents. My American accent is still basically American, but it is a bit "softer" and more neutral, since I also regularly speak Italian and Spanish.
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My Italian students don't pronounce "h" at the beginning of words because it's silent in Italian. The "th" is another problem because they keep the tongue behind the teeth. My Arabic speakers say "p" like a"b".
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
This was very clear and simple, and I'm sure it will help my students a lot, especially the bit about personal identity. I think that a lot of English students feel somehow inferior if their have an accent, so they need to know this.
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What this woman needs to learn is that people who speak a second language need her to speak a lot more slowly and clearly. We ESL teachers learn this the very first time we face a class. If she would slow down and speak more clearly, people would understand her.
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I teach English to adults, but they often act like kids anyway! I had a group of military personnel, and two or three of them constantly disturbed the lessons by checking their phones, smsing, and whispering to each other in Italian. After two classes like this, I introduced the words "must" and "should" in the context of rules, and then said we were going to...
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I teach English online to Chinese students. They are often very nervous about using their English with a foreigner. I am also an examiner for English assessment exams. The candidates in these exams are often very nervous as well. I usually say something like, "Don't worry, I'm very nice. I don't bite." with a big smile. It's amazing how they visibly relax!
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I'm an ESL teacher, and teach mostly adults but have also worked in middle schools and elementary schools. I have seen teachers doing the same, shouting at students, but I refuse to do it. One of my nightmares is an adult student who speaks little or no English, yet insists on telling me how to teach English. One in particular stands out in my memory. He came...
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
Broadening my perspectives as a teacher of young people
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
The concept of synaptic pruning is very fascinating for me, and something I have never heard of. I would like to discuss how we could use this process to develop talents and a abilities in young people
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I agree and I think that as adults we have a formidable task to lead young people, but not impossible. You're right that a good relationship with the child will set the stage for helping the young person to make right choices and develop positive character traits
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
For example, after reading a story or seeing a film, ask questions such as "why did he do that?" Or "what was she feeling?" This opens the possibility to explore a whole range of experiences without actually having them, and gives a window of access into the young person's thoughts and feelings.
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As a teacher. I think it's very important to provide a positive role model for young people, to be understanding and friendly, but not too much. We must lead but not force.
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
With my own children, we set goals to be achieved and put a self-rewarding system in place. After awhile, they develop a certain goal-oriented mindset, and no longer need the reward. They also develop a strong work ethic in the process.
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I like the concept of "opportunity and growth"- a very positive way of expressing it- much better than "storm and stress "!
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I think the most important aspect of adolescence is the formation of the ideas and ideals that carry someone through their life. If we can implant or influence these in a positive way, that person will be better for it.
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I chose high, as I am a mother of eight, all of whom are adults now, so I think I have quite a bit of experience in this area. I am also an ordained minister and youth pastor, with years of ministry and missionary service.
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I'm Dolores and am American, however I live and teach in Verona, Italy (the home of Romeo and Juliet, btw). I've been a teacher and youth counselor all my working life and believe in lifelong learning also. That's why I'm here and I hope to learn a lot!
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I'm an American married to an Italian, living and teaching English in Northern Italy. I joined the course as a way to continue my professional development. As you can imagine, teaching vocabulary is a vital part of my job and I'm excited to see how others do it and learn as much as I can.
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I think this man deserves a medal! Most of the "care givers" I have seen do exactly what he said- they manage the elderly according to their own convenience. For several years, I was a member of a volunteer clown therapy group, and regularly visited homes for the elderly. It was really pitiful to see how the care was exactly as was described here. None...
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In my town, there is community center where elderly ladies like to meet to play cards in the afternoon. We also have something called "The University of the Third Age", where seniors can participate in music lessons, various courses, etc.
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
Looking at the obituaries which are posted in public announcements here in Italy, I have noticed that most deaths occur in the 80s. I don't know anyone who is 100 years old.
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
Many retired people in Italy tend to spend most of their day in front of the TV, for example, my husband. I am personally convinced that this is very bad for the brain. I prefer to spend my free time reading, studying, doing crossword. What do you think? Is a lot of TV watching bad for cognitive health?
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I now know that certain dietary factors are important for HALE, but I had no idea about this when I was younger. As was said in the video, it's important to start preparing for old age when you're young, but how many young people do this? I certainly didn't, unfortunately.
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My country is Italy, so I didn't need to check the Internet, since it figures prominently in the charts. It is the third oldest country in the world, and has almost ten years difference between HALE and ALE. It also has less than zero population growth, and that's one of the main reasons it is aging so quickly. The economy is very difficult- everything is...
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I'll be 64 next month, and I am still working and have no intention to stop. I also live with my daughter and her husband and their four girls. This is quite unusual here in Western Europe where I live, but it's wonderful, as I always have someone to talk to and to be with.
