Thursday, August 29, 2013

Let's go la la la!!!



Recently I discovered this wonderful song! When I first listened to it, I thought it was a bit silly, but when I watched the video, I know there was something more into it and I could use it with my students. (B2 level and upwards)
Lesson plan:

  • Show the video to the students
  • prepare Wh- questions (Who? Where? What? How? etc)
  • Let the students speculate what is happening in the story
  • Give the song-text to the students. 
  • Who is the singer referring to?
  • Ask students if they block negative people / feelings and how 
  • Have them speculate what happens in the end... (the video clip has an open ending)
  • As homework ask students to find the story behind the video and have them present it to the rest of the class (they can use traditional carton and pictures or a power point presentation - it's up to them )

Notes: The video story is based on a Bolivian legend, it has to do with the fight against evil (negative people) and you can also compare it with the "Wizard of Oz", so you have endless possiblilites
(i.g. Show the movie to the students, ask them to compare the video clip of the song with the film, which character is which etc)
Whatever you do, have fun!



 

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

FL Forum (August 2013) - Dicussion Panel: Common mistakes teachers make: Thoughts


First ELT event of the year and most of us teachers in my hometown were there.
It's really nice to meet colleagues and see what's in the book market. It's a way of preparing for the new year, it's a tradition.
The FL Forum started with a very interesting Panel discussion on "Common Mistakes Teachers Make"
Among the speakers"
  • Dr Luke Prodromou
  • Maria Sachpazian
  • David Gibson
  • Anna Parisi
  • George Vassilakis
  • Patritsia Anrioti
All these very experienced trainers have talked about lesson planning, teacher talking time, observation, instructions, teacher sentence completion, whether teachers should be friends with their students.

I thought I should say how I feel about these subjects.
  • First of all, I totally agree with Luke Prodromou, when he says that there are no mistakes when we are learning to become good teachers. We are human after all. Everybody makes mistakes. The important thing is to learn from your mistake and become a better person-teacher.
  • There are no rules what we should or we should not do. You have to adapt to the situation actually.
  • Talking about lesson planning, in my opinion, it is important, BUT, sometimes plans fall apart. Of course we cannot think of everything that might happen in our classroom - the magic word for me is ADJUST!
  • Clear instructions ARE important as Maria Sachpazian said - we have to ask the students how they feel, if they know what the activity is about, but never ask if they understand! The answer to this question is always yes, no matter if they have actually understood or not!!
  • Another common mistake teachers make is completing the students sentences. We don't let the students express themselves, if they don't answer immediately, we just reveal the answer ourselves. As George Vassilakis said, we teachers must come to terms that there will be silence in the classroom. This doesn't necessarily mean that they don't know, maybe they are processing the data!
  •  Friendship with the students was also mentioned as a minus. I don't actually agree with that, and I will explain why. In the past 5 years I do not work in a classroom. I give private lessons, this means that I go to their home, spend lots of hours with them mostly in their room, I meet their parents, their siblings, their friends, it is unavoidable not to develop a friendly relationship with them. Of course, this does not suggest that I will go to a club dancing with them, but it is very important for me that they trust me, not only as a teacher but as a person as well. For me a teacher is a second parent, a friend.
I would like to stress that what I have written is based on my notes and what I believe on the subjects and not the entire opinions of the speakers.
Today was a very interesting morning !

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Resources for our first lessons!!


The time has come at last and most of us will start preparing for our new classes soon!
Here are some sites that might help us plan our lessons and make them more interesting!!
in German:
There are so many  sites and pages and blogs and I am sure there are plenty more ideas!!! And more importantly: You DON't - I repeat - you DON'T have to use a book!!!!!

