The Pronunciation of the Final "ed"

The Silent Letters

 Have you ever wondered why a word is not pronounced as it is spelt? I am sure, you would have felt awkward more than once over this issue. Sometimes they arise due to silent letters whereas at other times it is due to stressed pronunciation. These are the two major categories of confusion when it comes to English pronunciation. In this article we would explore the possibilities and nuances of silent words and their pronunciation.

Silent Letters

Let us begin by understanding what a silent letter is in alphabetic writing system. A silent letter is a letter that appears in a particular word, but it has no effect on the pronunciation of the word. In other words silent letters effectively exist in written world whereas they do not make their presence felt in verbal world. This fine line of difference not only causes problems for non-native English speakers but also for the native English speakers. It becomes difficult to guess the spelling of the word by hearing its pronunciation.

Causes for silent letters:

Over the period of time the sound has dropped out of the spelling of the word. This essentially means they would still be retaining the same spelling but a different pronunciation. The word knot would fit this historical change quite aptly. Apart from this historical change, the major cause of these silent letters is English language borrowings from other languages. Words like Khaki made their presence felt from non-native English origins. Since accent and pronunciation differ, letters may be silent for some speakers but not for the others. In some accents, is silent in such words as hard, feathered; in h-dropping accents, is silent. A speaker may pronounce in “often” or “tsunami” or neither or both. All of these make silent letters more than important for English communication. Just to quote an example, how else would you differentiate a whole from a hole or a plumb from a plum without the help of silent letters?

Examples of Silent Letters

Unfortunately there are no hard and fast rules to learn silent letters. Their usage is learnt by prior exposure and experience. Here is a list of silent letters for your learning purpose.

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Building a Teacher Support System Using Collaborative Web Tools

Building a Teacher Support System

 Using Collaborative Web Tools.

Each day, somewhere around the world, a teacher will walk into a classroom and plant a seed in a student. Each interaction a teacher has with a student is an opportunity to plant positive learning seeds. It is a moment to encourage students to explore their curiosities, pursue their passions, and get excited about the learning process. For many teachers this is a stressful and challenging process. Several of them feel like chained elephants bounded by their curriculums, national standards, standardized tests results, and education policy. This reality results in various missed teachable moments and missed opportunities for teachers to instill a desire for learning. This reality means teachers are drilling, teaching to tests, and lecturing. They are too frightened to take risks and capitalize on teachable moments.

Support through a school social network

Schools have the ability to support teacher innovation, risk-taking, and collaboration by setting up a support and mentoring system in their schools. Various free web tools and social networks offer teachers the ability to connect with each other and collaborate. In the We Connect Video, various teachers and students delineate the reasons to collaborate and learn through social networks. 

Which tools are the best?

Administrators need to decide on which tools best meet their needs. Various schools have instilled a support network using a combination of tools, such as:

• having a hashtag on Twitter to place announcements or host a chat
• setting up a Facebook group for their teachers
• setting up a group on Edmodo, Wiggio, or a Ning
• creating a collaborative wiki or blog
• setting up virtual meetings on Google Hang Outs on Air
• setting up a Moodle for teachers and students

These platforms help teachers mentor each other online, share lesson ideas, host virtual meetings online, collaborate on lesson ideas, create a database of various lesson resources, post questions, answer questions, share frustrations or barriers they face in classes, share solutions to various problems and so much more. The online collaboration tool is not meant to replace frequent face- to- face collaboration. It is meant to spur and support the collaboration that takes place in these meetings year-round. The benefits include that these platforms are easily accessible anytime and anywhere there is an Internet connection.

When school administrators decide to create an online collaborative platform, they should consider the following:

• What are the platforms’ communication options?
• What archiving options does the platform have?
• What are the storage options?
• How much time is the staff willing to dedicate to participating on the platform?
• How user-friendly is the platform?
• Does the staff have access to the platform in and out of school?
• Does the platform support asynchronous and synchronous learning?

How do we get teachers to contribute their knowledge?

Administrators then need to determine how to best motivate teachers to use the platform to support each other and collaborate. They also need to consider how to motivate teachers to participate by sharing materials and knowledge. Many schools miss this crucial step and feel the platform has failed. Creating a collaborative environment and getting teachers to participate will take time and support. First, the teachers have to be trained on how to use the platform. Various of these collaborative tools have video tutorials and step by step manuals on how to use the platform. These should be some of the first items listed on the platform and shared at a hands-on workshop. 

School administrators can also jumpstart the process by pulling aside teachers who exhibit great leadership skills in various subject areas and departments and give them specific roles on the platform. School administrators should discuss with these teacher leaders why the platform is in place and what they hope to accomplish with the online collaboration. They should seek their ideas in getting teachers to participate and collaborate. Some roles they can ask for help in immediately is sharing materials online. They should also ask the teacher leaders to support questions asked in the group or show support through likes or comments when teachers do post items in the group. 

