Manual - Proulex

Manual
PC Proulex Certificado Inglés
v 2.3
PC Proulex Certificado Inglés
Manual
Just Right for Proulex
“Good teaching is
one-fourth preparation and
three-fourths theater.”
Gail Godwin
This manual provides all the information teachers need in order to teach efficiently the
four PC levels. It is very important that teachers follow all procedures carefully to make all
Proulex sites work at the same pace and apply the same criteria. New teachers need to read
this manual, read the introduction in the Teacher’s Book, take the PC Briefing Session with
their academic coordinator and take the quiz to be eligible to teach the PC course.
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Manual
PC Proulex Certificado Inglés
Just Right for Proulex
Justification
This course has been designed to fill the gap between Proulex Diploma Universitario (PDU) and a more solid command of the English language at a upper intermediate level that learners need outside the classroom.
The need to have a better bonding between the new PDU and the PC course having motivated students by the interesting thematic approach and challenged by the lexicon, listenings,
readings, and grammar presentations.
More reasons for the implementation of a new course book:
• A coursebook life expires after a period of use.
• The trendy educational currents in the ESL/EFL.
• Psychological factors.
• Opportunities for the teachers to grow academically.
• Fertile soil is provided for creativity and effective teaching.
• A language is dynamic.
Teacher Profile
Teachers giving this course should be...
• fluent (Speak and write native, or native-like.)
• creative (Someone who can manage grouping well, who can adapt activities to make them more relevant to the current group, and who can deal with mixed ability groups.)
• organized/responsible (This class isn’t a kickback class; it implies organization
and preparation. Teachers also need an awareness of lesson planning, of the importance of lead-ins, of introduction questions, of brainstorming, of
preteaching, of sequencing, of gradation of activities, etc.)
• patient (Not all students will react to all activities in the same way or with the same enthusiasm.)
• well-educated/well-versed (The teacher should be able to speak/write intelligently on a wide range of topics.)
• self-confident (The teacher can’t allow himself/herself to be intimidated by students.)
• conscientious (The teacher needs to be a guide, not a star; class should be very student-centered with 80% student talking time a MUST!)
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PC Proulex Certificado Inglés
Manual
Just Right for Proulex
Profile of Upper Intermediate
Students’ Level
Students at this level have reached a plateau in their learning. They have been studying for around
480 hours in which they have learned the basic grammar structures, and have developed an active
vocabulary of approximately 2,500 words. Still, they need to extend their mental lexicon, work
on sociolinguistic aspects of language (style and register), increase their knowledge of grammar
and work on supra-segmental features of pronunciation which will allow them to understand the
emotional overtones of utterances and improve their writing skill. Learners at this level are eager to
speak, but often can’t articulate themselves at the level they so desire. More importantly, they have
lost the freshness and excitement that comes with initiating studies in a language.
This level is often referred to as the ‘take-off’ level. Students are ready and willing to rise from the
plateau where they find themselves and reach new heights. The problem is that if they don’t receive
adequate guidance and motivation, they will either fall off and drop out of the course, or become
fossilized.
General Objective
To provide the students with practice in the development of the four linguistic skills as well as in upper
intermediate grammar structures and lexicon.
Specific Objectives
• To teach learners to use language in chunks, and encourage them to “get personal” with words.
• To draw on learners’ existing knowledge as well as offer them new information.
• To instruct learners to cope with a variety of written formats which will train them in skills they need for reading specific and general texts.
• To expose learners to a wide range of speaking styles in order to acquire the skills necessary to extract Information from what they hear in a variety of situations.
• To rehearse the spoken language for communication students have learned and test their own ability.
• To teach the processing skills needed to aid the language acquisition process itself.
• To draw learners attention to a variety of pronunciation features.
• To encourage learners through writing practice to process their knowledge and give them a chance to produce work that they can take pride in.
• To provide learners with the tools required for performing and succeeding in the Trinity College ISE I examination.
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Manual
PC Proulex Certificado Inglés
Just Right for Proulex
Tips for
Course Teachers
• Maximize time by using as many items from each activity as needed.
• Employ only the necessary steps from the suggested ones in the Teacher’s Book for each activity.
• Implement collaborative learning principles (groups working on different activities with the same purpose).
• Arrange pairs/groups with regards to their abilities, learning styles, intelligences in order to speed up the learning process and bring variety into class management.
• Implement discovery techniques.