Friday, August 23, 2013

Αργίες


Αυτο το post έχει γίνει παράδοση τα τελευταία χρόνια και από ότι ακούω πολλοί μαθητες το περιμενουν!!!
Οπότε ξεκινάμε!!!!
Λοιπόν!!!!
  • 28η Οκτώβρη πέφτει Δευτέρα οπότε ετοιμαστείτε για τριήμερο, μην πω τετραήερο, μια που η γιορτη στα σχολεια θα γίνει Παρασκευη!! (Τα μαθήματα μαζί μου θα γινουν κανονικα Παρασκευή οπότε ΜΗ χαίρεστε!!)
  • 17 Νοέμβρη Κυριακή.... Κρίμααααααα....
  • Παραμονή Χριστουγέννων Τρίτη!!!! Hurray! Κοιτάξτε να δείτε, Σαββατοκύριακο ελεύθερο, γιορτη΄στο σχολείο Δευτέρα, διακοπές απο Τρίτη 24 μέχρι Τρίτη 7 Γενάρη (Αι Γιαννιού) Μάλλον 2,5 εβδομάδες μου φαίνεται φέτος!!!! 
  • Τριών Ιεραρχών Πέμπτη.... οκ μικρό διάλειμμα ...
  • Καθαρή Δευτέρα 3 Μαρτίου
  • 25η Μαρτίου, είναι Τρίτη, φαντάζομαι γιορτή την Δευτέρα - εγω Δευτέρα ΚΑΝΟΝΙΚΑ μην ξεχνιόμαστε!!
  • Πάσχα 20 Απριλίου, άρα διακοπές από 12 Απριλίου εως 27 Απριλίου και μετα περίπου 3 εβδομάδες μάθημα εως τις εξετάσεις...
  • Πρωτομαγιά Πέμπτη, εντάξει, μόλις γυρίσετε απο τις διακοπές του Πάσχα, ας ξελαμπικάρουμε για τελευταία φορα!!
Άντε και καλή χρονιά!!!

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Books? Why not??

Well, it's not so bad reading a book, is it?
Writing my last blog about how you can use books with your students, I remembered that some years ago, I organized a movie-book project with my students, where they had to present in writing or in video what their favourite book was and why!
Here are some examples:
Konstantina - A1 level
Helen B1 level
Juna  C2 level
Artemis C2 level

Students' work does not have to be published on the internet or be recorded in video. You can collect their written work and make a poster for you classroom, invite parents for live book presentations, where students' work is on display!!
Happy teaching

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

30 Goals Challenge: Goal 11: Bulid a Teacher's Survival Kit #30GoalsEdu

A lot of us start this school year soon and we all have some items that we always carry with us, or if you are a new teacher, maybe you are wondering what stuff you have to bring in order to survive!!
Let me share my list with you:
  1. Teacher diary/ agenda: I have a paperback, but you can also use a digital one. To tell the truth, I couldn't live  without one! This is where I keep my schedule, contact list of my students, notes, ideas,.... just everything!!!
  2. A lesson plan: Never leave without a lesson plan. It doesn't have to be a detailed one, just know what you have to do with your classes!
  3. Plan B: Sometimes things do not go as planned! Always have some extra activities and games with you in case you have extra time or if something goes wrong!
  4. Paper / cartons / clay / scissors : Especially if you work with young children! They just love making things!
  5. Markers / colored pencils: young students love coloring and drawing and older students need colors if you want to get their attention
  6. post-it's: For your notes and things to do!
  7. iPhone /i pad / laptop/ notebook: Well technology is in our lives, so you can use these devices to watch videos, listen to songs, do online activities, do projects with your students with apps, play games, use it as a dictionary, take photos and videos
  8. pain-killers: I don't like pills but you have to have an aspirin in case you get a sudden headache!
  9. A snack: something with carbohydrates to give you energy
  10. Patience, energy and creativity: You cannot teach without those!!!
Trying Shelly's idea, I used Glogster to make a photo-collage!!!

Have fun teaching!!!

You are what you read!!

Talking with Shelly yesterday, we somehow developed the idea of reading books and what we can do with our students.
It does not have to be a long difficult book, just give them something to read , for example a story, an article, or they can also choose what they want to read.
Then give them questions like the ones in the picture( what is the story about, why are they reading it etc)  and have them present what they have read.
The presentation can be in writing as an essay, but also orally, maybe you can have a book club one a month or so and have the students talk about the book (or story, article etc) in front of their classmates.
Presentations like this can also be performed at the end of the year (again, you can have a kind of end-of-the year celebration) and invite parents, teachers and students form other classes and exchange ideas.
Most of all, have fun reading!!!

Making leaflets




One of my students yesterday, took the initiative to make a leaflet about an aquarium she had visited during the summer!
I just loved the idea, first of all because I hadn't asked for it, so it was a pleasant surprise.
This can actually be  one of the first assignments of the school year, since most of the students have visited places during the summer
This one is hand made, my student put some pictures together in groups and wrote some information about the opening hours, the exhibits and what can somebody actually see and do in a place like this.

You can use technology or not, it depends how familiar your students are with it, but even if they are not, I am not disappointed, because they do use the language and they do something interesting and creative at the same time!

Some guidelines how to make a leaflet:
  • First of all you gather information about your subject (the place, the history etc) and some photos that you can use on your computer or just print them (or cut them from a magazine etc) and glue them on your paper or carton.
  • Then try to make a draft of your text. Every paragraph has to focus on something different (visuals help you to change subject). Try not to write exactly what you have read from your sources (internet, newspaper, even a tourist leaflet)
  • Do a layout. Make a sketch on how your leaflet would look like.
  •  (optional) Design your leaflet on your computer. Try using MS Word, it is simple to type and import pictures.
  • If you don't want to use a computer, get down to work. Use colored papers or cartons, markers, colorful pictures and be really careful with your handwriting!
Good luck and have fun!!!

