All 20 interviews

In this blog I have already posted 20 interviews. Have you missed any? Check them all at http://teachervanessaprata.blogspot.com/search/label/Interview

Movie review - The little traitor

Do you know those movies that you don't expect anything and they turn out to be great? That's what happened with The Little Traitor, that I watched yesterday in DVD. I had never heard about this film and just got it in the video rental store because "there wasn't anything else that seemed to be good".

It was one of those movies that I saw the title, read the summary, put it back on the shelf, took another walk, didn't find anything better and decided to give it a try.

And it was a great choice! The movie tells a delicate and touching story about an impossible friendship, between a Palestinian boy and a British sargent, in 1947, months before the state of Israel was created. Two different worlds separated by politics, economic situation, traditions, but, at the same time, two worlds united by an unusual friendship. The sargent found in the boy a break from his military routine and, maybe, the son he still didn't have, and the boy found in the soldier the father who would listen to him.

Revista online gratuita - Itaú Cultural

A Revista Continuum de maio, publicação bimestral do Itaú Cultural, tem como tema "Língua",
abordando os vários aspectos que envolvem a língua, suas origens e seu papel social. Faça o download gratuito da revista para conferir as reportagens, entrevistas, artigos e um ensaio fotográfico.

Video - Entrepeneurs can change the world

Check this short and inspirational video about the importance of being an entrepeneur.

Site - Dinheirama - Educação Financeira

O assunto hoje não está diretamente ligado a idiomas, mas interessa todo mundo: como cuidar do seu dinheiro. No blog dinheirama.com, você encontra artigos, podcasts e vídeos sobre temas de educação financeira, economia, finanças pessoais, além da indicação de livros e outros sites sobre o assunto. Vale a pena conferir!

Oportunidade para professores no exterior

A agência True Experience está com inscrições abertas para o intercâmbio de professores de matemática, ciências e educação especial nos EUA. O programa tera início em agosto e duração de um a três anos. É necessário ter inglês avançado e bacharelado na disciplina escolhida. Mais informações em http://trueexperience.com.br/noticias.php?id_noticia=105&diversas=N

Entertainment and Politics

Today I attended a seminar at Faculdade Cásper Líbero, where I studied, about "Entertainment and Politics", given by my ex-teacher Luís Mauro de Sá Martino. Can you make a connection between these two topics? Well, there's much more than we think at "first sight".

A recent and clear example is Obama's election in the USA. He was elected, in some way, because he knew how to use the media effectively to promote his name, using not only TV, but different channels on the Internet (personal website, YouTube, emails) and even comic books! He was "connected" with most part of his electorate through the same media that these people use in their free time, as entertainment.

Here in Brazil it's not difficult to see how politics and entertainment are "mixed" as well, considering the fact that we elected Frank Aguiar, Netinho and Clodovil (God or the devil be with him!) and almost had Silvio Santos as our president!

What do you think of this association of politicians and the media? Write your comments!

Marketing pessoal para professores

Você sabe como o marketing pessoal pode influenciar sua carreira como professor? Confira algumas dicas para potencializar o uso dessa ferramenta no texto enviado por Maristela Oliveira, coordenadora pedagógida da escola Companhia de Idiomas.

'Marketing e inovação são as únicas funções básicas nos negócios. Todo o resto são custos.' O autor dessa frase chama-se Peter Drucker, um dos gurus do mundo administrativo. Aliás, além de genial, foi professor também. Professor marqueteiro?!
Uma das definições para marketing é: 'um processo social e administrativo pelo qual indivíduos e grupos obtêm o que necessitam e o que desejam através da criação e troca de produtos/serviços e valor com outras pessoas'. Basicamente, facilitar as relações de trocas entre as empresas e o mercado. Neste caso, entre você e seus clientes. Entendendo o mundo da educação como um mercado (por que não?), poderíamos fazer uma rápida analogia com sua carreira:

mercado = alunos (clientes A) + escolas (clientes B)

Todos (mercado) em busca de grandes 'marqueteiros'. Usei o termo de propósito. Ser um bom marqueteiro é uma grande qualidade. Infelizmente, o termo ainda é mal visto por aqui. É muito comum escutarmos expressões como: 'jogada de marketing', 'marqueteiro profissional' etc. Existem certas palavras e expressões que, por uma motivo ou outro, caem na vala comum dos chavões. Foi o que aconteceu com 'marketing pessoal'. Como os conceitos precisam ser expressos de alguma maneira, outros termos são criados. No caso do 'marketing pessoal', surgiram 'personal organization', 'personal style' e 'personal planning'.
Quando se fala ou escreve sobre marketing pessoal é comum que seus autores concentrem-se em fatores externos, como a aparência e postura dos indivíduos, como o fator preponderante para distinguir aqueles que fazem ou não marketing pessoal. Estes fatores são importantes, mas somente eles não garantem o sucesso desta ferramenta de alavancagem da carreira profissional e das relações sociais.
Segundo Rogério Martins, professor universitário de psicologia, cinco competências seriam fundamentais para a realização do marketing pessoal:

Empatia
É a capacidade do ser humano de colocar-se no lugar do outro. Exercite no seu dia a dia imaginando-se como seria enfrentar os desafios que seu cliente tem todos os dias, especialmente no contato com o seu trabalho. Após este exercício passe a agir como gostaria de ser tratado em cada uma destas situações. Certamente todos os envolvidos passarão a respeitá-lo muito mais que de costume.

Simpatia
Antigamente dizia-se que a educação abre portas. Reforço que a simpatia é um dos melhores canais de acesso ao sucesso profissional e pessoal. As pessoas em geral gostam de quem as tratam bem. Ser cordial, afetuoso, entusiástico e “educado” é fundamental para garantir uma imagem positiva entre as pessoas de seu relacionamento. Ações simples como um cumprimento ou um sorriso podem garantir pontos importantes para o seu marketing pessoal. A alegria é um poderoso antiestressante e contagia todos que estão por perto. O ser humano gosta e precisa de energia positiva para viver bem!

Comunicação
Ter uma comunicação impecável é crucial para qualquer profissão e mais ainda quando se trata de garantir uma boa imagem diante do seu cliente. Para isso é fundamental adequar a linguagem para cada situação, pois só assim é possível se sobressair em meio ao padrão que assola a maioria das pessoas nas corporações. Afinal, quanto mais você personalizar seu trabalho com cada grupo/aluno em particular, melhores e mais rápidos serão os retornos positivos.

Conteúdo
De nada adianta ser um ótimo comunicador e agir com simpatia se não tiver efetivamente conteúdo. É muito importante ter o que dizer, possuir conhecimento, mostrar a que veio e transmiti-lo de forma natural. A verdade é que as pessoas se lembram daqueles que transmitem segurança, que consolidam sua imagem, sua presença através de opiniões claras, ideias ou, simplesmente, porque estão ligadas no que está acontecendo a seu redor e têm o que exprimir com assertividade. Para ter conteúdo é imprescindível aprimorar o hábito da leitura, diversificar o acesso às informações, ampliar o contato com as diversas formas de cultura, participar de eventos da sua área de interesse e também de outras áreas diferentes, participar de movimentos profissionais, frequentar grupos diferentes.

Apresentação pessoal
Por fim, o cuidado com a aparência também é essencial para a realização do marketing pessoal. Para isto é fundamental o bom senso. Isso não significa possuir boas roupas de grife, e sim saber adequar a vestimenta para cada situação, estar sempre com um bom corte de cabelo e, no caso dos homens, com a barba bem aparada. Essas pequenas ações têm uma grande vantagem: não aparecem. Todos comentam um professor mal vestido ou, ao contrário, aquele que 'exagera na medida'. Mas o professor que se veste com gosto e simplicidade se destaca por seu valor, não pelo guarda-roupa.

Maristela Oliveira
Coordenadora Pedagógica

Quer ler mais sobre o assunto? Pesquise:
http://www.profissaomestre.com.br/php/verMateria.php?cod=1448
http://www.construirnoticias.com.br/asp/materia.asp?id=632
http://www.portalensinando.com.br/ensinando/principal/conteudo.asp?id=1273
http://www.administradores.com.br/artigos/as_competencias_fundamentais_do_marketing_pessoal/22446

Movie review - The class

This week I've watched "The class" (Entre os muros da escola - Entre le murs), a French movie about a teacher who has a hard time teaching 7th grade students in a public school in France. Most of the students are sons and daughters of immigrants, some of them illegal ones, and they have difficulty to adapt to a multicultural society.

It's interesting to compare this reality with ours. Even in the "first world countries", such as France, the teacher doesn't have an easy job, as there are problems such as demotivated students, indiscipline, disrespect, so common in our public (and even private) schools here in Brazil.

However, even with these problems, our reality is still much worse. At least in France there's "some" respect, as students usually call the teacher "Mr. last name" and, sometimes, raise their hands to speak and stand up when someone else enters the room. It doesn't mean that I agree with these practices, I don't think that it's necessary to call someone by their last name or stand up to indicate respect, it's more of a cultural matter, that we don't have here.