• Vary the activities and the pace. Students need pauses in which to assimilate ideas and information, as well as activities that challenge them.
• Use the Mini-grammar and Audioscript booklet to accelerate grammar explanations and to promote subsequent study or for students who are having particular trouble. • Develop critical thinking skills.
• Find ways of making learners aware of their progress.
• Give individual help.
• Develop in learners a positive attitude towards errors and error correction.
• Don’t sidetrack nor allow idle chatter. Learners need to take full advantage of class time.
• Personalize activities or tasks by putting them into learners’ context to awake more interest.
• Recycle language through warm ups, wake ups, cool downs, and wrap ups.
• Keep in mind the format of the ISE I to provide useful practice and feedback in a transparent and natural way throughout the course.
Video
The coursebook does not include a video component. Nevertheless, video viewing is an important
learning activity because of the combination of visual clues and verbal features.
Video viewing refers to short video clips or sections of a video not longer than 10 minutes such as TV
commercials, music videos, news items, short documentaries, movies, trailers for movies, etc.
Video clips with the following contents are not allowed: surgery scenes, violence, cursing language,
sexual scenes an/or nudity, and controversial topics handled in an offensive manner like religion,
politics, stereotypes, illnesses, war, etc.
It is suggested to do a 30 to 50-minute video lesson per level. A video lesson plan will need to be
submitted for approval before implementing it. Your coordinator will provide you with a Video Lesson
Plan Form.
For more information on using a clip, advantages of using video clips, possible problems, choosing a
clip and exploiting a clip refer to the following link from the British Council:
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/online-video-elt
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PC Proulex Certificado Inglés
Manual
Just Right for Proulex
Coursebook Components
• Teacher’s Book
with Class Audio CDs
• Student book with Mini-grammar and Audioscript booklet
• Workbook with Audio CD
with Answer Key Booklet for in class use at discretion of teacher
Course Division and
Grading Criteria
Tests
Units covered
Score
Administration
time limit
PC1
PC2
PC3
PC4
Quiz 1
Unit 1
Unit 4
Unit 8
Unit 11
15
30 minutes
Quiz 2
Unit 2
Unit 5
Unit 9
Unit 12
15
30 minutes
Final Exam
(including
listening and
reading)
Unit 3 and
bits of units
1-2
Unit 6 and
bits of units
4-5
Unit 13
and bits of
units 11-12
35
1 hour
Writing
Assessment
Units 1-3
Units 4-6
Units 11-13
10
30 minutes
20
10 minutes per
student
5
1 hour for the
presentation in
PC1 and take
home for the rest
100
5 hours
approximately
Speaking
Assessment
Portfolio
Unit 10 and
bits of units
8-9
Units 8-10
Resembling ISE I
(See Topic Form Guideline page 8)
(See Portfolio Guideline page 6)
Final Score
80 is the minimum passing grade. The policy for attendance is stated in the Teachers´ Rules and
Regulations and applies for any course. The criteria for marking the exams and assessments are in the
teacher’s answer key in the exam binders.
Note: Units 7 and 14 are optional for any level if time allows and their contents will be not tested.
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Manual
PC Proulex Certificado Inglés
Just Right for Proulex
Portfolio Guidelines for PC Levels
Students will create 2 Portfolios: the Proulex Portfolio and the Trinity Portfolio in order to strengthen
their writing skills and prepare for the Trinity ISE I exam.
Proulex Portfolio
1. The Proulex Portfolio will contain 2 pieces of writing that will come from the student’s book or the workbook as the course develops, as determined by the teacher.
2. Each piece of writing will include at least 2 drafts: the first draft with teacher’s feedback and the edited draft(s).
3. For this portfolio, teachers will give formative feedback by means of different techniques, e.g. using the correction symbol chart, underlining, highlighting, writing comments for reflection, and so on (EXCEPT making corrections).
4. 1 point will be docked, for every piece of writing not submitted, from the Writing Assessment’s score. This means that a student can be docked up to 2 points for not turning them in.
5. Half points may be docked as well for not demonstrating improvement in the edited draft regarding mechanics, structure and vocabulary, late submissions, and so on.
6. Students must be encouraged to type their Portfolio Tasks in WORD using the correct combination of capital letters and lower cases, and double spaced to allow space for teachers’ feedback. If students insist in writing them by hand, teacher must only accept tasks written with clear handwriting, capital letters and lower cases, and black or blue ink.
