100 ways you should be using Facebook in your classroom

Found this amazing guide, with great suggestions!! Hope you like it!

http://www.onlinecollege.org/2012/05/21/100-ways-you-should-be-using-facebook-in-your-classroom-updated/

Our monitor, Ellen Ferreira, tells us about her first experience teaching a Junior A group

          The main aim of this activity was to enable students to talk about their possessions. I started the activity by drawing a girl and her characteristics were written around the picture, on the board. There were bubbles that said “I have…/ I don’t have…”, and the students had to say which characteristics the girl had and didn’t have. Knowing what she had or didn’t have, students would be able to understand what Samira (name given by a student) was saying about herself.

              What really worked was using gestures to indicate affirmative and negative sentences. Therefore, students were able to associate the positive gesture with “I have…”, while negative sentences became “I don’t have…”. Having grasped that, the students could produce these sentences about themselves.

              As I was nervous, in the middle of the activity I decided to change the instructions. When I finished the explanation, some students seemed a little bit confused, not because they didn’t understand what I was saying, but because they were kind of ashamed to start a conversation. So, I started to talk to them. The reason why I wasn’t calm was the fact that I was being observed by someone much more experienced.  

              What I really learnt this week about teaching (even for a few minutes) was that it’s necessary to trust  myself and also the students. They are really able to learn, and it was noticed while the class was happening and the teacher explained all the activities, even in a brisk pace. The experience was awesome and I really enjoyed it.

Teacher Luiz writes about peer teaching, monitoring and the 'emotional' side learning

Two Saturdays ago I had the chance to take part in a very special exercise: Peer Teaching . The objective of the exercise was for us to observe, identify and evaluate ways in which we interact with our students with a view to maximizing student-centeredness and refining rapport. It is my belief that peer observation plays an essential role in every teacher's development, as it allows a great deal of sharing, thereby promoting mutual growth. That being said, the chance to see a fellow teacher in action with your own students is nothing short of spectacular. It brought me a feeling of unbounded enthusiasm which I daresay greatly stimulated me in my relentless pursuit of classroom excellence.

We divided the lesson into 4 sections. I was to teach two of them and my colleague was to cover the other two. The way she conducted elicitation and the brisk pace of the activity she proposed gave the class a much needed uplift during that early Saturday morning. The way she looked students in the eyes and would truly expect to get intelligent satisfactory answers, even though it had been previously noted that they were "weak" for their level made a lasting impression on me. By the end of the activity, which consisted of students coming up with charity organizations and then comparing them to the ones in the book, everyone was clearly engaged in the lesson and emotionally involved.

I particularly enjoyed seeing how the teacher carried out monitoring of the activity. She would bend down in a motherly fashion and listen unobtrusively without ever towering over students or cutting across them to make corrections. Also, the breaking down and planning of instructions made it possible for students to quickly grasp what they were being asked to do. Another feature that really caught my attention was her ability to cater for the livelier, more participative students as well as the shier, quieter learners.

Overall, this exercise made me more aware of intrinsic aspects of the Cultura Inglesa lesson in that it involved active participation and instant feedback from my mentor. Students did indeed play an active and collaborative role in the learning process and there was an atmosphere of trust and respect which undoubtedly contributed to more effective learning.

by Luiz Carlos Junior

Our monitor Karenn Cardoso writes about her experiences in class (peer teaching)

Peer teaching


Junior A – teacher Mary

Karenn da Silva Cardoso

On May 2th, I participated in an activity called “peer teaching” that consisted on collaboration in another teacher’s class. I was responsible for only one activity which was a game called “adding chain”. This was a memory game, and the students were supposed to add their favourite colour to my previous sentence: “My fovourite colour is green”, than one student would repeat and complete: “My favourite colour is green and yellow”, because the intention was their understanding of the addition concept, and the production of the conjunction “and”. The class was composed of 10 students, aged 9-11 years old. And the activity lasted about 10 minutes.

During the presentation of the activity, I could give the instructions clearly; at least most of the students could understand and help their friends. The game was conducted well; the students could produce as expected (in general) and have fun at the same time. But I needed some help while constructing my instructions. Most of the corrections could also be conducted well and when necessary. Regarding class management such as class control, I didn’t have many problems. In a whole, the activity was well developed and nothing got out of my control.

It is important to notice that it was a game activity, a really important tool used in EFL classroom. Games can provide effective learning if well conducted, especially with children with this age. They really felt challenged and easily accepted it. In accordance with the Learning Factory material: “Anyone who has had the opportunity to play games with a group of 9/10 year-olds can testify that fairness is a major concern to children and any signal that rules are being broken causes deep distress”

One of my biggest challenges was dealing with children, because it was my first experience, and I was a little bit nervous. However, I didn’t have so many problems as I expected. Something that really caught my attention was how teacher Mary managed the class. Students were constantly motivated by a game (“sticker game”) the teacher started in the beginning of the class, and continued until the end of the same. They already knew all the rules by heart (Don’t speak Portuguese, Sit down, and Help your friend), and all of them tried to follow these rules. And it could be also what motivated them to respect my presence and accept to participate in the activity. Another thing I could observe was the use of classical music during the moment they were doing an exercise, I thought it was very interesting. Therefore, it was a very good experience, and very valuable to add to my role as a monitor.