What I mean is that in France the teachers seem to have more "power", more options to deal with (in)discipline problems. I have the impression that, here, many teachers are afraid to have arguments with some students or to take them to the principal's office because the next day these teachers may end up shot dead. Unfortunately, that wouldn't be the first time that an angry student kills a teacher here in Brazil, not considering the crazy teens in the US who shoot everyone once in a while.

Is there any solution to the indiscipline and violence problems at school? Write your comments.

Poema - Carlos Drummond de Andrade

Aula de português

Carlos Drummond Andrade

A linguagem
na ponta da língua,
tão fácil de falar
e de entender.
A linguagem
na superfície estrelada de letras,
sabe lá o que ela quer dizer?
Professor Carlos Góis, ele é quem sabe,
e vai desmatando
o amazonas de minha ignorância.
Figuras de gramática, equipáticas,
atropelam-me, aturdem-me, sequestram-me.
Já esqueci a língua em que comia,
em que pedia para ir lá fora,
em que levava e dava pontapé,
a língua, breve língua entrecortada
do namoro com a prima.
O português são dois; o outro, mistério.

Site - Interview with soccer player Anderson

Everyone who has lived or traveled abroad without mastering the language that is spoken in the country face some challenges when trying to communicate. The situation is even worse when you're a famous person who needs to give interviews in the foreign language. In this video, soccer player Anderson, from Manchester United, is suffering with English. I hope he plays better than he speaks English...

Interview - Uso de blogs em sala de aula

Os blogs vieram para ficar. Mais do que meros "diários virtuais", essa ferramenta gratuita e de fácil acesso já vem sendo usada para promover empresas, estreitar o relacionamento com clientes e até mesmo como uma aliada dos professores em sala de aula. É o que você confere na entrevista com Fábio Cipriani, autor do livro Blog Corporativo (ed. Novatec, 2008).

Um blog pode ser uma ferramenta didática para professores? De que forma?

Fábio - No meu livro comento o uso de blogs na educação dos alunos de Comunicação Social da Universidade Federal de Uberaba. O Professor André Azevedo da Fonseca pediu para que seus alunos construíssem um blog cada um para comentar os conteúdos lecionados em sala de aula. Os blogs têm peso na avaliação do aluno e promovem uma melhor fixação do conteúdo, bem como estimulam a pesquisa e aprimoram a habilidade de construir textos em língua portuguesa. Por outro lado, imagino que um professor também possa manter um blog para divulgar notícias sobre os cursos e mesmo publicar seus interesses ou pesquisas.

Professores de todas as disciplinas podem tirar vantagem de blogs?

Fábio - Em se tratando de idiomas, o blog estimula a escrita e pode ser usado para exercitar o aprendizado de línguas. No que se refere a outras disciplinas, o blog também pode ser usado em uma das formas comentadas anteriormente: avaliação do aluno ou uma publicação do professor voltada aos alunos. No caso de pedir aos alunos para criarem seus blogs, acho mais adequado o uso por disciplinas ligadas à comunicação, línguas e, quem sabe, todas da área de humanas.

Como um professor pode utilizar blogs para manter contato com alunos e motivá-los a ler e a escrever?

Fábio - Não importa a forma usada para explorar os blogs, o contato com alunos e o estímulo para ler e escrever vão depender do grau do interesse do assunto, de seus leitores e, sobretudo, de como o blog é inserido no contexto educacional. No exemplo da Universidade citado acima, incluir o blog na avaliação das notas obriga o aluno a escrever, mas não pode ser visto meramente como uma obrigação e ponto, e sim como uma obrigação que corresponde à importância dessa ferramenta no contexto social e da formação dos alunos. E é essa mensagem que deve ser passada a eles.

O que é melhor: o professor desenvolver seu próprio blog e convidar os alunos a participar ou estimulá-los a criar seus próprios blogs? Por quê?

Fábio - Os dois. Cada qual com sua finalidade comentada anteriormente. Cabe ao docente interpretar o uso do blog e seus benefícios antes de tomar a decisão. Para isso, se ele já for um blogueiro, mais fácil e acertada essa decisão será.

Quais os cuidados que um professor deve ter ao criar seu próprio blog ou monitorar um blog de uma turma?

Fábio - Ter um objetivo em mente é o primeiro passo. Depois se aplicam os mesmos cuidados que fazem do blog um sucesso: participar de outros blogs, comentar e responder comentários e observar o tempo dedicado para não impactar em outras atividades.

Qual deve ser a frequência de atualização de um blog e como divulgar seu blog na própria internet?

Fábio - Geralmente o blog se posiciona melhor que a página web convencional quando indexado pelas ferramentas de busca (Google, Yahoo). Não existe regra fixa para número de posts, mas a regularidade e a continuidade certamente contribuem para que ele cresça em visibilidade.

