One of the most challenging skills for students to develop is the ability to speak at length coherently. While the Ask-Answer-Add method is fantastic for teaching and practicing conversation patterns, high-stakes exams, such as TOEFL iBT, Pearson Test of English, and IELTS, essentially require students to deliver monologues.
Therefore, the question becomes how do we have students practice delivering extended speech in an engaging manner?
I have been keeping a journal off and on since I was kid because, as everyone knows, sometimes you just need to talk to someone who isn’t going to talk back. You can find famous examples and samples here and here.
I wish my handwriting were that nice.
Nowadays, I keep a very specific type of journal. In it, I write about how what happens inside and outside the classroom affects my students and how I and my students interact with the activities, materials, and technology I/we select. The effects of keeping this journal have been profound which is in line with research: Continue reading “The Benefits of Keeping a Teaching Journal”→
Peer review is an important an beneficial step in the writing process if done effectively. The question then becomes how can you do it effectively? Today I’ll provide three examples: Checklists, Write Like a Reader and Paramedic Editing.
Teaching IELTS Academic Writing Task 1 can be challenging. At least with Task 2 candidates can give their opinion but when it comes to Task 1 it’s “Just the facts, ma’am.” Luckily for both students and teachers, lessons don’t have to be dry just because the material is.
I have used the lesson plan below several times to teach process writing but with a few tweaks it can be used to teach any genre of writing because, as Miyamoto Musashi said,”if you know the Way broadly you will see it in everything.“
If you work at a large institution, you have access to experienced teachers, in-house workshops, seminars and (possibly) travel assistance for presenting at, or possibly, attending conferences. Additionally, your line manager has probably assigned you a mentor who can answer the day-to-day questions like “What happens if I need a new CD?” as well as fill you in on the “culture of the school” or the “unwritten rules.”
Yep, if you work at a school with a growth mindset, you will always be reminded that a teacher is a learner first and foremost and, therefore, will always be challenged to improve not only their content knowledge but also their pedagogy. In this type of school, in-house professional development workshops will be mandatory and there will be competition to see who can generate the highest turn-out for workshops.
Do you do things because that is how they have always been done?
What’s the first image that comes to mind when you hear “Academic Reading?” Personally, I have flashbacks from my undergrad days lugging around the 1,000 page plus Norton Anthology of English Literature.
When I ask my students, they typically use words like “boring, business” and/or “scientific” to describe what they have to read in their IEP/Test-Prep classes.
That the material they have to read is uninteresting or even boring doesn’t really surprise me: honestly, who really wants to read academic texts?