Best animation picture of 2011 - worth watching!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Adzywe9xeIU&feature=share

How do you Motivate a Teen

Interesting tips for those who work with teenagers!

http://store.positivediscipline.com/How-Do-You-Motivate-a-Teen_b_6.html

Error Treatment Session - task

Dear teachers,

Those who couldn´t attend our first training session should see the file in Teacher´s Room\Teacher´s Corner\TRAINING MATERIALS\errortreatment...teachersconclusions.flp , check pages 12 and 13 (Teacher´s Conclusions), read it and answer the following question, here:

Which of the points raised by the participants do you most agree/disagree with? Why?

Looking forward to reading your comments!
xoxo
Mary

Mistakes X Errors X Slips

Hey, guys!

As I promised, here is something interesting I've found related to our session on Error Treatment this afternoon:


"An error is an instance of language that is unintentionally deviant and not self corrigible by its author. A mistake is either intentionally or unintentionally deviant and self corrigible.  Slips, or lapses of the tongue, pen, or keyboard are easily detected and can be self corrected by thier author unaided. (James, C. 1998. Errors in Language Learning and Use: Exploring Error Analysis. Addison Wesley Longman)


Basically a learner makes an error when s/he doesn't know the utterance is deviant, for example because s/he has learned from an incorrect model"


Taking that into account, which type should we prioritise when giving feedback to our students?

Have a nice end of week.

xoxoxoxo
Mary

The start of something new

Since last year, when I first noticed we had (unfortunately) stopped posting things here, I had been thinking about getting back on track with our blog. So, nothing like a new year, and a brand new template. The blog is still the same old blog, renewed!
I couldn't help reading our old posts, and, I must say, feeling quite proud of the nice things we had been sharing here. So, why not keep up with it?

You might want to browse around our blog, check out some new books, interesting links and, why not, revisit some old stuff!!

The new year is now officialy started, and I, sincerely wish you all the best!! Have a great new beginning!!

xoxoxoxo
Marie
p.s.  image by teacher Roque Labanca, who is also a great photographer!

"Mary" Christmas!!

Dear all,
Here's to wish you the happiest Christmas, and a fantastic 2011, full of joy and peace!! Hope you also have a great vacation month!!

Best wishes,
Mary

Birds are as intelligent as dogs. Do you agree?

Hi guys,
this is to let you know about a funny video I've found. I've recently used this video to illustrate /reinforce de concept of AS...AS.../Not As...As... while working with my Basic 4 group.

The sentence used for concept work was Birds are as intelligent as dogs. Do you agree? The sts had already been exposed to this concept, but it was used right after correction of lesson D6 (activity book), since  there had been some questions about "as...as". It was also a smooth and nice way of moving from homework correction to Getting Ready for PC3.

I believe it could also be of good use in a number of other classroom situations...

Check it out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wc23EPZ6k_E&feature=related

xoxo
Marie

Movie Challenge

Let's see how many films you can identify.
FYE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYL3j27sSH8

A good laugh

Our Blog : Learning Real English with a clown

Maria do Carmo Xavier has sent you a link to a blog:

Guys, this is related to the video where American journalists talk about Tiririca's running for office. Check the link. Stephan Hughes, teacher from Cultura Inglesa Adult Centre, has prepared this nice activity!
xoxo
Mary

Blog: Our Blog
Post: Learning Real English with a clown
Link: http://dablog-dablog.blogspot.com/2010/10/learning-real-english-with-clown.html

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Telling the time

Just found these two interesting websites to help you teach, revise or practice telling the time:

http://www.teachingtime.co.uk/
http://www.timemonsters.com/

Any other ideas to share?

Mayara.

Swap Shop

Dear all,

How's Peer Observation going? With the end of the semester coming, we need to have our swapshop asap. I think 3rd and 4th November, right after the holiday, would be great. We can meet at 13:00 on Wed (3rd) and 14:00 on Thur (4th). This way everybody will have a chance to share their stolen goods.

Cheers,

Marcia

Happy Teacher's Day

David Crystal - Which English?

Song Activities

Hello dear all!
I am here after a long time to share with you something I have learned from a friend of mine via e-mail. She discovered a web site with song activities. All the songs are divided by grammar topics and level as well. Take a look at the following link and have a nice class!

http://www.musicalenglishlessons.org/index-ex.htm#verbs

Xo, xo

Maíra

Programa de capacitação para professores da rede pública nos Estados Unidos

What's up, guys?!

Gotta take a look at this: http://www.fulbright.org.br/2010/content/view/128/169/

Mayara

PS: If I'm not wrong you don't need a MA to try this one.

Hi guys,
I've just googled "film present perfect" and came across the following blogs:

http://moviesegmentstoassessgrammargoals.blogspot.com/

"Movie Segments to Assess Grammar Goals contains a series of movie segments and activities to assess or practice grammar points through fun, challenging exercises. There you will find the movie segments, the lesson plans, printable worksheets with answer key for each activity, and the tips to develop your own grammar activities with the DVDs you have at home. New activities are posted regularly. Teaching grammar with movie segments is inspiring and highly motivating."

and...

http://warmupsfollowups.blogspot.com/

"This blog contains a series of movie segments to be used to brainstorm, warm up, follow up, and activate schemata, preparing the students for the topic that will be discussed in class. There you will find the segments, the lesson plans, and varied topics to foster conversation. You may use the activities for a full two-hour class or they can be used separately to brainstorm or wrap up the topic, focusing on conversation, vocabulary and listening comprehension."