Monday, August 19, 2013

Interview with Shelly Terrell on the #30GoalsEdu












Well, although I have been interviewed before, this time I was really nervous. I disappointed myself actually, since I wanted this so badly! I was really comfortable when I was talking to Shelly off line and when she told me we're on the air, I completely lost it .....
I do hope I get my message across, in spite of my mistakes and my nervousness!!!

Friday, August 9, 2013

Sky is the limit... with a little planning of course!!!!





I thought I could write something different than the 30 Goals challenge, but I am going to write about goals again!
Summer is ending so both teachers and students should start getting ready for the following school year.
So what I always do is make a list with the things I have to do or I want to do, so I can make my life easier when I start work!

  • Check on the stationary, pens, pencils, erasers, markers and everything else I am going to need during the year
  • Clean my bookshelves. Every single school year there are books that I don't need, because an exam has changed or a newer version has come out. There is no need to keep unnecessary things. Recycling is a good idea.
  • Make a list of the students/classes - levels I am going to teach the following year.
  • Decide on new books, materials, sites I am going to use. I always adjust to my students needs afterwards, but it's always nice to have an initial plan.
  • Visit a big book-stationary store and browse around - buy what is needed (this has become a tradition)
  • Buy a new diary (for my schedule and lesson plans of the day)
  • Write a blog about this year's holidays!!!! (all my students ask for it)
Of course I never stick to the plan. It is just nice to know that you want to be organized.
So, after all this boring organizing stuff....
Just BE creative
 and
 SKY is the LIMIT!!!



30 Goals Challenge: Goal 10: My book print #30GoalsEdu


This time I was really excited about the subject. One great thing about this blog challenge is that we get to vote the Goals and decide on what we are going to write about! I suggested "My Book print" and I am so happy to see that most of the people who take part in this voted for it!!!

Let me explain what a book print actually is: "A list of books that leave an indelible mark on our lives, shaping who we are and who we become"

When I was still at college, we had to read a list of books, one of these books was "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka.
When you start to read it, it gives you a sense of depression, but in my opinion, all these negative feelings can be turned into hope for the future....
The book is about Gregor Samsa, a traveling salesman, who  wakes up in his bed to find himself transformed into a large insect.

This transformation was not a punishment of some kind. It happened because sometimes things .... happen. The story is about the reaction of himself and his family to this terrible transformation.
Gregor's body and mind are not in harmony. He cannot adjust to his monstrous situation.
His family also have ambiguous feelings towards him. They feel both sympathy and revulsion towards him. In the end sympathy wears down and they all feel uncomfortable around him.
He becomes emotionally alienated. He feels imprisoned in his own home, estranged since he has no communication to the others... until he dies.

Why do I like this book? In the beginning I felt uncomfortable, it was really depressive to feel the agony of the character, the feeling that he is unwanted because he has changed.
But during the past years I realized that:
LIFE IS SHORT
and
LIFE GOES ON for the people left behind

So we should not feel bad about anything happens to our lives. Adjustment is something that we all should embrace.
Live the moments and MAKE A DIFFERENCE while you can!!!!

You can download the book over here
Book analysis over here

Sunday, August 4, 2013

30 Goals Challenge: Goal 9: Send a future message #30GoalsEdu

This challenge reminded me of something I used to do with my classes (when I was still working at language schools)
The first weeks of school are always difficult for both teachers and students. New class maybe, new faces, different level of what we have taught before... New faces, new characters, maybe we do not know each other. It's a phase of adjustment.

So, after a few "get-to know" games with my students, this is what I do:
We talk about what we want to accomplish the following year. What the students expect from the teacher, what they expect from their fellow students, what they expect from themselves. The teacher also expresses him/herself about what he/she wants to achieve. This conversation can be in English (if the language level of the students is high enough) or even in the native language of the students. I think this is very important, if the class wants to co-operate as a team.

These "future goals" can be written by each student on paper. They can write, sketch, draw, as long as they express their goals. The papers go into small bottles and are hung on a wall or put somewhere, where the students can see them all year long.
When the school year is over, we make a small celebration, we open the bottles, read our goals again, see what we have accomplished, discuss problems and successes and set new goals for the next year.
The bottle is a future message to ourselves ... a way to make ourselves better....
It's a way to make us all think how we are, what we want to change and how we want to be....


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