An Electronic Magazine by Omar Villarreal and Marina Kirac (c)

Year 2 Number 30 July 15th 2000

________________________________________________________

Dear SHARERS ,

Yupiiiiiiiii ! We are starting our holidays. And how much we longed for them in these last few days of the most dreadful, awful, icy-cold, trecherous ( and what have you ) weather. We had temperatures below zero ... and I do not mean just the chill factor : the temperatures were really below zero.

But here we are ready to start a two-week recess ( some colleagues in other

provinces might be half-way their holidays and probably starting to sigh at the

thought of going back to the grind in a week´s time).

In the meantime and to warm the cockles and hearts and innards of us all, here goes a poem that a dear friend from the West of Greater B.A. has sent us,

Cecilia Ramirez de Ricci, cr@infovía.com.ar . Cecilia is co-author of "Tales for the Beholder" but this poem is not hers. A friend sent it to her and she wanted to SHARE it with us . Put it on and give it to others : much better than hot soup or hot chocolate for these super cold days ! I can assure you.

"No moving parts, no batteries.
No monthly payments and no fees;
Inflation proof, nontaxable,
In fact, it's quite relaxable;
It can't be stolen, won't pollute,
One size fits all, do not dilute.
It uses little energy,
But yields results enormously.
Relieves your tension and your stress,
Invigorate your happiness;
Combats depression, makes you beam,
And elevates your self esteem!
Your circulation it corrects
It is, I think, the perfect drug:
May I prescribe, my friend, ... the hug!
(and, of course, fully returnable) ! "

In SHARE 30

1.- More News on Licenciatura in Lomas de Zamora.

2.- I´ve learned.

3.- Teacher and Author.

4.- A Trial of Strength ?

5.- Courses at Interaction Language Studio.

6.- Classroom Management in Difficult Circumstances.

7.- The Game of the 20 Differences.

8.- A CD-Rom on Advanced English for Finance and Business

9.- The Power of Love

10- International Congress in B.A.

11- News from Stephen Krashen.

12- Bernieh´s Corner.

13- A List for Cinema Lovers.

14- A Nostalgic Argentinian in sunny Brazil.

15- Internet Search Service Offered.

16- Chicken Soup for the Teenager.

(1) MORE NEWS ON LICENCIATURA IN LOMAS DE ZAMORA

A dear friend from Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Martín Izaguirre, izaizaguirr@unl.edu.ar writes to us with more information about the Ciclo de Licenciatura en Inglés to be offered at Instituto Superior Pbro Dr Antonio Saenz in Lomas de Zamora.

Ciclo de Licenciatura en Inglés
Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Santa Fe, Argentina

In 1998, the Universidad Nacional del Litoral decided to start the Programa de Carreras a Término in response to the increasing demand of non-university tertiary graduates to upgrade their degrees, demand which had been brought about by the requirements of the Law of Higher Education. Within this framework, the UNL launched the so-called Ciclos de Licenciatura, an innovative proposal, clearly differentiated from other undergraduate programs.
The programme of the Ciclo de Licenciatura en Inglés was duly submitted to the University Policy unit at the Ministry of Culture and Education in 1998, and obtained final approval through Resolution No 330/99.
The course of studies is organised into three four-month modules and a dissertation (Tesina) on the basis of 11 seminars, to be done in about 18 months hence the three terms, with fortnightly meetings. Well-known, prestigious Argentinian lecturers make up the teaching staff. The objectives of the course are twofold: to allow Teachers and Translators of English to upgrade their non-university tertiary degrees to university graduate status, and to contribute to the development of human resources in the field of research in foreign languages.

The success of the first edition has gone well beyond the initial expectations. In the taught modality, there are two groups of 90 students who are on their way to obtaining their ‘licenciatura’ degrees. And it is expanding. There are another 120 students who have enrolled in the distance learning scheme, with “satellite classrooms” 70 in number for the time being IT resources combined with printed materials.

And now, through an agreement signed with “Prebítero Sáenz” College of Education, UNL is offering its “Ciclo de Licenciatura en Inglés” taught modality in Lomas de Zamora. Teachers and Translators from the Province of Buenos Aires have the opportunity of getting their Licenciatura degrees without having to travel to Santa Fe every other fortnight!