See ya,
Renata :)

While teenagers learn...

Recently I've been through this very interesting experience in class... I was teaching lesson C5 (Young Express 5), which is a lesson about talking about necessary changes in life. So, students learn how to use "wish", "If only" and some other structures. Well, one of my students has recently been grounded by her parents. I've spoken to her mother and I don't need to say that she's been very sad: I guess anyone here can imagine what it is like to be a 16-year-old with no TV, no phone, no internet, no parties... Although she's usually very talkative and funny, she's been very quiet these days, for obvious reasons.

While I was drilling with students, and getting some examples from them, she was looking down, writing on a piece of paper. She didn't seem to be paying attention to the class at all, so I went near her to see what was going on. I asked her to see what was written on the piece of paper and those happened to be the lyrics to this song.



The whole song brings lots of  "I wish" examples. Since, at a first moment, I didn't know those were lyrics I asked her: "Is this a poem?" She said, "No, teacher, those are lyrics to "The Nicest Thing". "Is it cool?", I asked. "Not really, it's depressing, but it's beautiful!"

I went on with the lesson and still had 10 minutes. I had planned to use some of the activities in the Activity Book, but decided to make use of the "hint" that student had just given me. So I looked up for the video on You Tube and found this animation. We watched the video together and, after that, we discussed the meaning of the sentences in the lyrics and if they had ever been through such an obsessive relationship. They told me very interesting stories.

What really caught my eye was that, as a matter of fact, although she was not looking at me and repeating the sentences with the students, she was paying attention to the lesson. But her mind was processing "I wish" in a different way. She remembered the song that, actually, had a lot to do with the way she was feeling. Needless to say she paid a lot of attention to the class when I showed the video and started the discussion. Her participation  changed completely, and the students got very excited about each other's stories.

More from Monique

Dear friends,

Here are four GREAT links sent by Monique, with excellent activities that I'm sure everyone will love! They are all related to the Fifa World Cup. However, I strongly recommend you to use them as source of inspiration only, and ADAPT the activities a little bit, in case you want to use them in class, for copyright reasons - principally if you are planning to use them under Cultura Inglesa's logo.

Last, but not least, I think those might be great on the e-Board, don't you agree?

Here are the four links. You shall copy and paste them onto your browser's navigation bar.


http://www.oxfordonlineshop.com/email2010/wordcup_07_06_10/1.pdf

http://www.oxfordonlineshop.com/email2010/wordcup_07_06_10/2.pdf

http://www.oxfordonlineshop.com/email2010/wordcup_07_06_10/3.pdf

http://www.oxfordonlineshop.com/email2010/wordcup_07_06_10/4.pdf


Thank you Monique!!! xoxoxo

Ken Robinson's new TED talk

Also check this out http://edition.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/05/31/robinson.education.fast.food/index.html?iref=allsearch

Super Simple Songs

For those who are interested in teaching their pupils or children some Super Simple Songs, here's the link. =)

http://www.supersimplesongs.com/

Working with mood and the atmosphere in class

Hi, guys! Here are some great tips that Monique has given to us. The first one is a cool website, that can be used throughout the lessons. If you are one of those teachers who like to teach with background music, CHECK THIS OUT! It´s a lovely site in which you can select the songs you´re going to listen to according to the mood! The name is Musicovery. It´s not necessary to register to use it!

Also, if you are into fun and games for your students, BBC website has lots of interesting activities and zillions of quizzes. You can even give the students the link, in case they are into puzzles in English.

Thanks Monique for the nice tips! (Now you own me a Coke... =D just kidding...hehehe)

The danger of a single story

When Mary posted the TED video, I immediately remebered this one. Not that it has something to do with the topic itself, but that she talks about the risks of limiting our views on the world. Suits different situations. Hope you guys like it.
Btw, Suely from SE suggested this one in her session about discipline.

;-)

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story.html

Concept Work

Dear all,

This is a great link Ana Paula Cypriano sent me. Take a look, there are examples of questions and the rational behind them. Let's try to implement some of the ideas in our next lesson.

;-)

http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/checking-understanding

Do schools kill creativity?

Word Addicted

Are you a 'new words addicted'? So I have a hint for you. Take a look at these cool links here. They can provide you and your students fun and knowledge.
From Dictionary.com: Daily Crosswords
Word Games
From Floe-Joe: Word Bank
From Splendid Speaking: English Collocations - This one is good to be used in the class because there are some questions with the collocations taught to be debated.

I hope you enjoy it.
xoxo

Need a Pic?

Need a beautiful picture for a flipchart or powerpoint? Here is a great copyright free website! Go get it!

'Justin Fever' - Baby ft. Ludacris

Have you got a teenagers or children group? If so, of course you've heard about Justin Bieber.

I've been working with past simple with my Basic 2 students and I promissed I'd show them Justin's video if they behaved appropriately. It's a very simple song to work with and Ludacris' part can be used to work with past simple.

My students were so happy and interested, singing along and dancing...

If you like this idea you could do the same. =)

Hi guys! This is to thank Maíra and Rach for the amazing insights!! Very useful indeed!!


