NO homework, NO materials, NO pencils...What should I do?

Well, this list of no’s may show your students are demotivated or they are simply taking no responsability for their own learning. Then, your next question may be: how can teachers help them embrace a more pro-active attitude towards learning a foreign language? The first step is to show them that their attitude will shape their results. Teachers need to help them build a sense of autonomy, which is, according to Brown (2007) one of the cognitive principles. Oe good way to achieve this sense of autonomy and responsability is making our students aware of the fact that homework helps students develop mental skills, concentration, organization, problem-solving strategies and independence. And why not share with them some data from scientifical research, so here it goes: “in looking at results across several studies, the average homework-completer had HIGHER unit tests scores than 73% of non-completers” (Cooper, 2006)

English language and Shakespeare...much more than to be or not to be

Did you know that...

1)   Shakespeare, in his plays, poems, and other writings, used 29,066 unique words. Most people today only use 7,500 to 10,000 unique words in their writing and speech.

2)   Shakespeare introduced nearly 3,000 words into the English language. In addition, Shakespeare's works, which were often quoted, became such commonplace that they helped set the standards for Modern English; prior to Shakespeare, English grammar and spelling had few standards. In addition, many of Shakespeare's expressions (such as "a foregone conclusion") are commonly used today.

3)   Shakespeare’s ability to formulate new, popular words and his ability to maintain an extensive vocabulary positively define him as a "man of words." For his phrases to stand the test of time, Shakespeare must have had a proficiency for the English language. So why not share this relevant information with your students and show how brilliant this genious was. Have a try!

Are you following a linguistic syllabus or a life syllabus?

Due to the emerging trends in ELT, there has been several shifts of focus in syllabus design such as structural, situational, functional, task-based, among others. A number of ELT theorists have argued that all these approaches to syllabus design are set on the learners’ language skills and that they have neglected the basic purpose of education, i.e. “the betterment of individuals’ lives”. Thus, there is the surge of a new notion, so called “life syllabus”, as a means that can end the complication of linguistic syllabi by incorporating issues of concern of life into the linguistic syllabus in order to launch the learner as a whole person in the ring of practical life.

Now, the question is… how can I turn my linguistic syllabus into a life one? The key point to answer this question is given by adding 5 broad areas pertaining to emotional intelligence:

1)   Intrapersonal competency (emotional awareness, assertiveness, self-regard)

2)   Interpersonal competency ( relationships, social responsibility, empathy)

3)   Adaptability competency (problem-solving, reality testing and flexibility)

4)   Stress management (stress tolerance and impulse control)

5)   General mood (hapiness and optimism)

A good example of activity, including the topics mentioned above is like the one below… Have a check!

Please first take the following questions, and then while trying to find some ways to cope with

them, discuss your answers with your friends. Keep in mind you are expected to give reasons

for you answers.

1. The things which make me angry are….

2. The situations which make me nervous are…..

3. The situations which make me feel more anxious are….

4. The kinds of people who make me feel more agitated are….

5. The kinds of people who make me feel sad are…. 

6. When I feel under stress I try to….

7. The situations in which I cannot adapt myself are….

8. When I see people trowing litter on the street I feel…

9. When I need to concentrate for a task I usually….

10. When I need to relax I tend to…..

11. I feel very happy when…

12. When I can’t do something I want I …..

References: Pishghadan – Introducing ELT as a new approach in EFL/ ESL studies (2011)

"The Hat" Awesome tool to group students!

Students learn best when they are actively engaged in the processing of information.  One way to involve students in active learning is to have them learn from each other in small groups or teams. Research shows that students working in small groups tend to learn more of what is taught, retain it longer than when the same content is presented in other instructional formats, and appear more satisfied with their classes (Davis 1993, Barkley, 2005). But then in practice, teachers are faced with difficulties in deciding who should work with whom and there is also the issue that sometimes students tend to like to work with just some of their classmates. This common dilemma has sparked a search for a solution which could be quick, random and if possible computer-based!! It sounds like MISSION IMPOSSIBLE but I managed to find a great tool for choosing students randomly! It’s called THE HAT and  you just have to download and install this free program on your computer. It is only available for PCs. For more info go to: http://www.lauracandler.com/strategies/smartboard.php

SELFIE - The Word of the Year 2013

                                    

The word of the year award celebrates the inventiveness of English speakers when confronted with social, political or technological change. To qualify, a word need not have been coined within the past 12 months, but it does need to have become prominent or notable in that time. And the award goes to… Selfie  the Oxford Dictionaries' word of the year! The use of this word increased by 17,000% in 2013 according to an Oxford survey.