If you are interested, please contact:
Dr. Martín Ignacio Izaguirre
Technical Coordinator
e-mail: izaguirr@unl.edu.ar

ingles@unl.edu.ar

Phone:(0342) 4575105 ext. 121 & 127
Fax: (0342)-4575200
Post: Universidad Nacional del Litoral

Facultad de Formación Docente en Ciencias
Licenciatura en Inglés
Ciudad Universitaria Paraje El Pozo
1er Piso Extensión Universitaria
3000 Santa Fe

OR Prof, Anne Jordan,

ISP “Pbro. Sáenz”

e-mail: aljordan@infovia.com.ar

Phone (011) 4292-8941/4244-8827
Post: Pbro. Sáenz 740
(1832) Lomas de Zamora, Pcia. de Bs. As.

OR Prof. Ana Armendáriz, e-mail: armenda@elsitio.net

(2) I´VE LEARNED

A great friend and true SHARER from Catamarca, Joseé Luís García, sends us this poem. It is always a pleasure to receive postings from José Luís, many of them humorous, as we know his true spirit is, many others stories and poems about the basic facts of life, like this one . Always welcomed.

Words of Wisdom

Teachers’ personal development involves a close look on present social demands and the educational context. This deep analysis leads them to assume other important roles, not just the one of passing knowledge down to the students. One of these roles is that of teacher-author which enables them to generate new methodologies and resource materials that match the context where teachers develop their activities and the students’ needs. In order to reach this goal, it is important to look into different learning situations.

Learning English as a foreign language may be for some students an enjoyable task, but for others who find it hard to acquire the basic rules of the language, it may become a troublesome one. Thus, it is the teachers’ job to prepare different activities for these students to help them reach a successful learning goal.

It is widely known that teaching highly- motivated students who find it easy to learn English is not a difficult job to do. But what about those students who have to work hard to understand and acquire the new language? Can they reach the same goals as their peers? Certainly they can, but after a slow and careful job on their part and a close and inside look on the part of the teachers.

As far as the teachers’ task is concerned , we can say that there are two factors to keep in mind. First, we need their attitude to be positive and encouraging, i.e. teachers should be aware of the students’ necessities and be ready to help. Second, we require a set of clear and easy activities to be done by the students. These activities created by the teachers, would lead them to assume the role as authors of their own exercises and methodologies.

Considering the exercises themselves, we need to point out that if our main objective is to make things comprehensible for the students at the moment of facing a new activity, some characteristics are required. Firstly, they should be easy enough, as far as vocabulary is concerned. Secondly, their procedures need to be straightforward and clear. Thirdly, drill-type exercises serve this purpose as well, since they are limited and focused to key structures. Last but not least, they should be graded in order of difficulty so as to suit different levels of learning.

We have said that successful teachers are those who are able to help students learn a foreign language despite their learning differences, specifically, those students who find it hard to cope with English. These students require special attention on the part of the teachers, so we conclude that with the teachers’ good will and their new role as authors this goal can be achieved with a good result.

Thank you, Maria Celina ! The debate is open to everyone now . Let us hear your reactions !

(4) A TRIAL OF STRENGTH ?

Currently majoring in Grammar II JV Gonzalez - Lecturer in Business English at Interaction Language Studio and courses for teachers and translators for the last 7 years. Ex-teacher at Universidad Católica de Salta and current teacher at Universidad del Salvador. Grammar II teacher at Liceo Cultural Británico.

Enrolment is in progress as from June 19. -Office hours: 8 a.m.-7.30 p.m.