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I work with English students on a VLE that includes many of the tools mentioned here. It works well with students who have a lot of self-motivation, but unfortunately, some students only visit it once and then don't return. Generally, my students are businessmen or other people with very busy jobs and they barely have time to come to class, let alone work on...
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I'm definitely going to explore the various technologies mentioned and try to learn how to use them. I'm going to ask my granddaughter to teach me! :)
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
Of course, one of the biggest obstacles is the expense involved in the hardware. We now have two smartboards in our school, which can be wheeled around and used in different classrooms. Another obstacle is training teachers to use these technologies. I always need help with setting things up, and I have to admit that it's difficult sometimes to get these...
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I chose simulations as a helpful technology for my area, as an English trainer. We call it "role play"- the learners find themselves in a situation and they have to use their language skills to resolve it.
I also chose recordings as a very useful technology for a English trainer, getting the learners to listen to themselves and correcting mistakes. -
Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I've never used any of these technologies, and so I want to check the out and see what I can do with them. In my case, of English training, I think all of these technologies could be used to great effect, but first I need to learn how to use them! :)
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
As an English trainer, I think the most useful of these approaches would be social constructivism. Speaking English is basically a social activity, and needs to be done with others. I think a WhatsAPP group or a FB group could really help students to communicate in English more, especially those who are shy about speaking in class.
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
This is the first time I've used Padlet, but I really like it and I hope to make more use of it in the future.
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
Many of my students are businessmen who have very stressful jobs and they need English for everyday use. I have tried to convince many of them to use technology to study, but the answer I often get is that they prefer face-to-face. That means that I have to travel all over the city to go to their offices to give lessons. It's really time-consuming and...
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I definitely agree that learners in a language class such as mine would progress more quickly if they did some work outside of class and then practiced what they have studied at home. Our school has an online learning platform which all students have access to during a course. Unfortunately, many of the students never even open it. It seems that Italians (I...
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
The suggestions were, for the most part, rather different from my ideas, but were very interesting and I would like to try them.
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I did a course with military personnel and I had the use of an interactive whiteboard. It really made the course better being able to use digital material like PowerPoint or going online to show a Youtube video, etc. The learners were very engaged and it really helped them to be more attentive, since it was an intensive course of 4 hours at a time, three days...
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I think my daughter really learned a lot better when using audio books, as she's always been a very slow reader. Being able to put texts into audio and listen to them, made study a lot easier.
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
That was quite helpful in getting a correct idea about what blended learning really is. I have often been a bit wary about using technology to teach, as I'm often afraid that students will get distracted by it because so many young students today use their phones exclusively for playing games and chatting. If we can get them turned on to using technology for...
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
In teaching online, I've seen that technology is the future. All the companies I work for have had enormous expansion over the last 8 years, and they are always growing.
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I'm an English trainer and I teach adults in companies, banks, the military, university, etc. I'm fascinated by digital learning and want to gain the necessary skills to use it effectively. I'm not a "digital native"- I'm 63- and sometimes I feel a bit overwhelmed by all the different things we need to learn to be digitally literate. I also teach online to...
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I actually know nothing about Chinese except that there are four tones. I am an online English teacher and I teach for a Chinese company, so I do know a bit about Chinese culture from what my students tell me. I feel that it's important to understand something of how the student's native language works, in order to better help them understand how English...
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
My Dad died at 63 of a heart attack. He was on medication for high blood pressure and high cholesterol, which I also have. I am now 62. I take medicine for high blood pressure and watch my diet and take plant sterols for the high cholesterol, but I'd like to know more how to prevent stroke and heart attack. I am very aware that you can survive these problems,...
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I belong to various English teaching groups on LinkedIn.
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I have done various teaching courses with Futurelearn and others, and I find them extremely helpful. I also work in a school and we have bi-yearly refresher courses.
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
Sometimes feedback from students isn't very helpful, since they aren't teachers themselves and they may have some weird ideas about what "good" teaching is. I work for two companies that use the "5 star" rating system, and the students often give low ratings without commenting on why. One student thought 1 star was good and 5 stars was bad! Another student...
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Adrian Underhill was one of the teachers of the course I mentioned in my last post: Teaching Pronunciation Differently. It really helped me to be more aware of the physical aspects of pronunciation and my students really appreciate my new way of helping them with it.
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
My Arabic learners pronounce "P" like "B". Italians cut the "h" off the beginning of words, so hungry becomes "ungry" and sounds like "angry". They also put an "h" where it isn't sometimes, so that "angry" becomes "hangry". Spanish speakers tend to say words beginning with "s" with an "e" before the "s" like "estudy" or "eschool". I took an interesting online...
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
This was a great week and I especially appreciated the information about digital tools and websites to use for online teaching. Thanks! I'm looking forward to week 3!
