Teaching English
Group discussion skills
Group discussions occur in many different formats – from very informal ones between friends to highly structured and challenging discussions included as part of a selection process.
Conversation lesson - School
A little imagination, that is, on both the teacher’s and the students’ part, can transcend the boundaries of an otherwise mundane topic and provide plenty to talk about for a couple of hours.
Vocabulary activities
Have you tried these practical activities to help students with vocabulary learning? There's something for all ages and levels.
Word of the week
'Word of the week' is a new video section on LearnEnglish Kids that aims to teach children vocabulary that they may not find in their English course book. The videos show children in the UK using words like ‘cheeky’, ‘chill’ and ‘fan’. The words are spoken individually and then the children show how the words are used in context by means of a short dialogue.
Flashy stuff
This is the second of Fitch O'Connell's two articles for the site as Guest Writer. You can find the first article here.
Fish Swimming
This is a short teaching resource kit based on the Moniza Ali poem 'Fish Swimming'.
Robot Teachers! (Coming Soon to a Classroom Near You)
They’re coming, and they’ll be here by September! Robot teachers, programmed with a single mission: to save our failing schools.
Interview Of The Month: David Deubelbeiss From EFL Classroom 2.0
This month, I’m lucky enough to have David Deubelbeiss as my guest.
What's the question?
This is a pair-work reading, (speaking) and grammar-based activity for elementary students. It mainly practises question formation, reading comprehension and the ability to identify and correct factual mistakes in a text.
Age: Teenage/adult
Level: A2+
Timing: about 40 mins
The Return of the Moon Man
A space ship crash lands in the field of a bad tempered, technology hating Welsh farmer. His long suffering wife and bewildered family wonder what will happen next. 'The Return of the Moon Man', based on the short story by E.L. Malpass, is an appealing mixture of retro sci fi and moralistic folk story, and is the latest revised kit in the BritLit family.
Should we discuss political issues in the classroom?
Politics is part of our everyday lives. Discussion of political issues can lead to a greater understanding of our world, but can also lead to disagreement. Do you think it is something we can use in the classroom or is it something that can be too divisive?
If you wish to find resources for approaching this topic in the classroom or would like to discuss this with other teachers from around the world, you could visit the IATEFL Global Issues website at: http://gisig.iatefl.org/
Litter poem
This lesson introduces learners to some of the main issues related to litter, through poetry, and raises awareness of what can be done to reduce it.
Topic: Litter, poetry
Age: Teenage/adult
Level: B2+
A Spice Island
Our guest walked down the aircraft steps onto the tarmac and was greeted by a small band and a few dancers dressed in traditional costume. I wondered if I should tell him that we hadn’t arranged the reception and that it wasn't for him. I mumbled an explanation, but I don't think I was heard.
Sheikh Nahayan Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships
TIRF - The International Foundation for English Language Education - is sponsoring the 2010 Sheikh Nahayan Fellowships for doctoral research on English language and teaching in the Arab World. TIRF is soliciting proposals from doctoral candidates who have completed their course work and have had a research plan approved by their faculty advisor or committee. The deadline for proposals is Sept. 30, 2010.
British Council EAQUALS curriculum
This project may be of interest to anyone involved in curriculum development. The downloadable leaflet gives a sample of the work completed thus far on a British Council project to create a core curriculum based, in part, on the CEFR.
Facebook apps for learners
Developed for English language learners (and teachers...) we now have three apps on our LearnEnglish facebook pages. You can check them out here:
Rich!
This lesson takes a light-hearted look at money and magazines. Students invent their extremely wealthy future selves and then take turns to be journalists interviewing and writing for 'Rich!!' magazine.
Theft in the hotel
This activity is a role play that allows students to take control, decide how the story will develop, and use their imagination. It can be used with a range of levels as students drive the content, but they will have to think on their feet and use the language in real time as they can’t prepare for what is going to happen.
Voices from Harrogate
Harrogate Online is still going strong, over two months after the IATEFL 2010 conference.
Being a teacher
The latest in our series of video tips is about being a teacher. What's important to you as a teacher? How do your students see you?