For further information, call us at 311-7220/312-1950 or mail us at interaction@rmo.com.ar / interaction@movi.com.ar

(6) CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT IN DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES

Karina Giralt ,mari_kari@yahoo.com, a young SHARER, sent us this piece of reflection that she wrote about Discipline in the Classroom. Karina traing to be a Teacher of English and is a graduate in Psychology (B.A). She works as a Teacher of English at Districts 8 and 19 in the City of Buenos Aires. This is what she has got to say :

Dear Omar and Marina,

I'm very grateful about all the material you have been sending me. I'd like to SHARE some points of view with you and all the SHARERS. I think that methodology is very important to motivate children and control their
behaviour, I also think that discipline rules are necessary. In my humble opinion , nowadays discipline rules aren't the same at all schools and they
depend a lot on headmasters instead of depending on clear rules for all schools. Probably some`people regard the term "Discipline" as something negative,and perhaps there is, nowadays an empty place for discipline and although most teachers complain about lack of rules and discipline nobody talks about it because whenever there 's a case of disruptive behaviour headmasters who have a poor institutional view tend to put the blame on teachers and
methodology , while the real problem is lack of limits .

For me pedagogy is one important view on school problems but it seems to me that in no way it should be the only one, because that's reduccionism, and I think that this is what many headmasters do, they just repeat always the same speech"if one student fails to pass his exams or misbehave , then it's the teacher's fault. As a consequence of this prevailing ideology among principals teachers tend not to give students the mark they really deserve and we also tend not to take children to the headmaster's room or call their parents because many parents have changed their attitude towards children are they are not longer their children parents but their friends. They do not scold them , and in a way they do not educate them.
These cases are increasing each day more and more and teachers are victims of bad behaviour and lack of respect from some parents and some authorities who do not want to have problems with parents so they prefer to put all the blame on teachers. I think that by doing this they fail to see some psychological and sociological aspects of the situation. First of all a child who isn emotionally well can not be motivated if first his emotional needs are not satisfied.
Secondly, children need limits and our society tends to treat them as adults and doesn't provide the limits they need. We,teachers are setting limits all the time, but what happens when a child fail to accept them and teachers aren't supported by parents or authorities? I think that we can do nothing at such a point and that if that happens we are victims of perversion,because wherever there are two contradictory messages and there are no rules,there is perversion . Another characteristic of perversion is the enjoyment . I think that misbehaviour produces enjoyment, "joy", being many times authorities the ones who support perversion in order to please the contradictions of the system .

Well, I hope have not bored you with the subject but it's a couple of years I´ve thinking about this and talking with my colleagues too, but there is a kind of pact of silence and nobody there talks about it. I've read a bit about perverted families and i think the same is happening at school .
I've also read about institutional analysis but it really surprises me the lack of knowdledge that authorities have about the subject.I think there aren't many psychoanalists who have written about education but I think that education has a lot to take from psychoanalisis and other disciplines.
Well , I hope SHARERS answer me back and tell me what their opinions are about this burning issue.

In connected news : next Wednesday 19th of July from 17:00 to 20:00 Omar Villarreal will offer a Workshop on Solutions for Discipline in the Classroom . in Lomas de Zamora . More information : 4244-2798 / 4243-1972

(7) THE GAME OF THE 20 DIFFERENCES

A founding SHARER and beloved friend Elida Messina ebmessi@overnet.com.ar points out twenty differences between you and your boss ( or you thought they did not exist )

Differences Between You and Your Boss

When you take a long time, you're slow.
When your boss takes a long time, he's thorough.
When you don't do it, you're lazy.
When your boss doesn't do it, he's too busy.
When you make a mistake, you're an idiot.
When your boss makes a mistake, he's only human.
When doing something without being told, you're overstepping
your authority.
When your boss does the same thing, that's initiative.
When you take a stand, you're being bull-headed.
When your boss does it, he's being firm.
When you overlooked a rule of etiquette, you're being rude.
When your boss skips a few rules, he's being original.
When you please your boss, you're apple polishing.
When your boss pleases his boss, he's being co-operative.
When you're out of the office, you're wandering around.
When your boss is out of the office, he's on business.
When you're on a day off sick, you're always sick.
When your boss is a day off sick, he must be very ill.
When you apply for leave, you must be going for an interview.
When your boss applies for leave, it's because he's overworked.

(8) A CD -ROM ON ADVANCED ENGLISH FOR

FINANCE AND BUSINESS

A dear SHARER from England wrote this message to us. We thought our dear SHARERS might be interested. We will be eagerly waiting for more details :

Dear Omar Villareal and Marina Kirac,

I am writing to enquire whether a new learning environment, "Advanced English for Finance and Business," would be of interest to readers of your electronic magazine "Share" ?

