Here are two photos I took at and near my home in Canberra, Australia.
Can you see the lizards in these pictures?
I thought this might lead to some comparison and contrast in regard to visibility of the lizard in each picture. How comfortable might each lizard be feeling in its surroundings?
Thanks Janet, Chiew & Fiona for your guesses on my Blog challenge: Truth or Lie? post. Here I come clean and let you know the stories behind both the truths and the lies...
Number 1: I had a baby kangaroo as a pet when I was young.
FALSE!
Well, this is a half-truth. My father DID shot a kangaroo with a baby (joey) in its pouch! He DID bring home the joey to our house in suburban Sydney, BUT I hadn't been born at that time. I only have the photos of my sisters with the joey. Chiew, there probably wasn't a law against this 50 years ago, but there sure is now!
The photo above is of my dog Luca with a kangaroo on a farm in the country. This kangaroo had grown up with the other dog in the photo so was unusually friendly to dogs.
Number 2: I lived in a bus for a few years.
TRUE!
I DID live in the bus in the photo for a few years (though I did occasionally stop travelling and stay in a friends' house). I travelled about 60,000 km altogether over the eastern half of Australia, and had the most wonderful time. This photo was taken in country Victoria during a heat-wave summer! See the video at the end of this post for a short video about this journey.
Number 3: I was given an award for good driving.
TRUE!
Quite a few years ago I was driving from Sydney to Canberra and, just outside a city called Goulburn which is notorious for Police patrols, I was followed for a while by a red car. Then I was asked to pull over - I can't remember now if he used a siren, but he must have for me to know it was a Police car. I was angry and immediately started to argue, but the friendly policeman just stopped me talking and smiled and said he wanted to give me an award for good driving because I had been doing everything right since he first spotted me! He also gave me a few vouchers: for petrol, a ski pass, coffee at a local cafe, and more! I've never met another person who has been pulled over for doing the right thing, so sometimes wonder myself if it really happened.
Number 4: I can speak PitjPitjantjatjara language.
FALSE!
I DID sign up for the online Pitjantjatjara language and culture lessons on the Ninti Ngapartji website, but I never really learnt how to speak the language. The website used to be 'subscription only' but the video lessons are all freely accessible online now if you'd like to take a look. It is an amazing way to learn a little about Pitjantjatjara culture and language.
There were over 250 languages in Australia before the British came here and dominated with English, but only about 60 are considered 'live' languages (source: http://www.creativespirits.info/aboriginalculture/language/ ) There is an interactive Indigenous Language Map where you can see which part of Australia Pitjantjatjara is spoken and get a little more information about the different indigenous languages in Australia.
Number 5: I used to fly a paraglider.
TRUE!
I DID get my pilot licence and fly a paraglider. I learnt to fly in a small place south of Canberra called Michelago, and when I was travelling around in my bus I found quite a few places to fly and people to fly with, from the mountains to the sea! I haven't flown for a few years, and have a paraglider for sale if anyone would like to make me an offer :-) (BTW, that isn't me in the photo. I couldn't find any good photos of me flying).
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all of the contributions to this challenge and hope you enjoyed mine too.
P.S. Doing this blog challenge has given me the courage to share a short
video I made about my bus journey with my blog readers. I made this as
part of an excellent digital story workshop I did a few years ago - details at the
end of the video.
This is my contribution to Dave Dodgson's blog challenge to post a video, audio recording or just a regular post on your blog in
which you state 5 facts about yourself - 3 truths and 2 lies.
I've been enjoying discovering more about my PLN-friends, and wanted to join in. I
didn't make a video of myself speaking because I hate seeing myself on camera and also because I have the opposite of a 'poker
face' and you would tell in an instant when I'm lying :-) Thanks to Janet Bianchini for the idea for presenting my video using Powerpoint and a Jing screencast - though Janet's 'truth or lie?' post is much more creative than mine!
Please be patient, I'm testing video formats:
- this one is straight from Jing in .swf embedded from Screencast.com:
- this one was converted from the swf (from Jing) to mp4 in Camtasia Studio and loaded to YouTube:
Let me know which you think are my truths and which are lies.
I've just read this excellent blog post by Grace Chu-Lin Chang, Behind a name, where she writes about the practice of choosing an English name for English language learners, especially in an English-speaking country and her own story in choosing an English name.
One’s name is one of the most salient features for one’s identity. Some parents suffer from extraordinary indecisiveness when giving their newborn a wonderfully auspicious and proper name, all with utmost good intentions and expectations. English language learners often have the same experience later in life: how did you get your English name, especially if your mother tongue is not an alphabetic language? Read Grace's full post...
It reminded me of an activity I use at the beginning of term. I ask students to answer questions such as these:
What is your first name?
How do you write it in your language
What does it mean in your language?
Who gave you your name?
Do you have a nickname?
Do women or men in your country change their name when they get married?
How did you/would you choose a name for your children?
Students write their answers on paper individually, then each tells the story of their name to the whole class, writing their name in their own language on the board and answering questions if there are any. It has always worked well in our very mixed language and culture background classes as a good 'getting to know you' activity.
Here are a few other lesson ideas around the theme of names:
What's in a Name? on TEFL.NET"A fun worksheet on a universal theme - your name. This lesson includes vocabulary built from the base-word "name" as well as some common phrases and idioms connected with the topic. Fluency is practised through stimulating and personalised discussion questions such as: "What names did/will you choose for your children? Why do you like those names?""
What's in a Name? from TOPICS Online Magazine
Several stories from English langauge learners from China, Brazil, Colombia, Yugoslavia, Iran, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, and Indonesia about the origin of their names.
