Not One Less (1999)

This time, I would like to recommend a rare find Chinese movie (imdb 7.7 and MPA rating is G) This production, which caught my attention because the story is about a young (very young) teacher who is set on a journey to bring back one of her students to school. In this movie, you will firsthand witness the divide between Eastern and Western cultures in the name of sacrifice and dedication. 

Wei is a 13-year-old young girl. When the teacher of the neighboring village goes on a leave for a month, she finds herself as the substitute teacher. However, it is not that easy to teach in this this school which consists of only one classroom with multiple grade levels. Before leaving, the other teacher advises her to use the 28 pieces of chalk, which he counted one by one which is equal to one piece of chalk per day during his absence. Reminding that they are a poor school and have no materials other than chalk. He also strictly warns that he does not want to find even one of the children missing when he returns.

A few days later, the headman of the village discovers that one of the children is a fast runner. He convinces some athletics coaches to take the child to the city, but our young substitute teacher is not very pleased with this idea. She wants to keep her promise to the teacher by making sure that none of the kids are missing. Even though she hides the child at one end of the village, she cannot stop him from leaving.

Another day, he learns that the child of a poor family also goes to the city to work and earn money. Then she goes to the city and tries to find the child. Of course, this job is not as easy as we think. First she has to find money for the bus but she has to work for it. Even if she goes to the city, looking for a missing child in a big city is a difficult task for a 13 year old girl. However, she is very dedicated to her mission and she tries everything including hanging flyers on the walls and even knocking at the door of a national TV station.

If you want to watch the warmth of the village people and the story of faithful teachers who create miracles in poverty, do not miss this movie. You may find more details about this movie here and the original title of the movie is Yi ge dou bu neng shao.

The Butterfly (2002)

I was inevitably curious about this movie, mostly because it has a high rating on imdb (7.2) and it's under 90 minutes in length. To be honest with you, I'm a bit prejudiced against French movies. Even movies that are called family movies can sometimes contain a few inappropriate scenes or swear words. But this time, it wasn't what I expected. Although it does not have a strong message, it can be watched with the family.

The film consists of dialogues between an old butterfly collector and a nine-year-old little girl. The film, which occasionally touches on belief in God, love, infidelity and family relationships, can also connect two distinct generations. While the old man advises us to appreciate our loved ones through the pain of his son, who he lost at a young age, the little girl reminds us how difficult it is to live without parents.

The film occasionally touches on issues such as abortion and equality, but they are not poking these issues into your eyes. For example, when the little girl says that she was born after her mother found out that she was late for an abortion, it causes us to experience the suffering of aborted fetuses that are 'Nothing'. The old man casually says that the ideas of equality in the world are nothing but baloney, and that it will be enough to see the existence of rich and poor people to understand this.

Although it has some limitations in its translation into English, the film is worth watching as it provides an enjoyable hour and takes us away to the natural beauties of France. The original title of the movie is Le Papillon and you can find the imdb link here. 

The Story of the Weeping Camel (2003)

I would like to tell you about a Mongolian movie (imbd rating: 7.4). In fact, this work is a German production and it is a documentary film that takes place in Mongolia which presents a slice of real life. The actors have already played their real-life roles. The film is based on a simple story, as it is somewhat of a documentary. It is about the rejection of a newly born camel by its mother in the Gobi deserts of Mongolia and the village people's attempts to solve this problem.

Since we are mostly presented with the daily life of the Mongolian people, the story actually seems to be somewhat in the background. After all, the adventures of camels in the middle of a desert is not very interesting for a movie. The financial difficulties of the local people living in tents, the fact that they have to cross a huge desert to reach the nearest town, and the fact that they still cannot benefit from the blessings of modern life such as electricity and television are also remembered as details that need to be underlined.

In this movie you will have the opportunity to take a closer look at the life in the old times. The rugs hanging on the walls and the tents where three generations lived together are an indication that these people are still keeping their traditions alive.They benefit from the meat, milk and wool of their camels which is their only livestock and this movie puts the relationship of the humans and the animals in the centre.  