AEFB is a CDRom multimedia program, with automated links to the Web for guidance and updates in text and sound. We are just about to begin distribution in partnership with University of Leeds Innovations Ltd.

We are particularly interested in establishing contact with professionals in the field who might wish to cooperate with us in setting up intensive courses for both learners and trainers in this specialized field.

We feel that Argentina would be a good place to begin for South America more generally and would welcome an exchange of views with those already involved in this area, both in terms of setting up intensive courses and distributing the finished program.

AEFB is a systematic exploration of the conceptual and linguistic framework of finance and business. It integrates video, text, sound, exercises, automated marking facility and specialized international glossaries. It can be visited at www.aeo.co.uk, where there is a "walkthrough" facility.

If you feel it is appropriate, I could let you have a brief outline for "Share" with a view to involving your readers in future developments along the lines I have indicated.

Thank you for your interest and your time.

Kind regards,

Yours sincerely,

Geoff Waywell

Director - Advanced English OnLine Ltd

Leeds, UK - Tel: 0113 2250881 - www.aeo.co.uk

(9) THE POWER OF LOVE

A dear SHARER and active contributor to our publication Diana Englebert Moody <linkeduc@cvtci.com.ar> sends us this inspiring story :

A True Miracle

It was one of the hottest days of the dry season. We had not seen rain in almost a month. The crops were dying. Cows had stopped giving milk. The creeks and streams were long gone back into the earth. It was a dry season that would bankrupt seven farmers before it was through.
Every day, my husband and his brothers would go about the arduous process of trying to get water to the fields. Lately this process had involved taking a truck to the local water rendering plant and filling it up with water. But severe rationing had cut everyone off. If we didn`t see some rain soon we would lose everything.
It was on this day that I learned the true lesson of sharing and witnessed the only miracle I have seen with my own eyes.
I was in the kitchen making lunch for my husband and his brothers when I saw my six-year old son, Billy, walking toward the woods. He wasn`t walking with the usual carefree abandon of a youth but with a serious purpose. I could only see his back. He was obviously  walking with a great effort...trying to be as still as possible.
Minutes after he disappeared into the woods, he came running out again, toward the house. I went back to making sandwiches; thinking that whatever task he had been doing was completed. Moments later, however, he was once again walking in that slow purposeful stride  toward the woods. This activity went on for an hour: walk carefully to the woods, run back to the house.
Finally I couldn`t take it any longer and I crept out of the house and followed him on his journey (being very careful not to be seen ...as he was obviously doing important work and didn`t need his Mommy checking up on him).
He was cupping both hands in front of him as he walked; being very careful not to spill the water he held in them...maybe two or three tablespoons were held in his tiny hands. I sneaked close as he went into the woods. Branches and thorns slapped his little face but he did not try to avoid them. He had a much higher purpose. As I leaned in to spy on him, I saw the most amazing site. Several
large deer loomed in front of him. Billy walked right up to them. I almost screamed for him to get away. A huge buck with elaborate antlers was dangerously close. But the buck did not threaten him... he didn`t even move as Billy knelt down. And I saw a tiny fawn laying on the ground, obviously suffering from dehydration and heat exhaustion, lift its head with great effort to lap up the water cupped in my beautiful boy`s hand.
When the water was gone, Billy jumped up to run back to the house and I hid behind a tree. I followed him back to the house; to a spigot that we had shut off the water to. Billy opened it all the way up and a small trickle began to creep out. He knelt there, letting the drip drip slowly fill up his makeshift `cup`, as the sun beat down on his little back. And it came clear to me. The
trouble he had gotten into for playing with the hose the week before. The lecture he had received about the importance of not wasting water. The reason he didn`t ask me to help him. It took almost twenty minutes for the drops to fill his hands.  When he stood up and began the trek back, I was there in front of him. His little eyes just filled with tears. "I`m not wasting", was all he said. As he began his walk, I joined him... with a small pot of water from the kitchen. I let him tend to the fawn. I stayed away. It was his job. I stood on the edge of the woods watching the most beautiful heart I have ever known working so hard to save another life.
As the tears that rolled down my face began to hit the ground, they were suddenly joined by other drops...and more drops...and more. I looked up at the sky. It was as if God, himself, was weeping with pride. Some will probably say that this was all just a huge coincidence. That miracles don`t really exist. That it was bound to rain sometime. And I can`t argue with that...I`m not going to try. All I can say is that the rain that came that day saved our farm, and that I could see the true face of Love in the little sunburned body of my son .