School administrators can also show support of their platforms by mentioning resources that were shared at meetings, functions or in the school paper or intercom announcements. More teachers will be encouraged to share their resources and more of the resources will be used. The idea is to get the online support to translate into instructional practice. This means that the sharing cannot just be online. School administrators need to take that extra step to highlighting what takes place online so that teachers see that the online platform is fully supported by the school leadership.

How online collaboration translates into school culture

Online collaboration improves a school’s culture and environment because when teachers improve their practice, students benefit. Online collaboration, when supported and implemented effectively, allows for continuous learning and collaboration. Teachers who are supported and learn continuously are better teachers. They reflect on their instructional practice and make improvements. They get excited by an idea and try it. They tend to have a proactive approach to the problems they face in their classrooms versus shutting down and hoping to get through the year. They tend to communicate better with parents and students. They also tend to have a better attitude and mood, which enhances student learning. Too many schools have policies that currently block social networks instead of taking advantage of their benefits. Our students are already learning on social networks. It is time we began to familiarize ourselves with the process so that we can raise digital learners who use these tools to collaborate and problem solve.

 

What is Project-based Learning?

 What is Project-based Learning? 

PBL is an approach to instruction that shifts from traditional teaching practices characterized by short, isolated, and teacher-centered lessons. Instead, it emphasizes learning that can be derived from long-term activities, which are interdisciplinary, student-centered, and integrated with real world issues and practices (Solomon, 2003; Staff, 2001; Willie, 2001). Many of the skills learned through PBL are those desired by today's employers, including the ability to work well with others and handle interpersonal conflicts, make thoughtful decisions, practice initiative, and solve complex problems (Kloppenborg & Baucus, 2004).

Students are provided an interdisciplinary approach to learning and in the process made to develop several skills successively or at the same time as they work on a challenging project (Solomon, 2003). 3  

1.  Definition from the Autodesk Foundation :

We believe that PBL is at the heart of good instruction because it brings together intellectual inquiry, rigorous real-world standards, and student engagement in relevant and meaningful work. It is a comprehensive instructional model in which project work is central to student understanding of the essential concepts and principles of the disciplines. Well crafted projects:

• Engage and build on student interests and passions

• Provide a meaningful and authentic context for learning

• Immerse students in complex, real-world problems/ investigations without a predetermined solution

• Allow students to take the lead, making critical choices and decisions

• connect students with community resources and experts

• Require students to develop and demonstrate essential skills and knowledge

• Draw on multiple disciplines to solve problems and deepen understanding

• Build in opportunities for reflection and self-assessment

• Result in useful products that demonstrate what students have learned

• Culminate in exhibitions or presentations to an authentic audience

2.  The Importance of Conceptual Model for PBL

Those who advocate for PBL do not necessarily assert that it is exclusively the most effective educational approach there is but Staff (2001) observes that it is a way to make students engaged in school work, cut absenteeism, boost cooperative learning skills, and improve test scores. The students were able to develop self-motivation, initiative, and teamwork. In the study of Brunetti, Petrell, and Sawada (2003), higher achievement awareness was evident among students in universities instituting PBL compared to those heavily entrenched in the practice of traditional teaching. The ability to exhibit creativity and analytical skills in solving problems were displayed by the students. The research of Kloppenborg and Baucus (2004) reports on the learning outcomes of students as manifested in their successful experiences gained in planning, managing, and accomplishing projects. Successful experiences include the ability to resolve conflicts through creative problem-solving approaches and the accomplishment of a project that made them more aware of real life problems and issues. Learning then was fruitful for the students involved and not just mere assimilation of content-based knowledge.

3.  Aim & Objectives of Project Work (PW)

PW is an integrated learning experience that encourages students to break away from the compartmentalisation of the different disciplines. It aims to provide students with opportunities to explore the inter-relationships and inter-connectedness of subject-specific knowledge. The objectives of PW are to allow students to:

§  Apply creative and critical thinking skills

§  Improve communication skills (both oral and written)

§  Foster collaborative learning skills

§  Develop self-directed inquiry and life-long learning skills

PW has been implemented in schools since 2000. At secondary level, it is recommended that PW be implemented at Primary 3, Primary 4 and/or Primary 5, and at Secondary 1, Secondary 2 and/or Secondary 3. By 2002, all primary and secondary schools are expected to implement PW at at least one level.

At the pre-university level, PW is implemented at JC1 and CI2. JC1 and CI2 students in 2003 will sit for the PW national examination, and the result obtained will count towards entry into local universities from 2005 onwards.

4.  Features of Project-Based Learning

There are several features that facilitate use of project-based instruction within a classroom. It is important to provide students with a specific focus. What you expect of them from the project. It is important that the project has a real world connection. This can be achieved through making several connections to real life experiences.

The project needs to allow students to not only make real life connections but also implement decision making skills, learning and applying new concepts and using their knowledge through a variety of education contexts.

Working together with others. Collaborating with other students is a key element of Project based learning. As well as teachers and the broader community.

Implementing research in a variety of environmental contexts is imperative through the application of several technologies including, computer programs, audio visual equipment and real life research to ensure that the full experience of the project is gained.