 Also, I'd like to show you this two beautiful things I've found, and that could make great digital immersion projects:

One Moment in Time:

On May 2nd the New York Times website launched the web-based event called "A Moment in Time". Wherever people were, provided that they had a camera — or a camera phone — in hand, they would be taking a picture to send to Lens that would capture this singular instant in whatever way. The photos would, then, be added to a marvelous global mosaic; a Web-built image of one moment in time across the world. And here is the result!!

 http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/05/03/blogs/a-moment-in-time.html#/4bde48110bca253c38000019


This material comes in handy when we think about "describing the pictures". Also, a follow-up discussion would be "If you could only photograph a single moment in time, what would it be?" Students could also set up one day and time to do the same and bring their photos to class, what do you think?

#140conf
Another interesting event is the #140conf  http://140conf.com/, organized by the technology anthropologist Jeff Pulver (his blog http://jeffpulver.com/)  This event is the largest worldwide gathering of people interested in the effects of the real-time Internet on both business and “we” the people. Speakers have from 5 to 15 minutes most to speak their mind. Here is the blog of a doctor named Krupali who registered for a 5-minute speech in the event( http://krupali.blogspot.com/2010/05/incredible-twitter-incredible-people.html) and wrote about her experience. She spoke about how Twitter helps her change the life of terminal patients with cancer.


Here's a nice opportunity to work with Public Speaking, and maybe discuss: "If you had only 5 minutes to speak your mind to a great audience, what would you talk about?" And, maybe, students could have their real 5-minute speeches in front of the class.


That's it for today!
xoxo

How do you finish your lessons?

I've been reading this very interesting blog called ELT Notebook and I saw this post where the teacher writes about ways to finish lessons.

It called my attention because usually we may not give this specific time of the class the importance it requires. It's was written in 2007 but we can use it today perfectly.

Here's what they say:

"Many teachers simply ask: "Does anyone have any questions?" Even more teachers use the time to assign homework, collect assignments, and chat with students while everyone cleans up. But correction, review, and feedback offer a better use of the final five minutes.

Correction: In the perfect class, students don't make any mistakes after applying the language. But, of course, a perfect lesson simply doesn't exist. Correction offers a practical way to remind the class as a whole of the language. This is in preference to interrupting a group's flow in a role play, interview, or presentation with on-the-spot correction, which then won't even benefit other groups.

But correction isn't merely limited to today's target language. I can cover any previously studied words or grammar points, for example. I can also draw the class's attention to words which they know, but perhaps used or pronounced incorrectly. I can even teach a more natural phrase or expression than one which popped up in the final activity.

• Review: Review focuses specifically on the material studied that day. I may reuse flashcards to choral drill vocabulary, particularly words that were troublesome for students early on. I may reread some questions from an earlier worksheet, in order to call for answers. I may reread answers from a worksheet, and call for appropriate questions. I may even ask for a response from part of the dialogue we studied. In other words, I can go pretty much anywhere as long as it reviews today's material. Whereas correction focuses on mistakes both with the target language and other points, review lets everyone take a final look at today's material. From a teacher's point of view, it's my final chance to make sure as many students as possible leave the class able to understand if not use the language correctly.
  
  Equally important, though, review serves to boost confidence. If students entered my class completely unable to use the new structure, the review session demonstrates that they have studied, learned, and can now apply it. Because there's usually only one correct response, it's oftentimes easier for students to measure learning via review, than it is through an open-ended speaking activity.


• Feedback: Whereas correction and review have a place in any lesson, feedback is a little more particular. Class size must be considered, because a group of twelve or more students makes individual feedback impossible. We must also think about how students will handle advice in front of their peers.
  
  In large classes, a general comment on performance can effectively close the lesson. For example, from my "going to" lesson: "Everyone used today's grammar and vocabulary well--we can use 'going to' for any planned event. Remember to ask follow-up questions, because this makes conversation more interesting! Kenji said, 'I'm going to visit some friends in Kyoto.' Can you think of a good follow-up question?" I only commented on today's lesson, but I could just as easily have added: "Don't forget our long term goal. We want to have a conversation with a partner for five minutes without stopping."
  
  By closing a lesson with correction, review, and feedback, I'm giving the students a means to measure their progress. They measure today's learning with a quick review of the key lesson points. They also gauge their retention with previously studied material when we go over correction. Lastly, in order to fine tune individual needs, feedback allows the teacher to give some positive and negative comments, as well as tips or remedies for each student."

To read the full text, please go to: http://eltnotebook.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2007-06-17T11:20:00%2B02:00&max-results=5

A day in the life of... (Digital Immersion Project)

Do you remember the famous speaking activity "A Day in the Life of...", in which students learn how to use the Simple Present by describing a day in the life of a secretary, a doctor, a teacher...? well, I have found this video shot by my newest favourite singer (John Mayer). He himself shot a day in his life, while he was on a tour in Australia. The movie shows very cool images. I was wondering if this could make a cool project, in which students would buy John's idea and video record a day in their own life. Then, they would describe it in class.

 Eg. Every morning I get up at...and have breakfast. Then, I go to work...

Here is the link for John Mayer's "A life in the day"

Hope you like it!
bjs

Fresh Writer

Hi Folks!
Attending to requests I'm going to start sharing with you my experiences as a student of the CAE Preparation Course. The idea is to post about interesting websites and activities for candidates that can be done in class or at home.
So, the website of this first post must be known by some of you but as the purpose is just share and comment I belive that it would be welcome.
BBC is not exactly a website directed to Cambridge Exams, however it comes up with many useful sources. Take a look at this vocabulary page. There is a task in the end of the page where you can see other people's answers.
That's all for this post. I'm comming back with more news soon.
See you

Resource Books

Hi guys.

