Let me write my blog in verse this time
For you to know what's all in my mind
Writing poetry is one thing I like to do
To express my ideas I feel are really true.

Four topics for me which are of great importance
May sound uninteresting at your very first glance
But when fully scrutinized by two or by anyone
It will surely be appreciated when given a chance.

Reflective teaching is one topic I know
Student empowerment is included too
Authentic language is the third thing to show
Lowering students' affective learning filters is good for you.

Reflective Teaching

Reflective teaching ought to be done by everyone
It'll make a teacher very effective and not a lousy one
Unreflected teaching is aptly and clearly compared
To a lesson just merely taught without being evaluated.

What the teacher does here is just to ponder
On what is taught and take notice of all the results
If things turned out well or not in the lesson as expected
From the objectives the teacher has carefully formulated.

Each day the teacher pauses for a while
Writes the feedback in the most treasured file
Works on the salient points the next teaching session
And makes it as the great day's teaching mission.

The best of teachers never fail to do this
While the mediocre ones only work with ease
But once this is practiced by one and all
We'll surely find that teaching is not a burden after all.

Student Empowerment

Student empowerment is somewhat new
For it breaks the practice that teachers usually do
It makes students feel great as learners
Giving them recognition and importance as leaders.

This could be done by making the students act as teachers
Letting students help classmates in the teacher's place
Leading the class in group work activities and many other things
Showing full confidence and getting the teacher's trust.

Leadership is developed in this particular aspect
Boosting self-worth, confidence, and self-respect
Teachers serving merely as facilitators or standing at the background
Certainly making students responsible though absurd it may sound.

Next time when we spot students with potential
Turn them into leaders for it's so essential
This paves the way to the right development they need
Making young learners already feel on how to successfully lead.

Authentic Language

When asking, "What's your name?"
It's more authentic to answer, "Ben."
‘Cause when you go to the real world
"My name is Ben is only good."

Authentic language is ought to be spoken
By all the students if I'm not mistaken
Classroom language just like "I'm 10 years old.
Is not smartly said, unlike " 10".

One good thing about authentic language
Is that it's not difficult to engage
For answers are brief and with advantage
Over long sentences that are redundantly said.

After all when we're outside the classroom
Authentic language is always being used
So we might as well teach authentic language
In making our students, confident, smart and have the edge.

Lowering Students' Affective Learning Filters

Learning another language is quite an ordeal
For students who study ESL or EFL
Acquiring competency will present great difficulty
Without lowering their affective learning filters right away.

So how should ideal language teaching be?
If you ask me with all sincerity
The answer to that is to make things very easy
So that everyone can understand the lesson with glee.

Activities should be within students' realm of experience
Background knowledge of the concept learned is considered without offense
Lessons are presented holistically and not in isolation
Vocabulary are learned through context and placed in a situation.

Once the emotional learning difficulties are lowered
Language acquisition is expedited
And in a span of time students will become confident learners
No more hesitant, no more adamant, but effective speakers.