Interview - Business trips around the world

Many people dream of a job which allows you to travel around the world. Valdir Moreira do Nascimento, marketing manager at Mars Chocolate, is one of these lucky people. However, despite the amazing experiences you can face, not everything is a bed of roses, as there are many challenges in these trips.

As a marketing manager in a multinational company, you have been traveling a lot recently. What were some of the countries you visited and which ones did you like the most?
Valdir - In this job, I had the opportunity to travel to the US, Mexico, Argentina, Panama, Puerto Rico and Russia. All the countries were special for me, but the highlights were US and Russia. US was the second foreign country I visited (the first was UK) and I've been there several times since my first trip in 2006. And Russia was a recent and totally unforgettable experience.

Your last trip was to Russia. What did you think of the country? What places did you visit there?
Valdir - Russia is a land of contrasts. You will find there a small but very wealthy group, spending a lot of money in cars and luxury international brands. On the other hand, there are huge masses still living in those old Soviet buildings. By the way, this is a very important thing: Russians say "Soviet times", but they mean "communism". The elderly still miss some of the stability of the "old times". However, the younger crowd has happiliy embraced capitalism - they don't miss communism at all. This is why the big international brands and companies are doing so well in Russia.
I went to Moscow and St. Petersburgh. While Moscow is the kind of big, lively, vibrant city, St. Petersburgh is more classic, as it still preserves the architecture from the XVIII century. The arts scene is much more developed in St Petersburgh (Hermitage is one of the best museums in the world, comparable to the National Gallery or the Metropolitan), while Moscow night life is unbeatable.

You have also been to Panama. What's this country like? What places did you visit there?
Valdir - It looked like Florida to me. Lots of new buildings are being built in Panama City, and the vast numbers of hotels, resorts and direct flights from all Latin America countries make it an ideal place for business meetings. Apart from that, Panama is a very good place for shopping clothes and electronics, among other items. A visit to Panama Canal is mandatory (although the mechanism itself does not differ much from the "eclusas" we found in Barra bonita - Tietê; the point is the bigness and all the symbolic value of that venue). And a great spot is Panama Viejo, where you have ruins.

What about the States? Where did you go and what did you like and dislike about this country?
Valdir - I went to US for the first time in 2006, for a meeting in Las Vegas, and after that I took a 20-day vacations. I travelled to Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York. I liked almost everything, it was great to check all those sites that I saw only in movies. What I enjoyed most was the visit to national park Yosemite, the Grand Canyon and Sonoma Valley (where I saw wine production). What I didn't like that much was Los Angeles (everything is distant and you have to have a car for almost everything).

Did you face any difficulty in these trips?
Valdir - Russia was a challenge. Outside the hotels, almos nobody speaks English fluently, and the Cyrillic alphabet is hard to understand. So I tried to memorize some symbols (ex.: entrance / exit / male bathroom), and the weather was very cold (very windy, -5 C). Even in the US, you have different accents (and it is quite hard to understand what some immigrants are saying).

What's the image the foreigners you met have about Brazil?
Valdir - Brazil is fashionable right now, due to soccer and supermodels. People instantly think of sunny beaches, good weather and "Caipirinhas". However, some of them already mention violence and poverty ("City of God" caused a big impact, and many people asked me if all Brazil is like that). Brazilian women also suffer from the stigma of being "easy" - that's very sad.

Site - Courses abroad

If you are interested in studying abroad, the site http://www.study-languages.com might help you. It has information about courses in Europe, Japan, Egypt, the USA, Canada and other countries.

Interview - Graeme Hodgson - British Council Director

Would you like to know more about the British Council in Brazil? Would you like to know how to work abroad as an English teacher?
Would you like to know more about online tools to improve your teaching?
Then check this interview with Graeme Hodgson, English Language Director - British Council Brazil.

Tell us a bit about yourself:
Graeme - Well, I was born in England and raised in the picturesque county of Cornwall. After spending a gap year in Northeast Brazil, between school and university, I studied English & Psychology at Lancaster and also spent a year at the University of California in the USA as part of an academic exchange programme. I first started teaching English when I was 17 and loved it from the first day! Many of my colleagues dreaded classes of adolescents but I had lots of fun with them and also enjoyed working with adults of all levels, especially beginners! After university I worked for a couple of years in an unrelated area, gaining essential business management experience in a multinational corporation, but even then I maintained a few private classes of English with Brazilians living in the UK.