7. If teachers and students have access to technology and feel comfortable using it, it is recommended to carry out e-portfolios. The feedback can be done electronically as well, and by this means, a large amount of time can be saved.
8. Students should be encouraged to gain insight by writing a journal entry on the edited draft (one or two sentences long), in English or Spanish at any level, reflecting on the feedback they had received from their teacher: what they think of the teacher’s feedback, how they felt about it, what helped them or what confused them, what they learned from editing the first draft, and so forth.
9. Set a word count of 110-130 words per piece of writing.
It is greatly recommended that students self-evaluate their portfolio before submitting it with the checklist below. If they mark at least one No, they should revise their writing again. If not, the portfolio will be incomplete and will lead to partial points being taken from the writing assessment.
Proulex Portfolio Checklist
A.
I checked that the word count is right.
B.
I used the correct language: formal for articles, informal for
writing to a friend.
C.
I included all the necessary elements: title for articles, greeting
and closing for letters, bullets and/or date for reports, etc.
D.
I read, understood and followed the instructions to complete the
writing task.
E.
I included in the Portfolio:
1. The Portfolio checklist.
2. The first draft with my teacher’s suggestions.
3. The last draft(s) with my reflection about my teacher’s
comments.
YES
NO
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Manual
PC Proulex Certificado Inglés
Just Right for Proulex
Trinity Portfolio
1. The Trinity Portfolio will consist in selecting 3 tasks (one from each section) from the Portfolio Tasks for ISE for the current year. PC1 teachers must explain to students the portfolio procedures. PC2, PC3 and PC4 teachers must review the procedures as well but not in depth.
2. Before students start the writing process, take some time to inform them the expectations. This review could be done by using a current writing task from the course book. Include a mini-lesson on common mistakes prior students have made and how to avoid making the same error.
3. Feedback for the Trinity Portfolio must only be given once a level with the Student Portfolio Feedback Form. Each task requires a Feedback Form.
4. Nevertheless, it is also highly suggested that students self-evaluate their Trinity Portfolio, before turning it in with the checklist below. If they mark at least one NO, they should revise their writing again. If not, the portfolio will be incomplete and will not obtain a satisfactory score.
Trinity Portfolio Checklist
A.
I checked that the word count is right.
B.
I used the correct language: formal for articles, informal for
writing to a friend.
C.
I included all the necessary elements: title for articles, greeting
and closing for letters, bullets and/or date for reports, etc.
D.
I read, understood and followed the instructions to complete the
writing task.
E.
I included the Portfolio Cover Sheet and I filled it out completely.
YES
NO
5. The Trinity Portfolio has a value of 5 points which are distributed as follows:
• 1 point for each task submitted on the day that follows Quiz 2. Total: 3 points.
Deduct half points each task for late submissions.
• 2 points for including cover sheet.
Deduct half points if cover sheet is not completed properly.
6. Each student must submit the Trinity Portfolio (3 tasks and cover sheet) the day that follows Quiz 2 if the class has 10 or fewer students, or upon entering the classroom the day of the oral assessment if the class has more than 10 students and the students are scheduled throughout the course. Note: This means that some students have to turn in their portfolios before others. Make sure students understand that the distribution of work on the Proulex and Trinity portfolios will all come out even in the end.
7. Pay careful attention that students fill out the Portfolio Cover Sheet completely.
8. Students must be encouraged to type their Portfolio Tasks in WORD using the correct combination of capital letters and lower cases. If students insist in writing them by hand, teacher must only accept Tasks written with clear handwriting, capital letters and lower cases and black or blue ink.
9. The Correction Symbols chart will be used only for marking the writing activities from the Proulex Portfolio. Do not use the Correction Symbols chart for the Trinity Portfolio (or Writing Assessment).
10. The Trinity Portfolio produced in PC1 will be used in the following PCs receiving feedback from every teacher (unless Trinity College changes the topics). That same portfolio will be turned in the day of the Trinity Controlled Written Examination including only the Feedback Forms given by the PC4 teacher.
11. For the syllabus and more information on Trinity exams: www.proulex.com/cei.
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Manual
PC Proulex Certificado Inglés
Just Right for Proulex
Note: Teachers must inform students that a line will be drawn if they exceed the number of words
permitted. The rest of the words will not count, which in turn will affect the fulfillment of
the task. If the instructions say: “Write approximately 150 words“, 10% over 150 words (165
words) or 10% under 150 words (135 words) is acceptable. If the instructions say: “Write 70-80
words“, the minimum limit is 70 and the maximum is 80.
