My students say the absolute minimum

This is great adivce to the language teacher! I certainly agree with everything here but I am a little weary of giving stickers unless it is given sparingly. My answer to the forth point is to tell jokes in class if you are the teacher, particulary jokes that involve both L1 and L2 words. It could help students remember certian vocabulary if it is presented in a pun. But don’t overdo it though. My colleauges can attest to this!

OUPELTGlobal

Zarina Subhan, an experienced teacher and teacher trainer, tackles the second of our Solutions Speaking Challenges: “My students say the absolute minimum”.

I find myself in the classroom in an unfamiliar position. It’s not the fact that I’ve given up teaching that makes this a new experience for me. It is the fact that I’m a student again. I’m learning Spanish and am sitting behind the desk, no longer the decision-maker who tells the learners what to do, but the student awaiting instructions and wondering if I understood them.

I’m rediscovering how uncertain, vulnerable and anxious it can feel to be a language student. Most of the reading, writing, listening, speaking and (most importantly) thinking in the target language (TL) happens in the classroom. I know I am there to improve my language; my motivation as an adult learner is high, yet I have to admit I could speak…

View original post 657 more words

Are flashcards effective? フラッシュカードで語彙を覚えるかどうか

Via: Voxy Blog

Common Writing Mistakes

See on Scoop.it – Computer Aided Language Learning

English is full of traps, even for native speakers. Fall into one of them, and most people won’t notice or care if it is spoken English. In writing though, especially when you sit for exams, things are more complicated.

See on www.teachers-corner.co.uk

MAJ: Best Moodle Innovation Award ベスト・ムードル・イノベーション賞について

See on Scoop.it – Computer Aided Language Learning

Peter Parise‘s insight:

Planning to go to this conference. Hope to learn a lot since I am new to Moodle.

See on moodlejapan.org

子ども中心ではじめる英語レッスン・Teaching English to Children in Asia

子ども中心ではじめる英語レッスン・Teaching English to Children in Asia

Cover of English Version

I think if there was ever a more influential book out there for teaching EFL in Asia this text written by David Paul is the one. It is my personal favorite.

In the early days of my teaching career when I was fresh and in need of some guidance, this book lead the way for me especially when I had to teach younger children. The best part about it is the philosophy: child-centered learning over teacher-centered learning. Is the ideal teaching situation one where the students are told what to learn or is it discovered on their own in the right conditions? How do we deliver content and at the same time encourage our students to “discover” English and not be too dependent on the teacher at the same time?

This text, along with others, will be based on a workshop I will teach at the Kanagawa Institute of Language and Culture in the Summer of 2014. One will focus on the elementary school context.  I hope I can shed light on some of these questions in my workshop. The focus will also be on how to conduct cooperative language learning as well.

If you click the link you can find a copy but strangely the Japanese translation of this text is out of print, which makes me wonder how it was received in Japan.

The Ultimate Guide To Infographics | Edudemic

See on Scoop.it – Computer Aided Language Learning

An excellent guide to Infographics: a blend of data and design to presnet information in a visual form. This appoach is a more accesable way to communicate because, as Mark Smiciklas, author of the book The Power of Infographics: Using Pictures to Communicate and Connect with Your Audiences, states; vision accounts for 50% of the brains functions.

What I like about this article is the discussion about its applications for education with some links to how to apply it in your classroom.

See on edudemic.com

Memory Enhanced by a Simple Break After Reading — PsyBlog

See on Scoop.it – vocabulary learning

I wonder how often we give our students a chance to consolidate what they learn, especially when it comes to vocabulary etc.

If you find it difficult to remember what you’ve read, try this easy technique.

See on www.spring.org.uk

Stereotypes and Intercultural Communication

These two ideas have opened a new world for me, and while I am mostly focused on teaching language and pedagogy the challenge of teaching about stereotypes, especially in the Japanese context has been quite refreshing for me. If you look at the reference page for a workshop I and Professor Miyuki Iida collaborated on August 7th, 2012 for the Kanagawa Institute of Language and Culture, you can find a list of references for both theoretical ideas behind intercultural communication, plus practical sources for approaching it in the language classroom as well.

Confusion Helps Us Learn: Scientific American Podcast

See on Scoop.it – Computer Aided Language Learning

Really interesting article that challenges our assumptions about learning.

See on www.scientificamerican.com

The Top 100 Language Learning Blogs Competition | Foreign …

See on Scoop.it – Computer Aided Language Learning

Interesting post here, there is a top 100  Language Learning Blog Competition, and this is one of the nominees.

Foreign Language Education in the 21st Century has been nominated in in this year’s Lexophile/bab.la Top 100 Language Lovers 2012 competition again. Thank you, whovever is ‘responsible’ 🙂 for this. Please click on this …

See on juergenkurtz.wordpress.com