Friday, December 25, 2015

My ELT Blog Challenge

This is actually not a large book - more like a booklet with very useful advice!
This was actually a book loan by my friend Sophia and I always forget to give it back to her!!!
I found it really interesting to read, I even made notes!
Here is a  look at the contents:
The author gives you valuable advice from where to put your desk in the classroom to use technology and make the best of your lessons.
A really good guide to new teachers, but also to people who want to improve their teaching.
It makes you reflect.... Do I do this? Why haven't I thought of this? This could actually work with these students!
I really loved the illustrations as well!

It's simple, to the point and motivating!!
Highly recommended!!



Thursday, December 24, 2015

Students evaluate...

My student John who drew this says he is always thinking that the teacher will be angry and shouting at him if he is not prepared!!
I have read a lot of articles how we should teach right, how we should not have a personal relationship with our students, how serious we have to be in the classroom and techniques to lead our students to success.
I have a really sill question to all this.
What is success? How do we measure it? And what makes a successful lesson?
I asked around.
Well most parents say that success is when their kids pass their exams or get high grades. Is that our teaching purpose though?
Personally my students' success in exams does not define me as a teacher.
What does define me is when I see them communicate with ease. When they remember stuff we have discussed and face challenges.
But still I had to wonder.
What is a good lesson according to my students?
So I asked them!
I asked them what they like and what they don't like about our lesson, if they are happy with themselves during the lesson, and what more they would like.

Everybody had the same answer in one of the questions.
They don't like grammar and the fact that they have to learn so much vocabulary! I expected that, to be honest...
One of my students expressed the fact that she feels relaxed and she is not afraid to be yelled at compared to other teachers while another loves the fact that we improvise stories while we are solving grammar exercises commenting on the people mentioned. i.g. "Maria had her purse stolen" - Poor Maria! She should have been careful! Did she have anything of value in the purse? And what did she do next? Did someone catch the thief?
My student Konstantina believes that this is how I would look like if I were a unicorn!!

Most of them love the fact that we use the laptop or the mobile phone to do stuff like interactive games, music, videos, even making our own videos and pictures and that we don't use the coursebook that often.
My young adults also like that we talk about things that you cannot actually find in books, like news, politics, current affairs, strange inventions etc.
Strangely enough, I didn't have any bad comments from my students, but they are MY students after all!!! I am sure that there are some parents who are not satisfied with my ways and have sought a more traditional and exam-oriented teacher.
Exam and certificate mania is something I have to fight every single day...

I'd love to find out what your students think of your lessons!

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