Videos in the language classroom.

There are many aids we can use to make teaching classes productive, such as songs, adapted texts, realia, videos, consult books, etc. It is our responsibility to use properly and get the best of them in a single session.

Videos are now more present in the language classroom than they were some decades ago. They now take an important role in a class to a point where they can the center of it. Because they include images, sound and some even text, videos are the perfect tool to reach every single student in a group.

Videos, videos, videos 

. . .

By using video in class it is not implied to see just anything. Videos are to promote, reinforce or foster learning, their primary function is not to entertain but to help meeting and a language objective, however if they amuse and make learners have a good time, it is much better.

There are videos designed for teaching and real life videos; either one will fulfill its function as long as the teacher prepares it to take the best advantage of it. The first have characters speaking at an understandable pace and are designed for specific objectives. The latter can fulfill more than one objective –depending on the teacher- and the pace of their speakers varies.

Any video to be used in class must be carefully selected. Content, level of language and the speed of the speakers, available subtitles, time, among other characteristics shall be considered when choosing a video. The length will be decided by the teacher, from few seconds up to 20 minutes, a good session succeeds or fails depending on what happens around the viewing. Once it is chosen, the video session must be planned in three stages: pre-viewing (preparing for the video), viewing and post-viewing (reflection or work related to what was seen). 

From Toddlers to Adults

Videos can be used at any level; it is up to the teacher to select wisely for the group, their preferences, their ages, their context. It can be considered sometimes that little children could not benefit from a video because they may lack the necessary language to understand everything but that will only depend on what the teacher want to achieve. Very young learners will not be asked to translate what the people said, rather they will asked comprehension questions; they can see videos that contain only images and music or sounds. 

Teenagers and adults enjoy watching all kinds of movies or funny videos rather than just watching the course video, among the obvious things, because understanding them gives them a sense of achievement and triggers their curiosity.

Adaptations.

It is always advisable to go beyond boundaries and create original videos. It can be as simple as a slide presentation, puppets acting out, images of texts with read in voice off, collages of other videos, lyrics of a song, commercials, image-illustrated radio spots, etc. It only requires dedication and passion. Imagination is the limit.

Memories!!

We did it!!! I'm so happy I met you and proud we achieved this, together, laughing and supporting each other. I love you all!!!

After our last class with teacher Celia!!!

With our t-shirts! Nice, cute presents from teacher Xavier!!

                                                                  

Sing and sing: Teaching methods

Sing and dance Shakira style!!!

Sing: Teaching methods

Sing about the teaching methods!!!

wicked webquest

Here is an example of a webquest. It is designed for teenagers/(young) adults learning English. It guides them to discover and use the target language as they have fun.

Websites: choose one and use it in class

We are all used to making lesson plan and most of the times we hate but let's admnit they work. Well, there seems to be a lesson plan for everything and here you can see one for a website. Don't forget to give a quick look on the ideas about choosing an appropriate website.

Websites evaluation and use in class from sheilablabla

Teaching with technology-The Future

Teaching with technology is a common tendency that evolves so fast that soetimes is hard to keep up with it.

Technology should be a natural part of the classroom and we must do our best to be updated by constantly browing sites, bookmarking them or sharing and exchanging with friends.

It is necessary to know about the online, mobile and virtual possibilities to learn so we know what awaits for us.

The future from sheilablabla

Make a puzzle

Make a puzzle!!! Choose a picture, choose the size of the pieces and your puzzle is done!!!

It very fun and useful. Check it out!!

What type of teacher are you?

Certainly there are more kinds of teachers:
a) the bipolar
-SILENCE!!!!! … Why don’t you participate???
b) the forgetful
-Are you sure you already gave me your essay?
c) the biographical
-There we were, my friends and I when suddenly …
d) the philosophical
-What is the text about? Where are the people in the conversation? What is implied in the speaker’s tone of voice?
e) the detective
-Your friends said you went to the movies with them. So, care to explain WHY you didn’t do the homework?
f) the jealous
-This is as important as the other things you do!
Any resemblance with reality is purely coincidental … xD

Beneficial skills to improve English proficiency and exercises to better at them

A skill is a learned capacity that allows us to achieve a goal by using little effort for a positive result. Based on this, each of us have different skills for a variety of activities in our lives. We have the skill to cook a meal for four in less than an hour, to fix a dress with a broken hem (or a blouse without a button) 5 min. before leaving, to make ourselves (us, girls) look nice when we only have lipstick at hand, to repair a leaking faucet when we only have Teflon tape (the guys). Life gives us many skills through the years and our experiences and we sharpen and improve those skills thanks to practice and repetition.

Work and study skills

The same, there are other skills we develop to succeed in other areas, such as work or study. Concerning work, the skills we learned come in time and sometimes they are a result of hard training (provided by the work place or on our own initiative) and advice from colleagues. They have to do with understanding work-related documents, setting objectives and determining the strategies required to reach them, prioritizing ideas and exposing them to be proactive, identifying problems and proposing solutions, etc.