How did you end up working here in Brazil? How long have you been here and what exactly do you do?
Graeme - When I was just 23 years old I decided to move back to Brazil, largely because of my Brazilian wife, but also because I missed the Brazilian people and the exciting ‘metamorphosis’ of Brazil, which develops and changes at a pace few European countries can even imagine! Since 1995, I ran my own language school in Fortaleza, consulted for international publishers such as Oxford University Press and Richmond Publishing, as well as administering a Translation and Interpreting Agency (my Master’s degree was in Applied Linguistics: ELT/Translation). In 2007, I accepted an invitation from the British Council to move from the Northeast to an equally sunny Brasília, where our head office is located. My job title says English Language Director, but I am involved in several exciting and innovative projects ranging from online English Teacher Development to granting scholarships for Brazilians to study in the UK, from Equal Opportunities and Diversity to Intercultural Awareness and Global Citizenship. No day is like any other and I welcome the challenge of finding the best partners to help us deliver all kinds of opportunities for Brazilians of all ages.

Tell us about British Council in Brazil:
Graeme - The British Council was established in 1934, so we’ve been around for 75 years and in Brazil for over 60 years! We have offices in Brasilia, Rio, São Paulo and Recife, but our projects often involve partners in all corners of Brazil and in other countries from Latin America and elsewhere. We work in the fields of Education, the Arts, Science, Climate Change, Human Rights and others, but I am responsible for our work in English Language, especially professional development of teachers in both the public and private sectors. Our ELT Online Community is a great place to keep informed about forthcoming events all over Brazil, professional development opportunities, scholarships, competitions, downloadable resources for the classroom and many other great tools. There are over 1400 teachers registered on our online discussion forum and they share ideas and doubts with each other on a daily basis. The community also hosts a free 100h self-study English course for public sector teachers, English Teachers’ Portfolio.

How do you see ELT in Brazil?
Graeme - That’s a very broad and difficult question! There are so many types of ELT… public and private schools, young learners, professionals, instrumental English, even special classes for Senior Citizens! But I see the market as very professional and highly developed in Brazil. Some analysts suggest that as the quality of English language education in regular schools is not considered to be high (largely due to the small number of hours that they are able to dedicate to English within a packed curriculum) there is a greater demand for private, supplementary courses, which really enable learners to speak with some degree of fluency.
However, this scenario is slowly changing as more and more regular schools (and some public-funded institutions) are offering high-quality language education and in the private sector it is possible to come across less-than-ideal teaching methodologies which promise the world… and deliver considerably less! I worked in publishing for several years and I must say that the quality of textbooks and other complementary teaching materials, such as CDs, DVDs, websites etc has improved enormously compared to even just 10 or 15 years ago. Most publishers now provide excellent support services for teachers who adopt their material, ranging from pedagogical workshops to personalised support with specific issues in the classroom.
Here at the British Council, we are investing heavily in online forms of delivering professional development, including a MOODLE-based course for teachers called e-English for Teachers. This is aimed at public sector teachers and involves partnerships with local education authorities. One thing is certain… in the coming years, with Brazil emerging as an increasingly important world player, everyone who wants to ‘join the global conversation’ will need to speak, read and write in English… I’m sure Brazilians will do what it takes to be competitive and learn not only English but also computer skills and other foreign languages such as Spanish and Mandarin!

In your opinion, what should language teachers focus more: improving their language skills, their knowledge about methodology or their rapport with students?
Graeme - The easy answer is to say teachers should focus on all three at once… but I realise that’s not always possible, so I would say that an individual teacher should always look at his or her teaching context and decide which skills and abilities need to be developed. In most cases that will involve some element of language improvement as most teachers are aware that they could improve their English, but there are many cases of teachers who have received no formal teacher training and simply learnt the language (either in a private course or by living abroad). We all know that linguistic knowledge alone does not prepare anybody for entering a classroom full of kids who expect to be ‘entertained’ by the teacher, or a group of teenagers who lack intrinsic motivation (to put it politely!!). So I believe that the key to success lies in both language improvement and methodological knowledge. One way to gain both is by networking, talking to other teachers and exchanging ideas (in English of course). This is what we try to encourage with the discussion forums on our ELT Online Community.

What are the main "sins" a teacher can commit?
Graeme - Hmmm… I’ve heard it said that there is no such thing as ‘sin’…only consequences of our actions! One of the negative consequences of teachers not taking responsibility for their own language and methodology improvement is that they are doing no favours to their students if they pass-on errors, poor pronunciation or, even worse, lack of enthusiasm for the language. This has nothing to do with having a native-like accent or knowing the answer to every vocabulary question students ask (both of these being impossible goals!), but has to do with attitude and a willingness to go on learning forever, in the hope that we can share our knowledge with students and help them discover a better future through English.