As a result, it may be an interesting choice if you want to spend one and a half hours by watching a documentary film and looking at the daily life of a society that lives far, far away from us. The original original title of the film is Die Geschicte vom weinenden Kamel and you can find it's imbd link here. 

Provide Instant Feedback!

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

One of the things I recommend to new teachers is to provide students with a timely, meaningful feedback about their progress. Providing instant feedback is an important step in student learning which helps them understand their strengths and areas for improvement. Many teachers see this as a time consuming or daunting process but in reality it saves a ton of time in reality. In this article, I have compiled a list of ways teachers can offer instant feedback to their students:

Immediate Verbal Feedback 

Teachers should seek out for opportunities during class discussions or activities to provide verbal feedback for the individual students or the entire class. While giving individual feedback, think about student privacy and respect their personalities. As much as you can, use praise and constructive criticism to highlight what was done well and what needs to be improved. 

Quick Written Feedback 

Since verbal feedback can be a little tricky, consider written feedback where it's appropriate. You may use sticky notes or quick written comments on assignments or assessments to provide that feedback in a confidential way. Teachers can also create their feedback language which can be acronyms or shortened comments but the students know its meaning. 

Technology-Based Feedback 

Now that we have technology all around us, utilize educational applications or tools that allows instant feedback. Many online platforms offer auto scoring and feedback on quizzes or assignments. If the students are sharing documents, adding immediate comments to their work can also be considered as instant feedback. Becoming familiar with a learning management system (LMS) with features like comment sections will come in handy. 

Peer Feedback 

It's widely known that the students learn a lot from each other. Seeing this as an opportunity, teachers can  implement peer review sessions where students provide feedback to each other immediately after completing an activity or assignment. While doing this, teachers need to be actively monitoring student interactions and there needs to be clear guidelines to ensure constructive and helpful feedback is happening.

Response Systems 

Although it's a bit of an old technology, teachers can use clickers or other response systems to gauge student understanding during a lesson. This allows for real-time assessment and adjustment of teaching strategies. Many students now have at least a device with them and there are online tools to allow students submit work in real time. Online platforms, such as Kahoot, Gimlet or Quizizz can be used for interactive and engaging activities for immediate feedback.

In-Class Discussions 

Another great way to provide feedback is through meaningful and engaging class discussions. You need to create a safe and supportive environment where students can express their thoughts and opinions without any judgement. As students share their ideas, look out for opportunities to provide feedback and guide students in refining their ideas.

Exit Tickets 

I always tell teachers there needs to be an end goal in every lesson. Implement exit tickets at the end of a lesson or creating a mini quiz will serve that purpose. Through an exit ticket, you can ask students to summarize key concepts that they learned in that class. Using quizzes as a way to measure student understanding will provide a valuable insight to any teacher. After collecting them, you can review those exit tickets quickly to gauge overall comprehension. If there is even time left, you can address some of the misconceptions without waiting for the next class. 

There are many ways to provide feedback to students during daily instruction. Some of these ideas could be built into a lesson plan but some others could be implemented on the spot. Always look out for opportunities to provide students with meaningful and immediate feedback. Also remember, the key is to be timely, specific, and constructive in your feedback. Providing instant feedback does not only enhances learning but also fosters a supportive and engaged classroom environment.

This article is written by a real human being with the help of artificial intelligence. 

Family Friendly International Movies

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Ten years ago, it was very difficult to find suitable movies for school age children. Thanks to the growing number of streaming services, there are so many options now. I have always appreciated the movies in different languages because they provide you a different perspective. I believe the children should be aware of the life on other parts of the world. Watching films from different countries provide a unique perspective which is hard to obtain about a culture or a place far far away. Over the years, I have compiled a list of "family friendly" international movies and I am providing the list below with the imdb links: 

Paper Planes (Australia, 2014)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3328716/

Belle & Sebastian (2013, France)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3146360/

Like Stars on Earth (2007, India)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0986264/

Children of Heaven (1997, Iran)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118849

The Butterfly (2002, France)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0329485/

Not One Less (1999, China)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0209189/

Bicycle Thieves (1948, Italy)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040522

Ramchand Pakistani (2008, Pakistan)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1095421

Red Balloon (1956, France)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048980            

Teaching Advice: Be Professional!

Image by steveriot1 from Pixabay

Being a teacher brings some more responsibilities. Just like any other job, a teacher is expected to be a professional. Some of my recommendations on being professional are:

• Be on time to your job
• Submit your lesson plans on time
• Contact your students' parents
• Be present at Parent Teacher Nights and any other school related events
• Communicate with other staff
• Don't take so many sick days off as long as it's not emergency
• Provide students immediate feedback
• Enter students' grades on time
• Prepare your emergency plans before you take a day off

This list can be extended. However, teachers' duties are never limited to those and they always need to go above and beyond.

Creating a Student Survey

Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

Two times a year, I give my students a survey to see if everything is going well. I prepare the survey on Google docs and they take it online. Since it's anonymous; it gives the students a little bit of freedom to say what they really think about my class. I have seen great results after giving those surveys and helped me out adjust my classes depending on their answers. I wanted share with you a couple of questions I asked my students on the survey:

How difficult is this class for you? 

• Very Easy
• Easy
• Normal
• Hard
• Very Hard

Is your teacher helpful to you when you need help? 

• Yes he is.
• Sometimes
• No, he isn't.

What do you like the most for learning?  (You can pick more than one.)

• Slideshows
• Worksheets
• Khan Academy videos
• Graphing Calculators
• Taking notes
• Accelerated Math (Clickers)

Do you think that the teacher is organized? 

• He is very well organized.
• I don't know.
• He is not really organized.

Tell me about a time in my class when you felt frustrated:

What do you like best about this class?:

Please type if you have any additional comments: 

 
(if you don't know how to create an online survey, you can watch this tutorial)

Math in the Movies

Image by Chuk Yong from Pixabay

Have you ever thought about using clips from the movies to teach math? I did. But first, I searched the internet and came across with two websites. One of them is Math Bits which has lots of resources about math and many of them are ready to use worksheets. It has a dedicated page called Math and the Movies. The other one is called Mathematics in Movies which has a huge library of video clips from different movies. The website was first published in 2006 by Harvard Professor Oliver Knill. He is constantly updating this website as new movies come out. Those two websites inspired me to create my own worksheets during my teaching years and I am sharing them with you here. Feel free to download and use them in your class. 

Abbott and Costello / Ma and Pa Kettle: This worksheet has two examples of how multiplication and division can be done incorrectly. Feel free to download and customize it. You will need the following clips which go along with the worksheet. The first clip is from Abbott and Costello: In the Navy and the second clip is from Ma and Pa Kettle.

Die Hard III:  Here is a worksheet that I prepared for the jug problem takes place in Die Hard movie. You can watch the clip from the movie here.

Little Big League: Here is another worksheet that I prepared for the movie Little Big League. You can watch the clip form the movie here.

Contact: This worksheet is prepared for the clip from Contact movie. The topic is the prime numbers. You can watch the clip from the movie here.

Live and Become (2005)

This French film (imdb rating: 7.8) was shot by a Romanian-born director: Radu Mihăileanu. The film is about the rescue of a group of Jews caught in the conflict in Ethiopia through an operation organized by the Israeli secret service and their resettlement in Israel. Based on a true story that happened in the 80s, the film beautifully conveys to the audience the story of a Christian child who is mixed among Jews, going to Israel, and the problems he faced after being adopted. 

In addition to witnessing a historical period, the film is worth watching as it contains many clues about Ethiopian Jews, of whom we have very little idea, and from there to daily life in Israel. Even though it is a bit long, the film manages to explain with a very simple language the problems that come with being different in a society. The original title of the film is Va, Vis et Deviens and if you want to get more information about the movie, here is the imdb link and the Wikipedia page.