BUDDY UP

No glasses at hand?  LISTEN HERE I was attending a MOOC recently and I came across the phrase "HARD FUN." What does that concept bring to your mind? Before going deeper into it, I gave it several minutes of thought and came to the conclusion that challenge can be motivating and fun.  When I started reading about the concept more in detail I discovered a great way of motivating students: by presenting them with a problem. However, we must be careful there:  the problem must challenging enough to make them want to solve it and feel a sense of achievement once they've finished the activity, but easy enough so that they don't feel frustrated or demotivated.   As educators, we must build a safe environment where  participants can explore and take risks, a place where they can feel free to make mistakes. Allow tem to try new ways of solving old problems, to learn collaboratively, to participate actively.  What do you think? *The educator who coined the conce...

No glasses at hand? LISTEN HERE Halloween is probably one of our favourite celebrations. We have this one chance to put on our best black dress and a conical crown, maybe some accessories and make-up as well. And we can dance around the cauldron without anyone suspecting of our true identity. The truth is, not only teachers but also the majority of children and teens absolutely enjoy Halloween and all the activities around it.  Be it the games, the sweets or the costumes, they do look forward to this celebration. Paradoxically, many parents seem not to like it much as they consider it against their national traditions.  What do you do when parents show their discomfort about Halloween celebrations? My word has always been the same: when we teach English, we teach much more than just a language. We attempt to create an open mind regarding different cultures. Besides, it is a great opportunity to discuss the cultural background and history of this and other celebrations as well....

    Motivation is one of the key factors in language learning and language teaching. As J. Harmer points out, "the motivation students bring to class [whether intrinsic or extrinsic] is the biggest single factor affecting their success." There are aspects that are considered to have the power to enhance or deter students' motivation. Among these internal factors it is worth mentioning intelligence, aptitude, attitude, perseverance, learning strategies and self-evaluation; among the factors escaping students' possibilities, physical surroundings (classroom, school), method employed by the teacher and teacher's personality.   Students who are intrinsically motivated are bound to succeed whatever the situation. Those who do not have such motivation can equally succeed in second language learning if the circumstances in which they are studying are favourable. This is why and whatever the teacher does inside the classroom is of vital importance in determining their a...

We can find ideas everywhere, and these are wonderful adaptable ones.  The following  are brain activation activities for the entire lesson, not exactly for activities.  Have a look at them and let me know how much you like them 😃  Attention getters, do nows, morning meetings, hugs, and high fives. These are often the ways teachers start their days. By now, you probably have your routines in place for how you start your day or class period. But sometimes it's good to mix it up. Or maybe you're looking for an exciting entrance to a specific lesson plan. Just like writers, teachers often need a hook! Whether you're mixing it up or just curious about what other teachers do, check out these five videos to see five different ways teachers start their lessons. 1. Start with a Video Everyone loves a good video, especially kids. Video can be a great way to pique interest or teach a simple concept before a lesson. In   Coding in the Algebra Classroom , high school teach...

  As discussed in the previous entry, warm-up activities need to be short and straight to the point and we need to plan a way of processing the information which receives focal attention during the activity. Another important aspect to consider for these activities is motivation.   One major theory was proposed by Ausubel (1968), who pointed out that all human beings are moved by six inner drives that construct motivation. These are described in H.D. Brown’s   "Principles of Language Learning and Teaching" (1997:169) ·          The need for exploration , for seeing “the other side of the mountain,” for probing the unknown ·          The need for manipulation , for operating –to use Skinner’s term- on the environment and causing change ·          The need for activity , for movement and exercise, both   mental and physical ; ·   ...

  No glasses at hand? LISTEN HERE Have you ever worked out without warming up first? If you do that, chances are your performance will not allow you to show the best of you. Believe it or not, the same happens in lessons.  Warm up activities are effective since they create a need for communication, they activate systemic and background knowledge, motivate and create expectations. They can be used to pre-teach new words and set the purpose for any presentation. They can be a fun way to lower stress levels and to connect with students. And best of all, these characteristics will make the lesson meaningful. Cognitively speaking, we set the learning machinery into motion. By creating effective warm-up activities, we make the brain start connecting and finding paths to find information. Memories stored in the long term memory are retrieved into the working memory. It is important to remember that our working memory provides temporary storage and manipulation of the information nece...