How can a Brazilian teacher work abroad in a language school? What are the steps and the requirements?
Graeme - On the contrary to Brazil, most countries around the world require some kind of professional qualification, such as a TEFL diploma or CELTA. Others may accept teachers with an M.A. in Applied Linguistics. Almost certainly, the institution will want to meet a prospective teacher personally for an interview, so I would strongly recommend against sending CVs from Brazil to language courses around the world. Each market is slightly different, but it is very important to check visa requirements before attempting to work in another country. Some schools in the UK may help with this if you secure a job there. For a list of English courses, as well as other educational establishments in the UK, teachers and students can consult http://www.educationuk.org.br/

What's your opinion about Brazil? What are your favourite places here and in your country?
Graeme - Anyone who knows me will have no doubt about my opinion of Brazil. I love it!!! Although I lived in the Northeast for over a decade, I have been lucky enough to travel to almost every state in Brazil (there are still a few I must get to!!) and each region has its own appeal, natural beauty and wonderful people. The diversity of Brazil is one of its attractions… and amongst my favourite places are (from top to bottom): Presidente Figueredo-AM (1h from Manaus), Canoa Quebrada-CE, Praia do Forte-BA, Brasília-DF (where I live!!), Poços de Caldas-MG and, of course, the beautiful city of Rio. I was also lucky enough to be snowed-on in Gramado-RS!!! As for my own country, Britain is full of beautiful places to visit… and I recommend Ben Nevis in Scotland (the highest mountain in the UK), the Peak District (Northern England) and anywhere in the Southwest (my own homeland)… for the beautiful mix of green fields and golden sandy beaches!! Naturally, London is a must… an exciting, bustling tribute to global diversity!

Dia das Mães com erros de Português

A intenção da Universidade Católica de Pelotas (UCPel) até que foi boa ao publicar neste domingo um anúncio em homenagem ao Dia das Mães no Diário Popular de Pelotas. No entanto, erros de Português mancharam a credibilidade da instituição de ensino (e talvez até do jornal), como você pode ver nesta matéria, enviada por minha aluna Elaine Alboz.

Site for teachers - British Council

A great tool for teachers is the site ELT- British Council Brasil, an online community where one can find articles, reports, calendar of events, resources to be used in class and much more.
Teachers are welcome to send lesson plans and ideas to be shared with others, and mainly to participate in the forum discussions, where you can find a wide variety of topics.
Take a look!

Run, Forrest, run!

I'm not Forrest Gump, but I sometimes run. Not like him, obviously, but a few kilometers (sometimes just meters...), and today I participated in the event "9ª Corrida e Caminhada GRAACC- Combatendo e Vencendo o Câncer Infantil", promoted by the company Corpore.
I believe this was my 9th race since I started in 2006 (not exactly a number to be proud of, but, anyway, it's better than nothing). I still haven't gotten THAT motivation to really start training and participating in many races, but I'm trying to include running in my list of priorities.
Waking up early (around 6am) on a Sunday to go running doesn't sound very exciting, does it? That's the first obstacle to be overcome. The second would be to set a training schedule and DO follow it. However, when you finish the race, the feeling is just great! Even if you do like me - run a bit, walk a bit, run a bit more, walk a lot more...
It's wonderful when you realize that's around 9 or 10 o´clock on a Sunday morning, you still have all day long to do whatever you want and you've already exercised, therefore you are feeling much more active than if you had just waken up (or maybe you'd still be sleeping...)
The only problem is after lunch, when laziness dominates you...

Site - Pronunciation

Do you have doubts about pronouncing some words? So, the site http://www.research.att.com/~ttsweb/tts/demo.php can help you. You just need to type a word and click on the button "speak" to hear the correct pronunciation. And you can even choose a man's or a woman's voice and the accent!

Interview - Brazilian girl married to a French guy

Do you want to know a bit more about France? Then check this interview with Luciana Tie Watanabe Vermorel, who I studied with in college. She's married to a French guy, Thomas, and they have been living in Paris since 2006.

How did you guys meet and started dating?
Tie - We’ve met in a nightclub in São Paulo, called A Loca. Thomas was visiting Brazil for the first time and we had a friend in common who introduced us. We’ve spent a couple of days together and then Thomas left to Salvador. We’ve kept in touch for some months then he came back to São Paulo. We started dating at that moment and we’re together since then, despite the times we’ve had to stay apart due to our different home countries.

How long have you been married and where did you marry?
Tie - We got married in December 2006, in Paris. We’ve been living in this city since then, in a small apartment near Republic metro station.