Upper-Intermediate News: What's In a Name? - on Heads Up English - A news story about a man in the USA who had to sue the state of California to be able to adopt his wife's name when he married. Includes downloadable lessons for listening, speaking and vocabulary.
I'd like to hear your ideas or other resources for using names in an ESL lesson.
These links were contributed by Sean Banville in response to this post (Thanks Sean!):
Get A Different Name Day- Handouts, listening and an online activity from ESL Holiday Lessons.com
UPDATES
See below for resources added since I wrote the original blog post. I've left these in chronological order for when I've added them for anyone coming along later to see what's new. I might one day organise them by topic, but for now this is easiest...
Update June 2012:
One of the excellent Guardian Weekly Learning English reading activities covers this topic, and I used it in my class along with the beginning of term activity I outlined above. The article resulted in a lot of discussion in class and some of the students still mention the poor girl whose parents named her 'Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii' - seriously!
Advanced: New Zealand sees no justice in unusual babies' namesHow did your students get their names? New Zealand's strict rules on what parents can call their babies is sure to spark debate in class
Lesson focus: reading, possessive 's; verbs using -ing form and infinitive with to; class discussion
Update July 2014:
I've just come across this article from NZ that has migrants' comments for and against adopting a new name in a new country - looks like a good one to use in class.
It’s kind of good for the immigrant [to adapt a new name], because they can create a new identity for themselves,”
"Many who choose to live in New Zealand consider changing their first name, mostly because the correct pronunciation of many Asian names is troublesome for most Kiwis."
"Assimilation and integration also play a part in a person’s decision to take another name, as migrants have a strong desire to fit into society. One way of being a “Kiwi” is by adopting a name that makes it easier for Kiwis to engage with them, he says. The desire of being fashionable is another reason for Asians to anglicise names."
“When you think of your name, you are thinking of your parents. We don’t give anything to our parents, but they give everything for us.”
“People say a nickname or shorten a name, that’s okay. But apart from that, you should not change it because that is your culture.
“Your name is according to the culture and the country and everything that is there, and I don’t know why you would deny where you’re from.”
“Some Indian people come here and use another name but where they are coming from is part of their name. They are losing something when they change their name.”
“For my graduation, I think I’d like to get called my original name, because it’s a piece of honour.”
What’s in a name?
How do ethnic names fare today after decades of multiculturalism and in a so-called age of super-diversity?
(from Language on the Move - Australian focus)
Asian Students Using English Names
A second-year MA student in Applied Linguistics conducted a survey on Asian students taking English names.
Quick Take: How I Picked My English Name
A student answers the question: “Why does almost every Chinese student have an English name and where do you get it from?” on VoA
TEFL Commute Podcast - Episode 3: Names
The presenters discuss: Questions to ask students about names; Sir or Miss?; Tips for teachers to remember students’ names; Teaching ‘games’ for names
What’s in a name?SBS True Stories podcast
What's really in a name? And what happens when you change your name? Hear writer and comedian Cyrus Bezyan grapple with just that question in his signature laconic style.
Western names in the classroom: An issue for the ESL profession by Rachel Burke
TESOL in Context Vol.11 No. 1 (2001)In this article, the author is concerned with a tendency towards use of English names, particularly but not exclusively in ESL classes, whether adopted of their own volition by new arrivals or assigned by the class teacher. In the latter case, she reflects on what removal of someone's most exclusive badge of identity says about our commitment to cultural diversity. Rather, she seeks the positives in using a student's given name(s).
[Author abstract, ed]
Update March 2016:
Learning Names (by Marc Helgesen) - blog post on Teaching Village
Describes a simple system for remembering student names using name cards and self-introductions.
Adopting an English Name (Uncharted TesolThe blog from The New School TESOL community, May 2016)
On the reasons why students from China adopt an English name.
Peter, Paul, Kylie … David! Why we forget family members' names (The Conversation, May 2016)
"The finding that we often mix up names that are semantically and
phonetically related, rather than at random, gives insights into the way
our memories for names are organised in the brain."
Getting names right is more important than you think (ABC Radio National, June 2016).
Radio piece on a US program (see next link) which "encourages teachers to make an effort to get students'
names right, and gives students the impetus to discover the origins of
their own names."
My Name My Identity - Pledge to pronounce students' names correctly. It's that simple.
Lots of resources here for names: "...resources are intended for individuals to use, with the global competence lens, while sharing the importance of respecting others’ names and identities with others."
Update July 2016:
Pronouncing ELs’ Names Correctly(TESOL Blog, 14 July 2016)
Short blog post by US teacher Judie Haynes.
Includes links to other excellent resources.
(heard via @TESOLatMQ)
A 16-year-old British girl earns £48,000 helping Chinese people name their babies (BBC Newsbeat, 7 Sept 2016)
"In China it is considered important to have an English name for future study or business with the UK. 'Special Name' requires the user to pick five of the 12 personality traits which they most hope their baby will grow into. In China they name their child based on the elements and Beau wanted a similarity between how they pick their Chinese name and how they pick their English name."
Nicknames - an episode of the A word in your ear podcast (ABC Brisbane)
Nicknames are names which pick up some characteristic of the person and usually have no link to the sounds of the original.
Does anyone have any other new lesson ideas on this topic? Please add in the comments below. __
I support migrant and refugee students at Canberra Institute of Technology.
My background is in English language teaching, mostly to adult migrants and refugees. I have a MA (TESOL) from University of Technology Sydney. I'm also interested in the applications of ICT in language learning & teaching and to enhance (academic) learning support. I have completed the Master of Online Education from University of Southern Queensland.