 

 Check out a shortlist of other words which became more popular in 2013:

 

1.   Selfie is defined by Oxford Dictionaries as "a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website".

2.   Hashtag (on social media sites such as Twitter) a word or phrase preceded by a hash or pound sign (#) and used to identify messages on a specific topic.

3.    binge-watch, verb:
to watch multiple episodes of a television programme in rapid succession, typically by means of DVDs or digital streaming.

4.    bitcoin, noun:
a digital currency in which transactions can be performed without the need for a central bank. Also, a unit of bitcoin.

5.    olinguito, noun:
a small furry mammal found in mountain forests in Colombia and Ecuador, the smallest member of the raccoon family.

6. schmeat, noun, informal:
a form of meat  produced synthetically from biological tissue.

7.    showrooming, noun:
the practice of visiting a shop or shops in order to examine a product before buying it online at a lower price.

8.    twerk, verb:
dance to popular music in a sexually provocative manner involving thrusting hip movements and a low, squatting stance.

Can I have your attention please?! Attention getters

Attention Getters are must-haves for young learner classes. Think about it: You've sent students to work in small groups or with partners. It's time to call their attention back to you for further directions or a change in activity. How will you get their attention? This seems like such a small issue, but it's NOT! You need multiple tools in your toolbox in order to handle this smoothly because you will do it multiple times every day.

Below you find a selection of nice chants to grab attention for young learners:

Teacher: Hocus pocus – Students: everybody focus

Teacher: Macaroni and cheese – Students: everybody freeze

Teacher: All set- Students: you bet!

Teacher: Hands on top – Students: everybody stops

Teacher: ABC –Students: Easy as 123

Teacher: Scooby Dooby Doo – Students: Where are you?

Now, some other handy techniques:

The quiet spray!: you spray the ROOM to signal children to get quiet. Or you can just leave the bottle empty and spray a child!

Give me five: raise your open hand in the air without saying anything. Your students then put their hand in the air too. Start counting down on your fingers (not saying anything, just moving your fingers) and your students will follow along just moving their fingers. Teach them that by the time your are making a fist (representing zero) everyone should be quiet and looking at you.

Let's think drilling outside the box! Drilling games

Although many teachers and students think drills can be incredibly boring, it goes without saying they play an important role in the ESL classroom. Boring or useful… one thing is a fact: Drills are like that - They make students repeat target language until it sticks.

Drilling is a powerful teaching technique that leads to quick production of target language. However, if used incorrectly, students may be able to produce mechanically without real understanding of the meaning or context of what they are saying. They are best implemented in the early stages of a lesson, as target language is presented or to provide controlled practice.

Try to think drilling as a game where there is a whole scenario and objective and not just as repetition for the sake of repetition. I found below two example of drilling games to be used in the practice stage of your class. Believe me, students will be way more prepared for production stage. The key is “let’s think drilling outside the box”!!!

Lord of the Rings

Objectives: drilling the structure of questions and answers that you have recently covered in class.

Procedure

Start the game by selecting four students. These students are the hobbits and will be asking the questions.

Get the four hobbits to stand in a straight line in front of the board.

You are the King. You have to sit on your throne behind the hobbits.

Assign each of the four hobbits a question, e.g. What's your name? How old are you? Where do you live? What's your favourite food?

The remaining students are the orks. They form a queue near the first hobbit.

The first hobbit asks the first ork in the queue their assigned question in this case "What's your name?" The ork replies "My name is ..." and they rock, paper, scissors.

If the ork wins, he or she can go on to the second hobbit who will then ask him or her the assigned question, e.g. How old are you?

The ork replies and again, they rock, paper, scissors. If the ork wins, they proceed to the third hobbit and so on.

However, if at any time an ork loses at rock, paper, scissors to a hobbit, they must return to the starting line and repeat the whole process.

If an ork manages to get pasted all four hobbits, they rock, paper, scissors with the king and if the ork wins, the king has been dethroned and the ork is now the King. You must rejoin the game with other orks in an attempt to get past all the hobbits to reclaim your throne.

Conversation Race 

Procedure

Divide the class into teams of five or six.

Have each team stand up in a line.

The teacher holds up a flash card and makes a sentence based on the picture.

Each team must repeat the teacher's sentence three times and then sit down.

The team that sits down first wins.

You can vary the ending by having the students do different actions like turn around or jump before they sit down, etc.

Also, instead of every student speaking at the same time, you can get each student to repeat the sentences one at a time and then sit down.

http://www.teach-this.com/games/drilling-activity-games