How long have you been living in France? First, you lived in England, right? Tell us about your experience living abroad.
Tie - It’s difficult to say because I’ve come to France in three different times. At first, I’ve spent three months in Lyon to learn French. Then, I’ve come to Paris for six months – and in the end of the sixth month we got married. Finally, I came back to Paris in March 2007 to restart my life over here definitely. Before my stay in Lyon, I’ve spent 7 months in London to improve my English skills. I’ve followed an English course and I’ve worked in a café called Amano. During this time, Thomas joined me for three months, but he’d left before my departure. We’ve shared a house with many people, most of them Brazilians, and we’ve made some friends at work too. It was an amazing experience, which was regretful only when we think about the food. I’ve found it was tasteless and fat – and sometimes overpriced.

What were the main difficulty you faced? How did you get your first job? What do you do now?
Tie - In the beginning, the main difficulties were to learn French without any classes and the European winter. It was very hard, but Thomas and his family and friends helped me a lot. Once I’ve learned how to express myself in a different language, I’ve had to deal with small problems due to the different cultures. I consider myself very optimist and cheerful, and the common sense says that French people are grumpy. So, sometimes I had the impression that I sounded silly or stupid for them. I’ve got my first job in France thanks to my brother-in-law Guillaume, who introduced me to an agency of temporary work. Since then, I've worked as a receptionist. I’ve been to different workplaces and now I work to the cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine, a museum specialised in architecture and French monuments.

What do you miss most about São Paulo?
Tie - My family and friends, but also the 24h/7 days commerce, the nightlife and the nice restaurants with reasonable prices.

What are your favorite places in Brasil and in France?
Tie - Tough question. I love São Paulo wholly ‘cause it’s my hometown, but I also love the Brazilian beaches – impossible to name just one. Although, last vacation we’ve been to Altes do Chão and we’ve simply loved it. In France, I love to live in Paris ‘cause you have a nice surprise in every corner. It can be a beautiful building or a pleasant square. In Paris, I love to go to the Marais, the Buttes-Chaumont park, the canal de Saint-Martin, and many others places I would talk hours to name. I also adore the old district of Saint-Jean, in Lyon.

Site sobre Língua Portuguesa

Mais uma dica de Português: o site http://www.portrasdasletras.com.br/ traz entrevistas com profissionais de Educação, exercícios on-line, resumos de livros, curiosidades e muito mais. Confira!

Troca-troca de livros - Site

Acabei de ser informada sobre o site http://www.trocandolivros.com.br/, que permite a troca de obras entre os internautas. O primeiro passo é cadastrar seu email e os livros que você pode oferecer. Se alguém solicitar um livro de sua lista, você o envia pelo correio e ganha um crédito, que poderá ser usado para solicitar outro livro.
Ainda não usei, mas vale a pena conferir.

16ª Educar - Feira Internacional de Educação

Na próxima semana, profissionais de Educação podem conferir as novidades da 16ª Educar, Feira Internacional de Educação, que apresenta produtos e serviços dedicados à gestão administrativa e pedagógica das instituições de ensino, além de diversas palestras.
Cadastrando-se pela Internet, a entrada é gratuita nos três primeiros dias da feira (13, 14 e 15 de maio). No sábado, dia 16, o convite impresso pelo site permite um desconto de 50% no ingresso, que custa R$ 8,00.

16ª Educar - Feira Internacional de Educação
Data: 13 a 16 de maio de 2009
Horários: Dia 13/05, das 15h às 20h / Dias 14, 15 e 16 de maio, das 10h às 20h
Local: Expo Center Norte - Pavilhão Amarelo
Av. Otto Baumgart, 1.000 – Vila Guilherme, São Paulo, Brasil

Vídeo com dicas de Português - Pleonasmo

"Entrar para dentro", "subir para cima" e "elo de ligação" são apenas alguns exemplos de pleonasmo, mas existem muitas outras expressões redundantes que usamos no dia a dia e nem sempre nos damos conta. Confira algumas neste vídeo do Youtube, enviado por minha aluna Cristina Melo.

Interview - Teaching in Chile - Part II

Ahora vamos a conocer un poco más de Chile con el profesor Alejandro Naveas. No deje de leer también la primera parte de la entrevista, en Inglés.

¿De dóde eres en Chile? ¿Has vivido sempre allá o en otro sitios?
Alejandro - Soy de Santiago y decidí hace un año irme a vivir a la costa a un pequeño pueblo sin protagonismo pero con mucho encanto. Se llama Cartagena y en el verano es un desatre pero lo adoro. Viví en Alemania e Inglaterra por un tiempo.

¿Cuáles son tus sitios prediletos en tu país?
Alejandro - La montaña y el mar, pues son mis referentes que me hacen sentir chileno

¿Conoces Brazil? ¿Que sitios? ¿Qué piensas de nuestro país?
Alejandro - Conozco el sur y el centro. Pienso que es un país amistoso y lleno de magia. Me gustan los contrastes y los acentos pero también me apasiona el hecho de que sus ciudades están casi todas al lado del mar o cerca.

