Personalised speaking
What our students bring to the learning environment is our richest resource. But if the lives they lead are to be at the centre of the courses we teach, are we guaranteed that students will talk freely and be interested in what their fellow classmates tell them? The answer is no. So what are some of the main challenges we face when doing personalised speaking activities and how can these challenges be met? Two main challenges Meeting these challenges Teacher modelling Visualisation Setting peer listening tasks Sharing classmates’ real-life experiences Example activity Conclusion
Teaching speaking skills 1
While it is a bit of an exaggeration, students clearly feel that classroom-based speaking practice does not prepare them for the real world. Why do students so often highlight listening and speaking as their biggest problems? Partly because of the demands of listening and speaking and partly because of the way speaking is often taught. It usually consists of language practice activities (discussions, information-gap activities etc.) or is used to practise a specific grammar point. Neither teaches patterns of real interaction.
The magic of story time
Where the 'magic' liesStories provide shared contexts for rich, natural language development from a very young age, and throughout the primary years. The 'magic' lies in the way stories potentially engage children's hearts and minds, as people and as thinkers, with issues that are relevant, real and important to them. Sources of storiesThe stories we use in class may come from a variety of different sources. These include authentic picture books from the English-speaking world, specially written children's readers, course books, educational and other sites on the internet, or English versions of local cultural tales and fables. The important thing is not so much the source of the stories but the appeal and interest they have for the children themselves.
Product and process writing: A comparison
The best practice in any situation will depend on the type of student, the text type being studied, the school system and many other factors. Thus, this article cannot prescribe a system for the teaching of writing that is optimal for all teaching situations. Rather, I hope to describe and contrast two popular, yet very different, approaches and examine how both can be used in the classroom. A product approach A process approach A summary of the differences Which approach to use One or the other Further reading A product approach This is a traditional approach, in which students are encouraged to mimic a model text, which is usually presented and analysed at an early stage. A model for such an approach is outlined below:
Analysing Language
Checking understanding generally follows the isolation of new language which has been presented in context, analysed and fully explained. It is this analysis and explanation stage which is the focus here. A framework for analysis Form and phonology Function and meaning Register and appropriacy Post analysis A framework for analysis The teacher may present language inductively through a text, a situation, through a task, or simply asks learners to 'notice' lexis.
Kids and writing
In the classroom there are many ways of using these writing activities to help children practise their English whilst developing their creativity and imagination. Here are some examples. 1. Write a story Before writing, ask learners to tell you about stories they've already read.
Course planning
Pre-service teacher training courses typically focus on the detailed planning of a 40 minute or 60 minute lesson and don’t focus attention on how to go about planning a much longer scheme of work. This is also an important area to consider though, because most teachers are involved in teaching courses, which may typically last anywhere between 30 and 120 hours. The aim of this article is to share some of the conclusions of a recent project I was part of, with the hope that it might enable other teachers to plan a little faster too!
Group work v. whole-class activities
But group work may not always be the best option. There will be a time and a place for whole-class activities in the English language classroom, just as there's a time and a place for group and pair work. In praise of group work In praise of whole-class discussion Tact and sensitivity Repertoire Variety adds spice to the classroom In praise of group work Group work came into the standard EFL teaching repertoire with communicative methodologies in the 1970s. At that time, studies of contemporary foreign language classes revealed that as much as 80% of lesson time consisted of the teacher talking to (at) the students.
Rachael Roberts - Planning for differentiation
About the webinar The session will start by looking at some of the ways in which learners can differ from each other - needs, interests and abilities. We will briefly consider the term 'mixed ability' and why 'differentiation' is becoming more popular, and what exactly it means. We will then explore a range of strategies for differentiating by task, teaching method and outcome. There will be a handout with a summary of practical ideas. About the speaker
Fifteen ways to adapt your textbook so your students aren't bored to death
Unfortunately, teachers may only be given the textbook without any professional development or additional curriculum resources. It can be challenging, especially for newer teachers, to figure out how to use the textbook to meet the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students who may be at different levels of English proficiency. It can also be difficult if the textbook is outdated or not well-designed in terms of instructional practice. Textbooks do have some advantages. They can provide a guide for effective language teaching, contain helpful models, save teachers time, and are usually leveled and aligned to standards.
Ideas for using the coursebook creatively
Here is the second extract from the latest British Council publication 'Creativity in the English Language classroom' edited by Alan Maley and Nik Peachey. In this chapter, Brian Tomlinson looks at why we should be creative with our coursebook and suggests some interesting ideas for teachers to experiment with in class."For me, fostering learner creativity is a vital role for any teacher as doing so can help learners to develop predictive, analytical, critical and problem-solving skills, to develop confidence and to develop self-esteem. Fostering creativity is even more important for a teacher of a second or foreign language as it can help to achieve the affective and cognitive engagement vital for language acquisition as well as helping learners to understand language used for natural communication and to use language for effective communication themselves. Teachers of EFL therefore need to be creative in order to encourage their learners to be creative too. Example:
Teaching online - tech tools and the tutor's role
About the webinar The British Council is committed to supporting the use of technology for the continuation of education in a crisis. As many teachers find themselves in an unfamiliar situation of having to teach their classes online, with little or no experience, the British Council TeachingEnglish website is committed to providing as much support as possible to help you navigate your way through the world of online teaching. This is the third in a series of three webinars, which offers guidance in key areas. This webinar focuses on:
