Surfing the net trying to find different ways for my students to study/memorize voacabulary, I came across this fantastic online fashcard programme - www.quizlet.com As they say quizlet is "...the largest flash cards and study games website with over 6 million free sets of flashcards covering every possible subject. It's the best place to play educational games, memorize vocabulary and study online." In fact, you can create sets of flashcards (with sound and pictures)with your own terms and definitions for your students, or you can ask students to do so. In case you have no time to create your own flashcards, you can choose from sets created by other users. Everything for free! Pretty amazing, isn't it? I was so curious to test it, I created this one:
Teenagers and music are inseparable. So it's always an excellent tool to use in the classroom to teach or revise both grammar and vocabulary, or just for fun. I posted some examples some time ago (click here to check). With songs students can practise the 4 skills: from a simple listening activity, or a reading comprehension, or even a debate, to a more elaborate writing activity, you just have to pick (or let them pick) the song. I've recently written about arousing student's imagination and creativity through art. Music is art too. So why not using it to stimulate creativity? Here are some ideas:
1. After listening to the song, ask students to create a new verse to it;
2. Ask students to find a photo which best describes the song lyrics;
3. If the topic of the song allows it, you can ask students to improvise a dialogue between the song writer and the character in the song. In this case, you have to make sure students understand the lyrics so as to feel confident enough to accomplish the task. Give them the timing and the setting to give it more meaning and make it easier (Coldplay'sScientist is a suitable song for this activity);
4. Have students write a letter/e-email to the main character (or the singer), or send an answer to the character referred to in the song;
5. "A song talk" - students usually have their favourite songs. Maybe they know interestings facts or stories to tell about their songs, so ask them to prepare a short talk;
6. If the song tells a story, you can challenge students to turn it into a cartoon story using Xtranormal or Goanimate;
7. Ask them to draw or collage the song and compare the visualizations in class.
Reflections and opinions on education in the 21st century. How do we teach? To what extent have we changed the way we teach so far? Are we teaching the same way we taught 10, 15 or 20 years ago? If it's the case, are we willing to change? How and what can we change? These are questions worth answering. I guess most of us teachers really want to adapt and adjust to these changing times, in which technology plays an important role. Students are no longer the same as the ones we taught years ago! Here are some videos on the subject. A must see! I hope you get inspired by them as I did.
I found this great free tool that allows anyone to create fully animated cartoons by choosing characters from scratch, props, backgrounds, audio and text. This could be a good tool to stimulate reluctant writers to animate a story, a text or a song in a creative way. I think the best way to describe GoAnimate is to have a look at their demo video below. Check it out here.
I sometimes use art (paintings or photos) in the classroom, because I think it’s a good way to stimulate student’s creativity (as important as any other skill), and bring something different to the English Language classroom. As the means to creativity is imagination, this one has to be carefully planned, structured and practiced. In addition, by developing students’ imagination we are providing them with different ways of learning, which is one of our teaching goals. Many teachers think activities that stimulate student’s imagination will be a source of indiscipline in the classroom, but that is not so. Sometimes students who do not use their imagination may become uninterested and misbehave. Thinking about or even creating art can be very motivating. It can take the emphasis off accuracy and put it onto fluency and the ability to clearly express thoughts and ideas. This is great for students whose progress in speaking is hindered by a fear of making mistakes.
So here are some examples of activities on two paintings (I couldn’t find the authors’ names. My apologies for that!). They were developed as speaking activities, but they can be used as writing ones too.
Activity -Imagine where this town is. -Is it a large one or a small one? Say why. -Where is everybody? -What kind of shops are there in this town? -Would you like to live there? Why (not)? -What do you feel when you look at this town? -Find a piece of music to go with this painting.
Painting two: to be used with 9th graders (Multiculturalism)
Activity -Compare the two paintings. What do they represent? -Where do these families come from? Where do they live? -Similarities and differences (9th grade) -Which is the happiest family? Why? -What feelings are conveyed in these two paintings? (9th grade) -Choose one of the paintings and write a short story about it.
Well, these are only two ideas to practise speaking and stimulate our students' imagination. You can also teach grammar using paintings. I love this topic. I'll get back to this subject with more ideas.
Meanwhile, I leave you with a talk on creativity by Sir ken Robinson. Sir Ken Robinson, PhD is an internationally recognized leader in the development of education, creativity and innovation. He is also one of the world’s leading speakers with a profound impact on audiences everywhere. So listen to his talk "Schools Kill Creativity" and enjoy!
Ever heard about Jing? If you havent't, give it a look - it's a great tool! Jing is a quick way of capturing images and videos (up to 5 minutes) of what you see on your own computer monitor. As a teacher, how can you use Jing? Here are some ideas: - You can create teaching tutorials as a learning tool. For example, explaining students a difficult grammar point; - you can make a video about vocabulary students have to know for a specific test, or for them to know how to pronounce these words; - you can highlight a webpage for your students; - you can give feedback on compositions (correction of mistakes). It’s time consuming though; - you can talk about a picture / describe a picture (students use Jing themselves). A good speaking activity! - you can talk about someone famous (students use Jing themselves) as a homework / project work. Also a good speaking activity! - you can read aloud. Students can choose a passage or a story to read, record it and then send it to the teacher. - you can create tutorials for working with new technologies.
Well, I'm sure you'll come up with other ideas. Enjoy learning!