But, what about study? Rarely are we provided with training to study. Study skills are those learned capacities related to success in school and they are associated with having good grades and believed to be essential to learning in a person’s life.

Well, they do have to do with how well we do in school and thus how well we might do in our professional life. Since every person has a different learning style, we might develop some skills easier and/or faster than others. Maybe those who are auditory learners have a good listening skill, while those who are visual might struggle with such a skill.

… so?

Let’s not panic! It’s not like we are hopeless. This does not mean we cannot have, in time, a good listening skill, no, not at all. This only means that we have to work a little bit harder improving that skill in which we know we are weak.

How to know it? First we would have to go back in time and try to recall those school situations in which we did not do so great and see if they have something in common, i.e. if they were related to something we had to listen but did not understand; or some report we had to do from a text but could not do. That way we can spot the study skill we need to improve. Once identified, we need to start an action plan to be better at it. If it is listening, well, expose ourselves to audio texts and take notes, understand intonation, etc.

Some pointers

As for me, visual learner, I know I have trouble with my reading skill and through the years -not many, I’m not that old- I have worked on getting better at it, probably not to the point of loving reading, but at least to performing better in tasks that involve it; so let me give some ideas in case you are in the same situation.

Let’s say you identified your weak skill and found out that it is the reading one, like me, what to do next? Practice. Yes. Practice makes perfect, right? Whenever you have the opportunity, take the time to read, it does not have to be a book per week, not even a chapter per week; it might just be a short paragraph, they important is what you do with it.

      Read the paragraph (one you selected from a book, a magazine, a newspaper or even a brochure), try to get what its main idea is; identify the important points in it.

      Having trouble with words you don’t know (whether it is in your own language or a foreign one)? Do not stop reading to rush for the dictionary, do not open a new tab on your computer to ask Wikipedia; try to connect the ideas in the paragraph and deduce meaning from context.

      You want to read more but are running out of time? Skim the following two or three paragraphs to get the idea of what awaits in your next reading-time.

      Share. Take notes of what you read and share it with someone else, this way not only will you realize how much you understood from the text but also exchange opinions and points of view with others.

      Go further. Out of those notes you take, what about writing a synthesis? It will allow you to see clearer the contents of the text and evaluate them or comparing them to something you have read before.

If you consider these ideas, as I do, you might find that improving a study skill is easier than you think, it will be beneficial for your academic life and it will contribute to your professional life. So, what about giving it a try?

ESP courses: out-of-classroom trends

You might remember we were once the kind of kids that would do anything to know more about their favorite singer/actor/soccer player: we would buy magazines and make cut-out albums; we would record our favorite songs to learn them by heart and tell our friends all about it (those days!). So, why don’t we do that concerning English? We may know a lot about English but there sure are some areas we know only so little about. Whether it is vocabulary related to our occupation or vocation (anything related to improve our professional performance), there are several sources of information at reach and the best part: we can make our own learn-it-yourself program, or buy customized on-line courses or even bring the class into our own space.

Multimedia offers us access to different information in varied forms: recorded, played or displayed with specific devices. That is what we should take advantage of: the opportunity to learn the English we need for those specific purposes we pursue. Podcasts, videos, games, puzzles, blogs, forums; we can organize them according to our scheduled, carry them with us, comment on them and play them as we please. We can be in total control of what we learn.

It changes the way you see your free time because you realize that by listening to songs, watching funny videos or replying to someone’s question, not only do you have a good time but also learn. All you need is a little disposition and the will to improve your knowledge.

Not the best option for those who cannot work independently or by goals.

There was a time where it was possible to learn anything, and the fact that the information and the learner were in different place, was no obstacle. The Postal Service made it possible for people to learn to draw, to even become a taxidermist. Well, years go by and this practice has not disappeared, it has just got modern. We can train ourselves to learn the target English we need to succeed in life, just by giving a few clicks.

Specialized software is designed to provide us with information, which is dosified by modules or units of learning. Highly qualified people offering assistance, simulations of real situations, recording-yourself activities; are some of the characteristics of this new version of distance education. Before, you just needed a Zip Code, now you just need internet access.

  Not suitable for those who have no internet access or a low budget.

-Would you like to have the newest silver cutlery set without having to go to the store? We bring it to you!

Door-to-door sales were once very popular because they offered you the chance to have what you needed without leaving your house. The newest items brought to your door.

Specific English, just the kind you need, can be learnt and you do not have to go to school; it is brought to you workspace, along with assessment, training and consultation. The nine-to-five life can now have a different connotation: it will not only be about working, but also about learning, which will lead to success or a promotion.

        Not advisable for those who are a bit disorganized and are always behind schedule.