Methodology

by

Here’s a link to a stream on You Tube which is quite interesting for teaching vocabulary. For an example watch “Clapped Out – Phrasal Adjective – Phrasal Verbs 2 – ESL British English Pronunciation” on YouTube

by

Practise Your English Speaking Skills: Help with BEC, BULATS, CAE, CPE, IELTS and other English exams

http://www.splendid-speaking.com/

Collaborative writing activity: ‘Pigeon Impossible’

This activity can be done with any short video, preferably without dialogue.

to begin with, the students are given a series of items of vocabulary taken from the video. For this example, we are using the video ‘Pigeon Impossible’, available from You Tube –

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEjUAnPc2VA

– so the vocabulary would be:

pigeon

Washington Monument

briefcase

doughnut

rocket launcher

The vocabulary is explained, and the students are told that all of the items come from one story, then set to work in groups to write a story which contains all of the vocabulary items given. How much emphasis is given to attempting to predict the original story is up to the teacher. It is interesting to include at least one item of vocabulary which doesn’t seem to fit, as with ‘rocket launcher’, but this depends a little on the level of the students in the class. Insistence on them working only in English in their groups also depends on their level.

Once the stories are finished, each group reads their story to the class. The teacher can comment on elements of the story which fit in with the story told in the video if s/he wants. Then the class watch the video of ‘Pigeon Impossible’.

by

5 Tips to Make Your Collaborative Learning Plans Effective – Ferndale, MI, United States, ASCD EDge Blog post – A Professional Networking Community for Educators

5 Tips to Make Your Collaborative Learning Plans Effective – Ferndale, MI, United States, ASCD EDge Blog post – A Professional Networking Community for Educators.

by

100 Days of Bilingualism – Week Nineteen | Multilingual Living

Here’s a link with ideas which can be used by parents of bilingual students at home – useful for when parents ask you what they can do to help their children get ahead… http://www.multilingualliving.com/2013/01/14/100-days-of-bilingualism-week-nineteen/

by

Tweet by AnnLoseva on Twitter

RT @LearningSpy: Some tips for getting students to value writing http://t.co/P4pgOki1 #ukedchat

by

Do You Hear What I Hear? 8 Activities to Improve Listening Skills

Listening is the gateway to understanding and communicating and, therefore, is absolutely critical for language learners of all skills.

If students struggle to listen carefully, they will miss out on important interactions both inside and outside of the classroom.

The problem with listening instruction is that it is commonly thought to be boring and passive; students simply sit and listen. However, teaching listening doesn’t have to be dull! There are many ways to create engaging and interactive lessons that focus on listening skills. Here are eight different ways to build students’ listening skills:

via Do You Hear What I Hear? 8 Activities to Improve Listening Skills.

by

Tweet from Busy Teacher (@busyteacher_org)

Busy Teacher (@busyteacher_org) tweeted at 11:57 PM on Sun, Jan 20, 2013:
8 Top Tips for Giving Your ESL Class a Review Lesson They’ll Love: Review lessons are very important and often a… http://t.co/ERHG89KM
(https://twitter.com/busyteacher_org/status/293130095944679424)

Get the official Twitter app at https://twitter.com/download

by

How to get students to value writing

How to get students to value writing.

by

Peer correction exercise

Here’s a link to a video explaining a way of doing peer correction in class from the British Council.

http://youtu.be/pHMnHLr8wHQ