What do you think the featured image above is? What do you think this gadget was used for? Do you like the design? How old might it be? Do you think it was a failure or a flop back then? Display the image on a screen or else print a handful of copies with the image for the students to share and see and let … Continue reading museum of failure
I am a big fan of Padlet and similar web-based noticeboards. Basically these digital noticeboards allow users to place text, images, upload and embed videos or audio recordings and do team work on a given noticeboard. There are many tutorials on the Internet on how to use Padlet. I have my own but I’d rather not share here as you can find more updated ones … Continue reading Padlet: practical use #295
I absolutely embrace use of new technologies in the language classroom and time, research and experience have made a wiser teacher when it comes to integrating use of mobile phones and interactive whiteboard in the classroom setting. If I were to sum it in a short and direct way I would go along with these words: at times, in small doses and with a clear … Continue reading subtitles on/subtitles off
Today I would like to share a zero preparation activity that you can use as a warmer or to introduce a new discussion topic or a new unit from your adopted textbook series. Let’s take a look at this unit as an example. The focal vocabulary area in the first section (6.1. Have you ever been to Florida) centers around leisure time and activities. English … Continue reading 5 reasons
This is a very curious question that will surely prompt interest and participation amongst your learners. You may use this as an icebreaker to kick off your lesson or as part of a more elaborate plan by introducing useful expressions for the task. Ask your class if they have ever met a famous person. Then ask them if they ever exchanged any words with them. … Continue reading who’s the most famous person on your phone?
Linguist David Wilkins wrote in 1972: “Without grammar little can be conveyed, without vocabulary nothing can be conveyed”. Memorizing vocabulary is paramount to language competence and keeping vocabulary lists is a good way to consolidate it and provide spaced encounters and repetition. In this post, I will try to give you a few tips on how to keep vocabulary lists that you may want to … Continue reading vocabulary lists
There are many ways in which smartphones can be used in the language classroom -if they are allowed at all! Here I will focus on how we can take advantage of the camera tool to take photos in the classroom in order to be able to see things more clearly or more in detail or to move at different paces or simply for time efficiency … Continue reading smartphones 1
