Teaching Tip: Extra-Curricular Learning Projects - 5

Name:

Hernán Avalos Pizarro

Economy:

Chile

School:

Japón School

Subject:

English as a Foreign Language

Tip:

ONE OF MY BEST EXPERIENCES IN THE ENGLISH TEACHERS NETWORK OF HUASCO PROVINCE, CHILE

By Hernán Avalos Pizarro
Teacher of English
High School “Japón”
Huasco, Chile

In the year 2008, the members of the English Teachers Network from the Huasco Province, Atacama Region, in Chile, established as an objective for the school year to make a Festival of English Songs to motivate the English language learning among the students of the secondary schools of all the cities in the Province of Huasco, giving a special importance to the develop of oral and listening skills through the music.

The festival was made on October 30th, 2008, and it had the participation of students from all the high schools of the province, who had an excellent opportunity to show their musical talents, singing songs in English as single or duets, with the special company of their own school musical bands.

To make this festival, the network teachers got funds from the Mineduc English Open Door Program applying to a contest of projects to celebrate the English Week in Chile.

I would like to say that our English Network is formed by 15 teachers who work in the high schools of the cities and communes of Huasco, Freirina, Alto del Carmen and Vallenar, and they had the goal of motivating their students to participate in the festival, and help them with the correct pronounciation, fluency and use of English. Also, the students were supported by the teachers of music and bands from their own high schools, as an example of an excellent job made between two school disciplines or subjects like English and Music, which is very positive into classrooms and schools.

The presentation of the songs and guests (jury and bands) was made in English and Spanish by two students, from different high schools, who were the hosts of the festival, and the jury members were people very well known because of their practice of English and music into the province.

The festival was located in the little Port of Huasco, so the direction and general production was managed by the two teachers of English of the High School “Japon” of this port town, who leaded this event, having the nice and big help of their colleagues in their high school and also, received the support of the Culture and Tourism Department of the Ciy Hall of Huasco, who helped them with the location, lightning and amplifying musical equipment.

Now, it is important to say that we had the cooperation of the talents of the Anglosaxon Volunteers working in our schools, to motivate students a little more, to participate in this festival of English songs. For example, in Vallenar, the American volunteer participated playing drums in the band of his high school, and by other side, the volunteer asigned to Huasco, helped with the script and good pronounciation of the students who hosted the festival and singers.

One special thing was to have the special presentation of a group of students from the High School “Politécnico” from Vallenar, who showed a beautiful interpretation of a song through the language of signs for deaf people, and the High School “Japon” of Huasco made a musical presentation of a workshop related with drug consumption prepared by one of the teachers of English and the students and teacher of the theatre academy called “Drug Dance” which you can see in youtube.com.

The festival was enjoyed by an audience composed by a big amount of students, parents and tutors, and teachers from different high schools of the province.

Summing up, the participation and team work developed by the teachers of English of our network, and the ideas and programs from the Mineduc English Open Door Program, have helped us a lot to develop projects like this festival, and we say thanks by the support of the English speakers volunteers, teachers and people from our high schools and cities, and the cooperation given by the Huasco Province Department of Education. They have helped us to motivate the learning of the English language among our students and value its importance to create a better vision of the future.