Tip 1: One line written by hand has approximately 10 words and a line typed by computer usually
has 15 words.
Tip 2: Give each student 3 Feedback Forms and ask them to fill it out with their name, the
date they will turn it in and the task/section. This will save you a lot of time.
Topic Form
Guidelines
PC1 teachers must explain to students the Trinity oral exam procedures. Teachers of levels PC2-PC4
must review the procedures as well but not in depth.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
On day number 4 of the intensive course and day 2 of the Saturday course, students must start filling out the Topic Form which includes the topic title and 4 points.
Give instructions to fill out the topic form at home.
Make a list of the topics they chose. Persuade students with the same topic to change it for another one.
Verify that topics are not too general and will allow the use of the required language.
Revise that the 4 points in the topic form are not longer than a phrase, sentence or question each. The words “introduction” and “conclusion” are not acceptable as topic points.
Revise the Oral Assessment Teacher Answer Key for more details related to the format and procedure.
Placement Test
•Places students before PC 1 (requiring them to then take the PDU placement exam to determine exact level), in PC 1 or in PC Advanced 1.
•Evaluates newcomers or students whose grade has expired.
• Includes 40 multiple choice items, short writing task, plus oral performance.
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PC Proulex Certificado Inglés
Manual
Just Right for Proulex
Key for recording grades on
the attendance list
Code
Q1
Q2
F
W
S
P
Test
Quiz 1
Quiz 2
Final Exam
Writing Assessment
Speaking Assessment
Portfolio
Intensive Course Daily Planner
Day 1
Unit* 1/4/8/11
Day 2
Unit 1/4/8/11
Day 3
Unit 1/4/8/11
Check learner needs Induction to Trinity
ISE I (in PC1)
Explain grading
criteria
Day 4
Day 5
Unit 1/4/8/11
Unit 1/4/8/11
Review grading
criteria and Trinity
ISE I (all levels)
Hand out Topic
forms (all levels) &
ISE packet (PC1)
Day 6
Quiz 1
(Unit 1/4/8/11)
Day 7
Unit 2/5/9/12
Day 8
Unit 2/5/9/12
Day 9
Unit 2/5/9/12
Day 10
Unit 2/5/9/12
Day 11
Unit 2/5/9/12
Day 12
Quiz 2
(Unit 2/5/9/12)
Day 13
Unit 3/6/10/13
Day 14
Unit 3/6/10/13
Day 15
Unit 3/6/10/13
Day 19
Final exam
(Unit 3/6/10/13 and
bits of previous
units)
Day 20
Oral assessment
Collect Portfolios
Day 16
Unit 3/6/10/13
(Oral assessment)
Day 17
Unit 3/6/10/13
In PC2, unit 7
optional.
In PC4, unit 14
optional.
Day 18
Unit 3/6/10/13
Writing (submit
revised portfolios)
& Oral assessments
Grade handout
(Oral assessment)
*The first number refers to PC1, the next one refers to PC2, and so on.
Note: Units 7 and 14 are optional for any level if time allows and their contents will not be tested. Activities selected from the
units to be determined by teacher, taking into account students’ needs and interests.
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PC Proulex Certificado Inglés
Manual
Just Right for Proulex
Saturday Course Daily Planner
(8 five-hour sessions)
Week 1
Week 2
Unit* 11/4/8/11
Unit 1/4/8/11
Check learner needs
Review grading criteria and Trinity ISE I(all PC
levels)
Explain grading criteria
Induction to Trinity ISE I (in PC1)
Week 3
Hand out Topic forms (all levels) & ISE packet
(PC1)
Week 4
Quiz 1 (Unit 1/1/4/8/11)
Unit 2/5/9/12
Unit 2/5/9/12
Week 5
Unit 2/5/9/12
Week 6
Unit 3/6/10/13
Quiz 2 (Unit 2/5/9/12)
Collect Portfolios
Week 7
Unit 3/6/10/13
In PC2, unit 7 optional.
In PC4, unit 14 optional.
Writing assessment
(submit revised portfolios)
Week 8
Final exam (Units 3/6/10/13 and bits of previous
units)
Oral assessment
Hand out grades
*The first number is refers to PC1, the next one refers to PC2, and so on.
Note: Units 7 and 14 are optional for any level if time allows and their contents will not be tested. Activities selected from the
units to be determined by teacher, taking into account students’ needs and interests.
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