I've been sorting out our books and and register sheet and found out that some of them are kind of 'on the lose', y'know, no record and not on the shelf. Have you borrowed Jeremy Harmer's The Practice of Language Teaching, or Scrivener's Learning Teaching? If you happen to have any news, pls let us know. We miss them badly. :(

Support Lessons for PC2

Dear teachers,

Please, click on the link below and let us know when you'll be giving support to your students. It's advisable to talk to students first, before setting up a date. Invitations can be made to a whole group or to specific individuals only.

Junior, Basic, Plus and Young Express: 2 sessions of 30min. each
Adults: 3 sessions of 30 min. each

Zip's, Play and Kids are not included in this project.

Regular classes with the monitor will be carried out normally.


https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AdVG3Nfcm12sZHZobnN4cl8xMDJnczg5ZGZndw&hl=en

Thanks,

Mary

28 ways to use audio in EFL classes

Using audio in class! Nice suggestions here!

FANTASTIC website!!!

Want to know more about the use of the word "competitive"? Check this out!

Nice video to teach/revise vocabulary (animals)

Mother's Day

This is to wish a Great Mother's Day to all the girls in our branch!! Hope you have the best Sunday with your beloved ones!!

I'm not a mother (yet), but pretty content as a daughter. I think my mother (who's also called Márcia :)) has provided me with the best I can be. So, I dedicate this song to her and to all the mothers and daughters in our group!



And the lyrics...

Daughters by John Mayer

I know a girl
She puts the color inside of my world
But she's just like a maze
Where all of the walls are continually changed
And I've done all I can
To stand on her steps with my heart in my hands
Now I'm starting to see
Maybe it's got nothing to do with me

Fathers, be good to your daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers
So mothers, be good to your daughters too

Oh, you see that skin?
It's the same she's been standing in
Since the day she saw him walking away
Now I'm left
Cleaning up the mess he made

So fathers, be good to your daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers
So mothers, be good to your daughters too

Boys, you can break
You'll find out how much they can take
Boys will be strong
And boys soldier on
But boys would be gone without the warmth from
A womans good, good heart

On behalf of every man
Looking out for every girl
You are the guide and the weight of her world

So fathers, be good to your daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers
So mothers, be good to your daughters too [x3]

Happy Mother's Day!!!!!

In the short-story "Happiness", the Irish writer Mary Lavin says: "Mother had a lot to say. This does not mean that she was always talking, but that we girls knew the wells she drew upon us were deep, deep, deep".
As typical women (and teachers), we always have a lot to say. May the wells we draw upon our children, as well as our students, go deep, deep, deep.
Wish you all a wonderful Mother's Day.

:)

Digital Immersion

Hi!
I'd like to start a project with teens using Formspring (have a look at the PP suggestions poster, pls). Instead of making questions to their peers, I'd like to have different groups, or even branches (remember? my daughter studies at Meier 1) taking part in it. I have a Plus 3, but YExp groups are more than welcome.
Volunteers?

:)

Using FormSpring in the Classroom (second day)

So, as I said, I continued using FormSpring. And today I could see another of its possible uses in the classroom. Last class I had assigned some homework, in which students would have to ask me some questions by using one of the 4 accounts I had created for them. And so they did. When I started my lesson today, I used their questions as a warmer. Since they had been asked to me, I answered them myself (orally). I didn't correct the mistakes initially because I decided to do it during concept work, right after presenting the grammar focus. Therefore, after answering the questions, I let the website opened on the e-Board for them to see and have some quick conversation in pairs. It was great: I had an instant warmer, created by the students, and an amazing opportunity for recycling. Secondly, the questions this time were better.

This 2nd lesson was specifically about the difference between Present Perfect and Past Simple. Since they had created (via FS) some Present Perfect and Past Simple questions, right after the focus I asked them to check whether the verb tenses had been used correctly (BTW, this is lesson C2, Action 5). Loved it! In a nutshell I'd say that, although it was not very effective during the practice stage (see previous post on the use of FormSpring), it was excelent as homework and worked pretty well as a warmer. I'll think about other possibilities...and you? How about having a go?

Music clip by Miley Cyrus

 Miley Cyrus video "7 things": many possibilities in the classroom.

click here for lyrics

Oops!! lol Happy Birthday Patty and Tânia!!!!! Wish you all the best!!!

XOXO

Using FormSpring in the Classroom for the first time

I used FormSpring today in one of my lessons, for the first time. The lesson was in Action 5, C1 (Yes/No questions) and I used it to replace one of the activities in the book (Act. 6, practice). The exercise suggested that students used prompts to form questions from a pile of slips (Resources Pack). As a matter of fact, this is a recycling lesson, and it also contributed to my choosing this lesson to have a go with FS. Since the "fun" of the thing was in the unpredictability of the questions, i.e., the element of surprise, and FormSpring is all about surprising someone by asking something, I decided to try.

I started at home, by creating 4 different profiles in FormSpring (St01, St02, St03 and St04) for my students to use in groups (there are only 4 computers in the MMC, that's why I created 4 profiles). We went to the MMC and each group had to "poke" their peers by asking them questions online. They got very enthusiastic about the site, and were emotionaly very involved with the task. Also, they seemed to be very comfortable with the computer, and it was clearly noticeable that their behaviour changed - they got jumpy, excited I'd say, as they got involved with the possibility of using the web and actually having control over the activity: they could ask ANYTHING they wanted.