¿Cuál es la imagen que Brazil y los brasileños tienen en Chile?
Alejandro - Los brasileños son muy queridos en Chile. Se les asocia con alegría, fiestas y mucho ruido. También son sensuales y melódicos. Al parecer, para muchos chilenos pueden llegar a ser atrevidos pues tienden a romper esquemas. Por otra parte, Brasil es un país de avances y de contrastes. Se ve riqueza y pobreza pero los brasileños están vinculados a sus temas sociales y políticos lo que los hace más comprometidos con su historia, sus raíces y sus desafíos. Es lo que siento que los chilenos perciben de Brasil y su gente.

¿Cómo alguien empieza a ser profesor de Inglés en tu país?
Alejandro - Debes hacer un curso de pedagogía en inglés en la universidad donde estudias linguística, fonología, gramática, psicología del aprendizaje, curriculum, planificación y metodología de idiomas y mucho, mucho inglés por alrededor de 5 años "full time". Eso te da un "grado" para trabajar, y si eres hablante nativo de inglés sólo puedes trabajar en escuelas privadas de lengua como la "cultura".

¿Como un exranjero puede trabajar legalmente como profesor en Chile?
Alejandro - Chile es un país que tiene abierta sus fronteras y es aparentemente facil venir y conseguir inmigrar, y si tienes un contrato ya tienes visa de trabajo. Trabajar ilegal es posible pero no es necesario, pues recibimos inmigrantes y recientemente han llegado peruanos y argentinos. Eso es nuevo para nosotros.

Interview - Teaching in Chile

Do you know anything about teaching English in Chile? Or about some differences and similarities between Brazilian and Chilean students?
Check this interview (and the complementary one in Spanish) with Alejandro Naveas, ELT in Chile, and find out:

Tell us briefly about your graduation and experience in ELT.
Alejandro - I started about 30 years ago. I graduated from the university and have been teaching English at different levels. That includes kinder, primary and secondary education, adult education and higher education. I have always taught English in Chile but in several universities in the country. I have produced two textbooks for the local market, which were compulsary at school some time ago. At the moment, I am an educational consultant and teacher trainer at different universities.

How do you see ELT in Chile? How can you compare it to other countries?
Alejandro - Some years ago it was a real waste of time and money as nobody cared about it, but for the last 5 or 6 years everyone wants to learn and get a certification. A former ministry of education set goals for the country and for ELT teachers. CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference) and ALTE (Association of Language Testers in Europe) levels are taken to be the references to learn and teach in Chile.

What are the main difficulties Spanish-speaking students have when learning English?
Alejandro - Attitude and tradition seem to be the real cause of difficulty. Attitude because most learners feel they cannot learn and they are afraid of speaking and taking risks, and tradition because the grammar-translation method made a great contribution (I am being sarcastic here) and most learners are stuck with grammar.

What are some of the main "false friends" (false cognates) in English compared to Spanish?
Alejandro - All of those that resemble Spanish but among my favourite ones you find "miserable", "diversion", "molest".

Can you identify any differences and similarities between Portuguese speakers and Spanish speakers when learning English?
Alejandro - In term of differences I suppose Portuguese speakers tend to speak much more and are much more interactive than Spanish speakers. Similarities may be found in the way we both construct sentences in our languages which may differ greatly from English.

Any comment you would like to add.
Alejandro - Why don't we start exchanging views and even conducting some research among teachers in differnt parts of the world. We could even engage some learners in this. How do you feel about it?

IV Mostra Latino-Americana de Teatro de Grupo

Como la noticia es sobre teatro latino-americano, vamos a escribir en Español.

Nadie puede decir que no hayan opciones culturales gratuitas en São Paulo. Del 4 al 10 de mayo, el Centro Cultural de São Paulo presenta la "IV Mostra Latino-Americana de Teatro de Grupo", con 12 compañias de 6 países (Brasil, Peru, Uruguay, Argentina, Bolívia y México).
Todos los espectáculos son gratuitos, pero las entradas hay que retirarlas una hora antes.

13º Cultura Inglesa Festival

Between May 6 and June 12, the 13º Cultura Inglesa Festival will bring 15 attractions to more than 20 cities, in São Paulo, Santa Catarina and Paraná. There will be theater plays for adults and children, digital short movies, dance exhibitions and visual arts, produced by Brazilian artists who got inspiration from British artists.
The events are free, you just need to donate a book (new or used) to change it for the tickets.