(10) INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS IN B.A.

Why not ending the Winter Holidays in style ? If you cannot afford Chapelco or Las Leñas or Iguazú or the sunny beaches of the Caribbean you can always afford a first rate Congress in rainy Buenos Aires. Our suggestion ? :

II Congreso Internacional de Educación: Debates y utopías
26, 27 y 28 de julio - Buenos Aires
Informes:

Inst. de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Educación, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Puán 480, 4° P of. 440, 4432-0606, Fax: (011) 4432-0121
E-mail: mailto:congredu@filo.uba.ar

(11) NEWS FROM STEPHEN KRASHEN

A very dear and respected SHARER , Stephen Krashen, famous the world over for his Theory of Language Acquisition : The Natural Approach , has sent us this message :

Our very dear friend, the most loyal Bernieh ( a.k.a. Bernardo Banega or was it the other way about ?) has posted two very interesting topics for all of you :

Hello, dear SHARERS !

Did you know? The prehistoric armadillo they found near our beloved
College wasn't, in fact, a prehistoric relic. Further investigations revealed that it was not even an "armadillo"... allegedly, it was just a would-be English teacher that is re-attending Phonetics One since Man got out of the caves! So, watch carefully your plosives and aspirations from now on, and don't forget those pesky phrasal verbs, either!

Now, on the serious side, please read and think about this "Linguistic
Creed" I copied from http://www.sil.org/sil/linguistic_creed.htm

Linguistic Creed
Benjamin F. Elson, September, 1987.

We believe that language is one of God's most important gifts to man, and
of all human characteristics, language is the most distinctly human and the
most basic. Without language, culture and civilization would be impossible.
We also believe that any language is capable of being a vehicle for
complicated human interaction and complex thought, and can be the basis for
a complex culture and civilization.
Therefore, all languages deserve respect and careful study.
As the most uniquely human characteristic a person has, a person's language
is associated with his self-image. Interest in and appreciation of a
person's language is tantamount to interest in and appreciation of the
person himself.
All languages are worthy of preservation in written form by means of
grammars, dictionaries, and written texts. This should be done as part of
the heritage of the human race.
Every language group deserves to see its language in print and to have some
literature written in it.
Minority language groups within a larger nation deserve the opportunity of
learning to speak, read, and write the national language.

----------------------------

"There's always at least one in your classroom. That child may be living
in a mansion or on a streetcorner, but regardless of the circumstances they
need you in their life. Sometimes it's the child that needs just a little
more attention; other times, it's the child that doesn't even have food or
shelter. Either way, that child has found it here, with you, in your warm
safe room. A bond forms and each day has it's special moments. Then one
afternoon, that child heads out the door and out of your arms for the last
time..."
This is the begining of "Saying Gooodbye to Little Children", a very
readable article by Becki Snow that you can find at:

http://earlychildhood.about.com/education/earlychildhood/library/weekly/aa05
1500.htm

Becki explains how to cope the emotional burden both teachers and children
are subjected to at the end of the year in Early Chilhood classrooms. I
love the last sentence she wrote :
"It is never easy to let someone you love walk out of your life, but it is
a natural part of life. It's also a part of teaching; if you find that you
have come to a place where you love your students enough to miss them, then
you have become a real teacher."