Most of the questions they came up with were in the Simple Present Tense, and the vocabulary was rather poor. They were experimenting with FormSpring for the first time. Some of the questions were meant to provoke their mates: "Have you ever eaten bananas?" was one of them. The other was "did you like the class today?" They were, actually, having their first trial.

This whole experience made me wonder:

• How different will it be if I ever decide to use it with the same group again (and I will...)? 
• Will they behave differently since they already know the tool? 
• Does it mean that it wouldn't be ok to use a new tool when students are being presented to language for the first time (BTW, this was a recycling lesson, and even though nothing was new, they resorted to very elementary vocab)? 
• How to make them come up with relevant language for their level? 
• Is it possible to use edtech tools when working on guided practice? Or they would be more suitable for freer practice/recycling?
• Does excitement somehow affect production (in a negative way)? 
• And how can that help the teacher assess their students?
• Can their production on an online tool such as FormSpring reflect what has actually been consolidated so far? Was their potential for using more sophisticated language hindered by the novelty in FormSpring?
• What should we, as teachers, cater for when preparing lessons that bring technology about?

We carried out some on the spot and delayed correction later on, though I had to cope with some embarrassment for letting everybody see the questions on the e-B, after they went back to the classroom. They were all somehow tantalizing and/or heady.

I have assigned some FormSpring for homework as well, and I'll let you know if anything in my perspective changes. I'm eager to use it again and see how it goes...

Great Warm-ups!

I've kept this list of nice warmers for a couple of years, and have already used most of them. They do work well in class! So, why not sharing? Just click on this link to download the list, and have fun!

ESL Games world

Hey guys! I just found a website full of games to be used in classroom. There are printables exercises and online games as well. You can use it with all levels and have some fun with your students.

Here's the link: http://www.eslgamesworld.com/

Enjoy it. =)
Rach

Dan Pink talks about creativity and motivation

just feeling bushed...

 

For those of you who might be feeling beat today...believe me, you're not alone... 

Have a good night! zzz...

On the video "The Story of Stuff"

"20 pairs of shoes!! Who needs that?", says a teacher, in the Teacher's Room. As we moved deeper in a nice thought-provoking conversation, I wondered how many pairs of shoes I actually had...17, 18... So...nothing like a holiday to help us get back on track and, why not, count pairs of shoes! The lesson behind those numbers has to do with consumerism, and its tremendous effects on our lives, and on the planet.

Personally, I have been in a couple of binds towards what I really want to spend my money on. Last year I decided to sell my car. At first, I was just thinking about getting rid of a piece of junk that had been bringing me more lows than highs and thought: I'll buy another one in a couple of months. It had been almost 4 years since I had stopped using any kind of public transport, seduced by the comfort of one of America's most desired products - the automobile. But it wasn't until I took buses to Valqueire that I realized that, as a matter of fact, I don't really need a car. I live 1 block away from the subway station and 2 blocks away from the bus stop. I can always hail a cab in case I go out too late... I live 3 blocks away from the supermarket and it costs me next to nothing to bring my shopping bags back home in case I need a ride. Also, if I want to travel, I can take a bus or rent a car, which costs much less than owning a car. In fact, if I took a taxi to go AND come back from work every day I would spend less than keeping my own car!! (It's true!) So why do I need a car?!

The same happens with so many other products that we insist on purchasing just for the sake of possessing things. How many times do we actually reflect upon the real necessity for some goods? A new bikini every time we go on a beach trip, new clothes every time we are invited to a fancy party (and then, end up filled with stuff that we'll hardly ever use again!), hundreds of knick knacks, gadgets and even food that we don't need to (or shouldn't) hog ourselves with!

The point is, all that must go somewhere: all that stuff ends in trash! Dischargeable or not, everything, well... EVERYTHING will eventually be turned into garbage, not to mention the terrible consequences of not using our money properly: endless installments and debts that take us nowhere! Think about the sleep deprived nights we all would avoid provided that we could (decently) afford our own existence! Then, add the inumerous trips we could have taken, and loads of wonderful moments we could have spent near our most beloved ones by just working less!

Maybe it's high time we simply added one more letter to Jack Johnson's 3 R's - D, as in Declutter! Invest your money on what really makes a difference! Thank God it's Friday, and it's a holiday! Hope everybody can make good use of it! ;)

XOXO
Mary

p.s. Here is a nice video (The Story of Stuff) that got me thinking even more about it! Although it's rather long, some of it could be used in class!

Mary Xmas!!!

First of all, Happy Birthday!! I wish you all the best!

And remember... NO PORTUGUESE!!! Let's create an English speaking environment here! hehehehe (kiddin', but not kidding!)

Som na caixa!!

Amei a idéia de reativar este blog! Valeu Patty! Então, vou aproveitar para colocar aqui uma pequena relação de video clips que separei para uso, ainda no início deste semestre: são clips voltados para o público infanto-juvenil, que eu selecionei por, basicamente, dois motivos: 1. eles são bem recentes e estão na ponta da língua da moçadinha de 9 a 13 anos e, 2. eles não "agridem o meio ambiente" - são politicamente corretos, sem imagens ou letras polêmicas.

