Category Archives: Teacher Development

Lesson Planning: What Do You Know? – Part 2

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This is the 2nd part of my post on lesson planning. If you haven’t read through part 1 yet, there do that first. Click here for part 1.

In this part we’ll start with some of the unanswered questions in Part One. Concerning possible problems that may occur in some of the activities that you have planned for your lesson, it is a good idea to perhaps change the activity altogether or at least have an alternative. For example, if the activity in which students were asked to find 5 things that they had in common (an ice-breaking activity) it would be best to change it to one in which they discuss free time activities they like and dislike and then see what, if any, common ground there is.

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Lesson Planning: What Do You Know? – Part 1

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When I was training for the RSA Dip (currently the DELTA Diploma), the most useful lesson, the one that fundamentally changed the way that I had taught up to that point was ‘lesson planning’. Lesson planning gives direction and ultimately makes lessons more productive, interesting and professional.

What follows are a number of exercises which will help you see what you know about lesson planning. Tip: to make things easier, print this post out.

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Correcting Student Composition: Teacher Mindsets And Student Egos

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As a follow-up to my last post on using correction codes, I thought it was appropriate to look at little deeper into the whole task of correcting students’ work, especially in terms of how teachers relate to doing this ‘chore’.

Having spoken to many teachers over the years, not just EFL teachers, I get the fact that probably that correcting papers, especially at home, is probably very low on the totem pole of reasons why one decides to become a teacher. Still, it is a vital function of the teacher, and moreover, one that directly impacts our students’ creative efforts. So, we should tread lightly and give some thought to our mindset when doing this.

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Using Correction Codes: Saving your students from going down with their ‘slips’ in a sea of red ink!

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How often has this happened to you? You sit down with your one of your students (read: certificate exam candidates in Greece) and review an essay he or she has produced, and you have subsequently corrected. At one point, you come to a bit of text that you had previously underlined, and perhaps had inserted a question mark or ‘WTF’, in order to question the student on confusing point he oe she had made. You explain to the student that you aren’t quite sure what this part means. The student responds something along these lines: “Yes, what I meant to say was … uh …”, or “What don’t you get? I thought it was obvious…”, or perhaps “Come on! Anyone who reads it will know what I mean!”, or maybe even “Hello!? Do I have to fill-in the blanks for you?”

In my case, after pestering the student to provide more details, I might suggest, “That was a marvelous explanation! Why didn’t you write it down in the first place?”, or “Yes, well I understand what you mean now, because you just explained it to me. However, when someone else reads this, or an examiner grades your paper, you aren’t going to be able stand next to him and explain all that. You have to write it down so that he can see it and understand it in the first place!”

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Thinking About Using A Song?

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Note: This article was written by our deal colleague and friend, Steve Vassilakopoulos.

The aim of this article is to get you thinking. That is, thinking about the use of songs in the teaching of English. To start with, the first thing to think about is you and music. How often have you used songs? Why is this so? Are songs a regular part of your teaching repertoire? If so, why or why not? Why do you use songs anyway? Are songs a part of what you are teaching on that particular day, a part of your lesson plan so to speak or do you use them as a break from the boring but necessary material you normally use? Which songs do you choose and why? Do you choose the songs or do your students have a say in the matter?

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Creating Tests With Your Students

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A necessary part of exam preparation, testing needn’t mean hours of slaving away to produce the definitive paper, or using pre-written models which often don’t really explore problematic areas. Instead, testing can become part of the learning process, rather than merely a 30 minute window on your students’ progress. It’s easy!

Imagine you have ten B2 (or above) level students. Find ten suitable newspaper articles, appropriate in content and reach, based ideally on ten different topics which you wish to explore during the course. Photocopy the articles and give a different copy to each student. Allow students in class reading time and go through content, problematic vocabulary and contextual issues that may arise.

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Inspiration from afar from those who play guitar!

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It’s often been said that inspiration can come from the strangest of sources. Some years ago, inspiration for my teaching came in the form of a practical article on methodology titled “99 Ways to PLAY BETTER NOW”. No, it wasn’t an EFL or ESL related article. In fact, it was an article that appeared in ‘Guitar Player‘ magazine (May 2006). The piece was a compilation of tips on “tone, technique and creativity“ passed down by guitar playing idols. You see, one of my colleagues and I play together in a makeshift guitar band, so I’m always on the lookout for interesting articles which will help me be a better guitar virtuoso… not that I have any inclination of giving up my teaching career! Well, at least not yet!

While reading these musical pearls of guitar wisdom, it occurred to me, being the reflective practitioner I am, that there was even some wisdom to be gleaned and applied generally to my teaching practice. So the following, dear colleagues, are some of my abstract connections between the world of guitar playing and the world of teaching. I encourage you all to find your own sources of inspiration from interests or hobbies you enjoy, even if they, at least on the surface, have nothing to do with teaching. After all, what is professional development without personal development and vice versa? And, please remember as always that teaching, like guitar playing, is an art!

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Classroom Dismanagement

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As a teacher trainer, I often enter a classroom, observe a class that a trainee conducts, make notes and then discuss what happened. One of the elements that we discuss, is the trainee’s class management skills. The following account is what I would describe as ‘typical’ of trainees who go into the classroom with very little experience and with a somewhat incomplete grasp of what classroom management means in practice.

Following the account below are my comments and advice given to the trainee. The trainee (who is now a working teacher) was informed of this article and has agreed for it to be published. The name of the ex-trainee has been withheld. For practical purposes, I’ll call her ‘Sheila’.

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On free thought, free expression and free association

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Edward Lear: A Book of NonsenseEdward Lear was a master of ‘absurdest humor’ and was especially known for his nonsense verse and limericks, the latter of which he is credited with inventing. Edward Lear was also an illustrator and, of course in every sense of the word, an artist. Art is a form of an expression. And, expression is good, for with out it we are left with only silence and ultimately we become victims of repression.

Repression, of course, can be externally imposed by institutions of a political or social nature. But self-repression is yet another ugly form of the beast. When we begin swallowing our feelings or thoughts on a regular basis, we risk adopting passive-aggressive tendencies. Overtime, pressure builds and we ultimately lash out in perhaps less than appropriate ways. When this happens, it is for our anti-social behavior that we become most remembered for, rather than our moments of reserve.

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Time For Some Green Thinking

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When was the last time you hugged a tree? Like me, your answer is probably “never”. When was the last time you breathed? Dumb question, huh? Well, at least you know a little bit more about me now. I am not a tree-hugger, but I do recognize that trees give off the oxygen we need to sustain ourselves and our environment … which it seems may be turning against us.

Over the past few years, awareness of environmental issues has been heightened. From the shrinking polar ice caps and extreme weather phenomena to Al Gore and his team’s winning of the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts “to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change”, and for laying the “foundations for the measures that are needed to counteract such change”. With the media banging the gong of environmental awareness, perhaps this trend is the harbinger of “green” change in our classrooms. Perhaps, but then there has always been resistance to change in education.

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