Take a closer look at the wikipedia search result for Project-Based Learning here:  wikipedia

5.  Roles

PBL relies on learning groups. Student groups determine their projects, in so doing, they engage student voice by encouraging students to take full responsibility for their learning. This is what makes PBL constructivist. Students work together to accomplish specific goals.

When students use technology as a tool to communicate with others, they take on an active role vs. a passive role of transmitting the information by a teacher, a book, or broadcast. The student is constantly making choices on how to obtain, display, or manipulate information. Technology makes it possible for students to think actively about the choices they make and execute. Every student has the opportunity to get involved either individually or as a group.

Instructor role in Project Based Learning is that of a facilitator. They do not relinquish control of the classroom or student learning but rather develop an atmosphere of shared responsibility. The Instructor must structure the proposed question/issue so as to direct the student's learning toward content-based materials. The instructor must regulate student success with intermittent, transitional goals to ensure student projects remain focused and students have a deep understanding of the concepts being investigated. It is important for teachers not to provide the students any answers because it defeats the learning and investigating process. Once the project is finished, the instructor provides the students with feedback that will help them strengthen their skills for their next project

Student role is to ask questions, build knowledge, and determine a real-world solution to the issue/question presented. Students must collaborate expanding their active listening skills and requiring them to engage in intelligent focused communication. Therefore, allowing them to think rationally on how to solve problems. PBL forces students to take ownership of their success.

6.  Purpose

Project-based learning (PBL):

best defined as instruction relating questions and technology relative to the students' everyday lives to classroom projects. Students form their own investigation of their own group which allows students to develop valuable research skills. The students engage in design, problem solving, decision making, and investigative activities. It allows students to work in groups or by themselves and allows them to come up with ideas and realistic solutions or presentations. Students take a problem and apply it to a real life situation with these projects.

Project-based Learning (PBL) provides complex tasks based on challenging questions or problems that involve the students' problem solving, decision making, investigative skills, and reflection that include teacher facilitation, but not direction. Project Based Learning is focused on questions that drive students to encounter the central concepts and principles of a subject hands-on.

With Project-based learning students learn from these experiences and take them into account and apply them to their lives in the real world.

7.  Structure

Project-based learning(PBL): is an approach for classroom activity that emphasizes learning activities that are long-term, interdisciplinary and student-centered. This approach is generally less structured tha teacher-led classroom activities; in a project-based class, students often must organize their own work and manage their own time. Within the project based learning framework students collaborate, working together to make sense of what is going on. Project-based instruction differs from inquiry-based activity by its emphasis on collaborative learning. Additionally, project-based instruction differs from traditional inquiry by its emphasis on students' own artifact construction to represent what is being learned.

8.  Elements

The core idea of project-based learning is that real-world problems capture students' interest and provoke serious thinking as the students acquire and apply new knowledge in a problem-solving context. The teacher plays the role of facilitator, working with students to frame worthwhile questions, structuring meaningful tasks, coaching both knowledge development and social skills, and carefully assessing what students have learned from the experience. Advocates assert that project-based learning helps prepare students for the thinking and collaboration skills required in the workplace.

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9.  Teachers’ perception of autonomous learning:

Prior to working on PBL, the two senior teacher researchers A & B, expressed doubt if students will opt to work on a project, which was not directly related to examinations and grades. “Our students in government colleges are comparatively slow, lazy, lack concentration to work and are not often ready to accept new ideas.” Researcher C opined that “there is always unlimited capacity in every learner to learn, only the learning environment is limited.” However, Researcher D gave a more positive response, saying “my learners are enthusiastic about learning English. I believe that if this enthusiasm is channeled and guided properly, they are surely capable of learning on their own.” Researcher A and E accepted that they had “never heard of the term ‘learner autonomy’ ” Also, the interviews brought out the fact that none of them had ever considered learner autonomy as a teaching strategy. This may suggest that teachers are unaware of this as a rich resource for effective learning.

  10.  Learners’ views:

1.   Lack of time

 Although most of the learners enjoyed the PBL activity, but a few complained of lack of time. “ It gets stressful sometimes when we get many assignments of other subjects and we have to do this. One cannot give much time to this and enjoy it [E22]                                                                                                                                     

2.   Group Dynamics

An interesting fact that emerged in the general analysis the pre-PBL questionnaire was that the majority of learners who opted for working alone had secured high marks in public exams and perhaps did not feel the need for group/peer support.

Another view is presented by a learner [E10] “I hope this research goes well. One thing: this programme has already proven to me: Its very difficult for girls to work together in a group especially if two of them want to be ‘the boss.’  This problem was also voiced in the group interview. One interviewee said ‘there should be rules of behaviour in projects like these.’  A revealing reflection is given by another learner [E29] of the same group.

the planning of the newspaper, but the teacher’s coordination made it easy.

3.   Teachers’ Role

For learners, the teacher is still a very important figure in the PBL. “ At first I was quite confused about the planning of the newspaper, but the teacher’s coordination made it easier.”