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I usually use google docs virtual notepad. I think a virtual whiteboard would be time-consuming, because you have to write out each part you want to talk about.
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I ask the learners to send me their texts in a word document, and then I correct it before the class. I use a color coding system: the mistakes in red, the corrections in green, and any explanations in blue. It's quite easy and fast to do this with a word document. You can also use the "cross out" option for mistakes. We then discuss the writing assignment in...
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I usually keep a notepad beside my computer and jot down mistakes. When the student has finished speaking I choose the most important ones and first try to elicit the corrections. Then if they don't get it, I type in the chat box or on the screen.
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I also agree that having a clear objective is pretty important and this can make the conversation really interesting too. For example, asking each other questions in the Present Perfect, like "Have you ever....?" and then perhaps moving to the past simple.
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
There is a great one for listening called esl-lab.com- it has the listening with a short comprehension quiz and then it lets you read along as you listen. It also has various accents.
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I use Breaking News English quite often. I especially like the listening files which can be played at different speeds and have different accents. I also like bbclearningenglish.com
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
One other thing about printed handouts is that sometimes the learner can't find the piece of text that you want them to look at, for example, when you are reading for detail and you want to show them where the answer is. That's why it's also useful to have the material in pieces on the screen, as Helen suggested. I usually make PowerPoints and upload them into...
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I also sometimes do oral reading with adult students to help them with their pronunciation, or as you said, literacy. This can be very important especially with those learners whose native tongue is written in different characters than English, such as Chinese and Arabic. They often need help to learn how to pronounce the written words, or to not read numbers...
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I also agree strongly with Cecilia about going paperless and protecting the environment, however, some students aren't very computer-literate and have a love-hate relationship with technology. In this case, I usually send them materials by email before the class and they can print them out and use them during the class, for example, reading material. Some also...
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I have noticed that in some of the companies I teach for, listening is almost always assigned as an "outside class" activity. In one company, the material provided doesn't contain any listening exercises, and relies only on the students interaction with the teacher. However, they also tell us to minimize TTT! So, this is probably the one skill that isn't...
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
One problem in teaching online groups is when one student has a bad connection and there is a lot of static or noise every time he speaks. I always try to get my students to use a headset with a microphone, but many use their laptop built-in microphone which picks up a lot of background noise. Sometimes the learner sounds very far away, or their children come...
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I think that personalizing the class is very important in building rapport. Getting the students to talk about their personal experience, situation, or opinion, will help them to feel closer to you, the teacher, and to each other. Naturally, I mean talking about travel, school, etc., but avoiding anything embarrassing or too personal.
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I totally agree with what the last teacher said about putting a lot of energy into the class. When the students only see a talking head, that head needs to be very very active. I too always keep a smile on my face and use a lot of exaggerated facial expressions, almost like when I was doing amateur theater. In fact, I think my acting days have really been a...
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I teach students from the Middle East, and usually the women will not turn on their webcam. It's also very important to be very respectful toward them, especially in a mixed group class. Being a woman myself, I have to be careful about how I dress and not be too familiar with my male students.
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I agree that it's better if the student does some prep before the lesson or follow up activities after the lesson, but they often don't, so you have to do it right there with them.
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I use a virtual notepad from google docs. I share the link wiht the student and we both keep it open on the computer and we can both see what the other is writing. It is also useful for keeping a record of the lesson.
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
One thing that is also good if you don't have realia handy, is to open Google, find pictures of what you want to show and then screen share.
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I wanted to up my teaching hours and not have to commute so much. I also think that online teaching is the future of teaching, and I wanted to be in the front line.
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I'm CELTA certified, and have been teaching ESL for 8 years in Italy and for 6 years online. Online I have students from South and Central America, the Middle East, China, and Russia. Here in Italy I work at a private language institute called Inlingua, and I teach businessmen, university students, military personnel, etc. I've already been certified for...
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
When I wanted to lose weight, I googled "lose weight" and it led me to a site that that was called Lose Weight. It gave advice on counting calories and exercising. It was quite down-to-earth and simple and didn't try to sell me anything. It also left a lot of leeway on how to structure a weight loss plan. I tried it and it worked for me. I used a simple BMI...
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I often see little banners on the Internet saying things like, "ten foods you should never eat if you are trying to lose weight" or "three foods that burn fat". When you click on them, they lead to weird advertisements trying to sell you some pill or other thing "guaranteed" to help you lose weight. These things make me furious!
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I 've always heard that coconut oil is bad for you!
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I love eggs but gave them up when I was diagnosed with high cholesterol. So this was good news! But here again is tthe advice to see a health professional. It was my dr. Who told me to not eat eggs.
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
As an English teacher, I often find that my schedule is my main enemy to eating well. I have to teach when my students are free, and lunchtimes and dinnertimes are peak hours, weekends too. So I work when my students don't. I try to have a decent meal at least once a day, sometimes preparing it before, or having easy-to-prep foods on hand, like salads. I...
