Writing together – collaborative writing tasks for elementary learners (Cambridge English Blog)

[ELTWeekly Volume 7, Issue 15 | July 27, 2015 | ISSN 0975-3036]

Collaborative writing can ease the initial difficulties elementary writers have when asked to bring their own ideas onto paper. Here are some of the collaborative writing tasks I rely on in my classroom:

In person, place, type of story, the students use cards in three different colours and describe:

  • the main character of the story by name, age, job etc.
  • the place where the story unfolds. It can be anywhere and students are encouraged to be specific, e.g. a restaurant in a run-down neighbourhood of Chicago.
  • a type of story: love, crime, fantasy, disaster, science fiction, etc.

(more…)

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Laura Patsko’s Tips for Teaching Pronunciation (Cambridge English Blog)

[ELTWeekly Volume 7, Issue 15 | July 27, 2015 | ISSN 0975-3036]

1. Make sure you teach pronunciation!
First and foremost on this list of top tips: don’t be afraid of teaching pronunciation! It isn’t just a ‘nice to have’. It affects all areas of language learning – for example, there is evidence that strong reading skills and good phonological awareness go hand in hand.

2. Don’t just teach occasional ‘pronunciation lessons’.
It’s important – and not difficult – to integrate pronunciation throughout the syllabus. For example:

  • always drill new vocabulary items;
  • invite students to compare how they would pronounce something with what they have just heard in a listening clip;
  • invite students to identify words in a reading text that contain a particular sound.

(more…)

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Six ways to boost classroom participation: Part 1 – Using peer observation (OUP Blog)

[ELTWeekly Volume 7, Issue 15 | July 27, 2015 | ISSN 0975-3036]

 “When we originally went to the moon, our total focus was on the moon, we weren’t thinking about looking back at the earth. But now we’ve done it, that may have been the most important reason we went.” – reported by David Beaver, co-founder of Overview Institute.

Similarly, when we go into the classroom, as teachers, our total focus is to help our students to learn. But unlike the astronaut, who was quoted, many of us fail to look back. We can become so focused on the job of teaching that we don’t reflect often enough on how we can develop ourselves.

Let’s consider a question. What’s your ultimate goal as a teacher? Many would say they want to help their students be the very best they can be. However, the reality that many language teachers face is that they cannot always engage their students in what they are teaching. They feel they have to teach to the test, or cannot cover everything in the book in the time allocated. Not enough feel like they may be ‘making a difference’. (more…)

Continue ReadingSix ways to boost classroom participation: Part 1 – Using peer observation (OUP Blog)
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