Lá vai:
Miley Cyrus - Party in the USA
Temas possíveis:
EUA x Brazil
Parties

The Cheetah Girls - One World ( o clip é meio velhinho...)
Temas: (perfeito para lição B4 do Basic 5, ou como follow-up discussion - ainda dá tempo de usar)
India x Brazil
Parties
Wedding

Demi Lovato - La la land
Temas:
The life of a celebrity/being famous
TV programmes

Selena Gomez - Something I don't know (é mais para Junior...)
Temas:
House chores
Parts of the house

Miley Cyrus - Butterfly
Tema:
relacionamento pais x filhos

Nick Jonas - Who I am (muito bom para iniciantes)
Temas:
describing myself/presentations
jobs
personality

Miranda Cosgrove - Raining Sunshine
tema:
the weather

Justin Bieber - One time
Temas:
clubbing
parties
dating
friendship
being a teenager
free time activities

Avril Lavigne - Alice (underground)
Temas:
literature
the life of a teenager
what makes you freak out?

Paramore - the only exception (mais para Basic e Plus)
Temas:
family
love
parts of the house

De todos o único que ainda não usei foi o Raining Sunshine, pq a lição ainda não aconteceu. O restante é "satisfação garantida"!

É isso! Valeu! *poof!

We're back, baby!

It's been too long! So it's time to go back in time and start this project all over again. There are so many things that we can do using this blog and I'm pretty sure everybody will learn and have fun at the same time.

So, here we are! New things to explore!

Kisses,
Patty

Keep on making this blog happen!

Tips

Hello, everyone!

Here is an activity that can be used with interlink 6: http://www.onestopenglish.com/section.asp?catid=58134&docid=145091. By the way, do you have any video suggestions to share? My kids green group loved this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKfCyoNCUkM.

Küsse,
Mayara

Allow me one more post, please.

I guess we all agree that this term was particularly challenging for all of us. From the get go we had our minds set on keeping up high standards and overcoming what we understood were limitations which prevented us from total fulfillment.The bottom line is we made it and that certainly calls for celebration!Needless to say I am very proud of being part of such an outstanding team of diligent professionals. To be honest with you I think we've been the right people in the right place doing the right thing (most of the time, of course.). No one whom we have dealt with long enough can deny that fact, including our dear students, whose UNMASKED opinions finally surfaced in the recent polls.
Lord, that was about time!
For all such reasons I should tell you that it is exceedingly difficult to have to part with you, but... that's the way the cookie crumbles as our oversimplistic American pals would put it. The time has come for me to accept new challenges. Hopefully, as has been your case, dear friends,it is the right moment, the right place, and the right person.
You might be asking yourselves whether I have been given the sack. Please, hold your tears! I won't be around in Valqueire anymore because the branch in Madureira is, among other reasons, in the GMD category (geographically more desirable). And, as I have mentioned before, there is a less travelled road for me to traipse on right there...

Well, enough said!

Love you all dearly!
All the best!
Take care!
See you around!
Merry Xmas and a wonderful 2009!

Levi

What do you want for Christmas guys?

It's hard to be a teacher...

Events

Hi everybody!

The event "Once upon a time" was very good. The children had a great time there and so did the teachers. We're jus waiting for the photos. :)

Hi guys!

I'm taking part in 2008 Early Inset and we've been discussing about Multiple Intelligences. The main point is "How can our own multiple intelligences affect our lesson plans?" Well, a lot of people realised that they usually base their lessons on their own multiple intelligences. However, our students have their way of learning and we have to take that into consideration. As I see it, it's a good point to be discussed in a workshop.
What do you think about it?

Hi, folks.
Do you have any groups of CEX4? I've created a blog for two of my groups and one of my students gave me the idea of inviting more groups of the same level. What do you think?
See ya,
Dani

Food for thought (but you can make comments)

According to psychoanalysis, we see ourselves through others, as if they were holding up a mirror. Thus, students perceive themselves through their teachers.

What mirrors can a language teacher hold up to her/his students?

Sharing activities

Hi, guys.

Renata has designed great e-board activities for CEX. Go to teacher's corner and you'll find them. And let's share here the product of our creativity. ;-)

Kisses

New Adventure

This is the link to another class blog. I started this one with my Plus 4 from Mondays and Wednesdays, the class that has been with me for almost 2 years. As the kick off was on Monday, only one student joined the blog, but I'm very anxious to see how it is going to be. Especially because I'm going to connect the two blogs by podcasting. I haven't had any substantial idea, but I'm working on it and I accept suggestions.

Another thing that I have started doing with my classes is to avoid the constant teacher-dictionary in class. They sometimes ask words out of nowhere and I'm pretty sure that we've all been through this situation. As they are Basic 6, every class there is a task to find out the words they do not know in English. Today's class the word is "antepassados". We were talking about museums and a student came up with this word. As they did not know how to paraphrase or rephrase it, they had to look for it online and bring next class. It's working. Let's see if they start being more independent concerning their learning process.

I think that's all for today! And I'm pretty excited about this new semester, especially because I'll have the time to attend many classes and learn a lot from you!!

Cheers!!!

Long time no post

I believe it's about time we posted something new here.
Come on, folks! Let's start sharing whatever we've got!

Now Post and comment away!