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I eat a bit of everything- meat, fish, cheese, milk, yogurt, tofu...
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I would say I am moderately active. I get between 40 to 60 minutes of aerobics or walking on most days, and even though I have desk job (online English teacher) I try to get up and move around a bit every hour or so between classes.
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I had arrived at 94 kgs when I was taken to the emergency room with chest pains. It was quite a scare and I realized I needed to do something about my weight. I started counting calories and choosing the less energy dense foods, which naturally made my diet more nutritious. I aimed at cutting a daily 500 calories out of my diet and burning an additional...
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This was extremely interesting about the "set point" of weight. I have gone up and down since I was in my late forties, but I never seem to be able to go under 70 Kgs. I have had 8 children and picked up a kg or so after each pregnancy, so I suppose that my body thinks that 70-72 is my best weight, instead of the 65 I weighed before I had...
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I found it interesting the comment about eating everything on our plate. This was so ingrained into me by my mom and grandma, that now I find it very difficult to leave anything on my plate, even if I am uncomfortably full! Recently on a trip to the US, I was constantly subjected to "supersize" meals in restaurants. Finally I just decided to leave it on my...
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I have never had any problems conceiving- I have eight children! But I was very careful during my pregnancies to eat well. I had a diet plan and a chart on the wall where I marked off what I was supposed to eat each day, and I was pretty faithful to it. I also took supplements when I was pregnant. I am convinced that this attention to my pregnancy diet helped...
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
Thanks so much for a great week. It was very informative and motivating. It was also well-organized and easy to follow. I can't wait to start week 3!
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I had a good week, I think. I managed to get at least 30 minutes of some kind of physical activity every day. I have, unfortunately, a sendentary job- online teaching- so I have been trying to get up and walk around, go up the stairs, etc. every hour. It feels good to get out of that chair!
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Honestly, I can't say that the legumes in Mexico and Uganda were any different than what we get here in Italy. They were simple brown beans boiled in water. One difference could be that they were never canned, but the dried variety, which were then cooked in water. I think the big difference was the frequency with which we ate them.
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I knew that exercise helps to make the bones stronger, but Prof. Kerry's explanation of the mechanism is fascinating and really helps to see which kind of exercise is needed.
Thanks! -
Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I think that I have never had a good level of fitness, as when I was young, I hated exercise. When I got into my 40s and had had 8 children, I realized that I needed to do something about my fitness level, and so started doing aerobic exercise videos. Now I actually have a lot more stamina than I did when I was a teen! I found the video of the test quite...
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I try to exercise for 30-40 minutes every day, but recently, I've started have an after-dinner walk or bike ride with my granddaughter. We enjoy it immensely and are getting some more physical activity too. I also have started getting off the bus a stop or two before mine and walking the rest of the way.
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I have heard that high fructose corn syrup is addictive and from what I've seen from various members of my own family, I tend to believe it. HFCS is one of the main ingredients in most soft drinks, particularly those made by US companies, and some of my family drink them incessantly, even though they know that they are unhealthy. I have even read that the soft...
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I was diagnosed with hypertension and needed to lose weight. I had to change my way of thinking about food. It wasn't enough to just cut down or eat healthier food, but I had to recognize that my eating had to change for the rest of my life if I wanted to be healthy. I had to talk to myself, convince myself. It worked, and I went from 94 Kgs to 72 Kgs. It took...
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
This was interesting for me because I really like lentils and other legumes, but don't often get to eat them because my husband complains about the gas when I make them. Another interesting thing is that when we lived in Mexico and Uganda as volunteers, the stable food was beans, and we ate them every day, and they rarely caused us gas.
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I agree that food is the best source of nutrients. I just want to make a short observation about what was said regarding taking supplements and getting advice from a health professional. I have often found that doctors don't know the latest research ( or even older research) about food and nutrition. They study medicine and their first recourse is to medicine....
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
Here in Italy, there are many elderly in nursing homes, and there have been quite a few scandals about mistreatment in such homes. I sometimes have done clown therapy in a home for the elderly, and there the patients were treated quite well. I often see elderly people being cared for by Asians or Eastern Europeans also. This has been a change from the past,...
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This brought tears to my eyes- I really feel for these people! Especially the man who said he was used to being physically fit. But all of them made me really hope that science will find ways to help them.
I personally am not experiencing anything like this, even though I have had 8 children and am 62. (Thank God!) I am truly looking forward to the next part... -
Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
At 62, I'm still pretty active. I go biking and do aerobics regularly,but it's been quite a few years that I avoid anything else that might cause a fall, like skating, which I really enjoyed when I was younger.
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Dolores Jean Wendell made a comment
I'm a 62-year-old English teacher, and have a great desire to stay active and healthy!