(13) A LIST FOR CINEMA LOVERS

If you are a cinema lover and you want to prasctise your English and acquire more specific tecgnical vocabulary related tio the Seventh Art you can subscribe the List "The Reel Thing" <the_reel_thing@bignetwork.com>. If you do, you can get daily postings like the following :

The cinematic scene, 1915:

What's a vampire? In the case of the signature roles played by actress Theda Bara, that would be a femme fatale who, instead of sucking their blood, emptied her male victims of their virility and respectability.
Her first film - or the first one in which she could be actually recognized - was made when she was barely 30, and called "A Fool There Was." Her character was known simply as "The Vampire." Her famous closing
line - spoken to a man whose life she'd effectively stolen - was, "Kiss me, my fool."
Interestingly, she was hesitant to accept a role so daring and devoid of virtue. Still, she'd gone to all the trouble to dye her naturally blonde hair a deep black and change both her name and her personal history. So siren, vixen,
gold digger it was - and from Carmen to Cleopatra, she seemed made for the sexual vampire role.
Oh, and by the way, "Theda Bera" may be an anagram for "Arab Death" - but "Theda" was a shortening of her real first name, Theodosia, and "Bara" was taken from a couple of the syllables of her grandparents' name. And as for her own birth, the stories of her being born in the Sahara to a French artiste and his Egyptian concubine - or an Arabian princess - were pretty different from her actual upbringing in Cincinnati as the daughter of a tailor.

You can visit the The Reel Thing archives at http://www.bignetwork.com/dp/rt

(14) AN NOSTALGIC ARGENTINIAN IN SUNNY BRAZIL

Dear Omar and Mariana,
I imagine how busy you must be organizing so many courses... and I will miss them all !! So I hope you SHARE some comments or useful tips taken from each workshop.
It feels so good to read every word you include in this magazine. It makes me
feel much closer to my country and to my people.

Good luck with your July programme and happy winter holidays!
Maria Alejandra Estrella
aleestrella@aol.com (São Paulo)

Thank you Maria Alejandra for your encouraging words . Ale´s message had an attachment . Let´s open it ! Voilá ! Twas a joke !

" A New York businessman boarded a train in Albany on his way to Buffalo. As it was a night train, he took a sleeper car and gave the porter strict instructions to waken him and put him off in Buffalo.
"I'm a very heavy sleeper," the passenger said, "and I may give you a hard time. But whatever you do, make sure to put me off in Buffalo... even if you have to put me off in my pajamas."
The next morning, the man woke up to find himself in Cleveland. He located the porter and chewed him out with some very abusive language. After the man left, a bystander asked the porter how he could stand there and take that verbal abuse.
"That weren't nothin'," the porter replied. "You should've heard the guy I put off in Buffalo."

(15) INTERNET SEARCH SERVICE OFFERED

Perispomeno Search Service perispomeno@lettera.net or
perispomeno@aol.com sent us this "demo" of what kind of service they can offer to the ELT community of our country. If you wish to have more details about this service, please e-mail them to the electronic addresses above. In the meantime, let us enjoy this report on a reading experience that they have sent us :

First- and Second-Language Reading
Comprehension of Literary Texts
Monique L. Fecteau - Brown University, Department of French Studies

This study compared the English and French reading comprehension and
inferencing skills of U.S. college students enrolled in an introductory
French literature course. Participants each read two different texts--one in
English and the other in French--by the same 18th-century author, recalled
them in writing, and did a multiple-choice task on selected literary
features, followed by a character analysis task. In the first phase of data
analysis, quantitative measures were used to examine the amount of text
accurately recalled in first language (LI) versus second language (L2), the
relationship between recall and inferencing scores, and the relative
contribution of L2 proficiency scores and LI scores to L2 scores. Responses
to the multiple-choice task were also examined across languages; those
findings are also reported. The results revealed more accurate recall of LI
than L2 texts, but LI scores were found to he a significant predictor of L2
recall and of L2 multiple-choice scores. No significant relationships were
found between recall and multiple-choice scores, or between L2 proficiency
and L2 recall scores. Analyses revealed that LI scores contributed more to L2 performance than did L2 proficiency.
Multiple-choice responses were more similar than different across languages.
It is therefore important for researchers and instructors to consider and
assess the LI reading skills and knowledge sources of students enrolled in
foreign language literature courses.

The Modern Language Journal, 83, iv, (1999)
0026-7902/99/475-493 $1.50/0

(16) CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE TEENAGER