Cheers fellas!
Levi

Peer Observation

Hello, everybody!
Last Tuesday, I attended Irlany's Cultura 3. It was simply wonderful. She links every single activity in a way that students do not even feel they are studying C7 or C8, I mean, a lesson. I also paid attention to how she conducts things to the Focus Box. She elicits everything before and, when she deals with the box, it's just to refer to the rules. Another thing that called my attention was giving them functions every time they needed to check exercises. She says things like: " Check if you agree or disagree and if your partner can help you with the ones you don't know" or " Check and, if you have different opinions, try to convince your partner about your choice". This is wonderful because students don't feel they are doing the same thing again: "checking". It was really good being there and I'm already putting it into practice. Thanks a lot, Irlany!
Bye
Dani

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Levi rocks!

I had the opportunity to sit at Levi's Cex4 and it was really great, specially because he taught the lesson I'm going to in a few days, and I'm thinking about stealing all about it! Obviously, my focus was on technology, and besides giving me the idea of using a video he has edited for that particular class, he told how to do it.
So, yeah, thanks a lot, dear. You really rock!
Irlany.

Stolen goods - The sequel

Hello, everyone!

Last Saturday I sat in on Irlany's CEX5 where I could find quite precious goods to steal.
She makes very wise use of tools and strategies such as different seating arrangements, in order to increase pace and maximise peer interaction, and the use of the daily agenda at varied moments during the class, aiming at both getting students involved and creating sense of achievement. Moreover, there's evident maximisation of opportunities so that conversation will keep permeating practically every activity in class. I simply had a great time observing that class!

Thanks a million, Irlany!

Your B5 blog

Hi Levi.

I really liked your B5 blog. It's really challenging.
From what I could see on the class I attended, you've got a very good group and what I saw on the blog is just the beginning. Keep on!

Stolen Goods

It's a shame that I only had opportunity to observe one class this semestre. However (making fun of Marcio's project in university!), it was just what I needed. Since I started teaching, I had the ridiculous idea that repetition (drilling) would be something absurd to perform in class. You all know I come from a place that does not believe in such practice and it was very difficult for me to ignore this belief when I started at Cultura Inglesa.
It was difficult, but not impossible. As Marcio pointed out, I was being kind of "shy" when drilling in my class. That's why I decided to observe Marcia Lessa's class. It was just what I needed to show me the way! The conduction of drillings not only helped students in pronunciation but also made the class dinamic. Students were participating even though they were from Cultura Express 2 and still have many things to learn.
It was a very nice experience. I'm not so shy anymore but I still think I have lots to learn from all of you. So, keep a desk open for me next semestre cause here I come!!!

Stolen Goods

Hi, folks! I'm finally in! It was really hard but I've made it! lol Well, I've attended Monique's class. It was an Express Master 2 and I wanted to know how a class of an avanced group functioned. Once I substituted Belo in this same group, as an Express Master 1, and everything was new for me. Execercises don't follow a sequence and you have to find out how to link them. I could do that but I wanted to check it out. So I attended her class and saw many good things. Besides observing what I previously wanted to see, I could also "steal" other things. For example, she not only points the mistakes after pair work but she writes them on the board and asks the students to correct them. It's very useful since some people need this visual contact. Moreover, she is really funny. She plays jokes, laughs and this builds up a nice atmosphere. Teacher and students believe each other. Sometimes I'm so worried about doing everything perfectly that I simply forget to have fun. After her class, I started paying attention to it, and now I try to take every opportunity to laugh with my students. Well, that's all!
See you!
Dani

How about a project like this one with our students?

Digital Immersion

You all know how crazy I am about different things. Since last semester I've been trying to start the blog project with one of my classes. It was very difficult to convince my students it would be a very pleasant way to practice English outside the classroom.
The Digital Immersion meeting we had in Madureira made me realize that we have to take the first step. So I decided to take a chance and one day, during the last 15 minutes of class, I created the blog with my students. I had already mentioned in class that we would have a Special Project and that was the one.
The first week was a disaster, I was the only one posting in the blog and only 3 of them had sent me the e-mail to include them as contributers. I decided to take the last 5 minutes of the following class to add everybody that was there. That way they wouldn't have any excuses for not posting.

Check out the results!!
Room 6

farewell, old chap!

We are most certainly going to miss Marcio. Not only because all this time he has made us feel fully supported, but also for having so many times displayed so much generosity and companionship...
Changes are usually permeated by this initial sense of loss and general discomfort, but in the long run we end up learning that it's been all part of a perfect plan to make us grow wiser and stronger.
So, instead of bidding you farewell, Marcio, I'd rather say "keep on truckin', dude!" You'd better believe it, we'll be there for you all the way!

nuf said!

Ok, I'm here!!!!

Good to make part of such nice group of people.

Cheers,
Ana

Stolen goods

Hi everybody!

I had the opportunity to attend Patrícia's and Cláudia's classes and it was a great experience. Their students seemed really confident and were involved in the activities. From those lessons I realised how important it is to create a nice atmosphere in class and how much students are able to produce if they feel comfortable and confident enough.

The First Step

My Plus 3 class got very excited about having a class blog and we have already started working on it. It's very simple, but with the students contributions I'm sure it'll be memorable, especially for them.

Have fun!

First Post (uhu!)

Hello, everybody!!!!!

We`re teachers from Cultura Inglesa Vila Valqueire and we`re here to share our class experiences and feelings towards language teaching. Feel free to comment and have fun with us!!!