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Blended Learning ESL Case Study Grgurovıc 11

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This collection provides an overview of current approaches, issues, and practices in the teaching of English to speakers of other languages. This book provides an overview of current approaches, issues, and practices in the teaching of English to speakers of other languages.

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I joined in yesterday in the Macmillan Education online conference and Ed Newbon's webinar in particular on Critical Thinking Skills really got me, well...thinking.
He argued that our role as teachers is changing, that nowadays it is not enough for students to only speak English, they need to have transferable skills for work, studies etc. Critical thinking is one of the skills that we can incorporate into the ELT classroom which can help students perform in the outside world.

So what is critical thinking?

Newbon gave several examples but in a nutshell, it is seen as higher level thinking: problem solving, making judgements, evaluation and reflection. So as teachers it would mean not just focussing on right/wrong answers from a student, not just going through exercises and asking comprehension questions but getting students involved. Get them to problem solve, evaluate and justify their answers.The process of critical thinking is often linked to Bloom's Taxonomy pyramid.

Do you already incorporate critical thinking into your classes?

Is there time in amongst all the learning outcomes, aims and syllabus requirements to even squeeze this into a lesson? Although critical thinking is important, equipping students with life skills is not something that is paramount to me when planning a lesson. Perhaps I should think about planning for it more as I do think it is a valuable tool for getting the most out of an exercise. Through problem solving, evaluating and justifying students will have the opportunity to use and be exposed to a much wider range of vocabulary and grammatical structures than they would by simply doing a traditional lower level thinking activity. Of course many of us already do critical thinking activities instinctively in speaking exercises but using it in reading, listening and writing tasks is a new concept for a lot of us.

Practical Ideas to use in class

Whilst doing a reading in class, in addition to the traditional course book T/F factual, comprehension questions (lower level thinking), ask the students to imagine and describe the people talked about in the text, who do they think wrote it, what is the justification for their answers (higher level thinking).

When using pictures in class, rather than asking a student to describe the picture. Give some context to the picture. In the webinar Newborn used a similar picture to this and asked people to describe it as someone who hated hot weather. This throws up a lot more vocabulary than the standard exercise.

Lindsay Clandfield suggested taking quotes and deleting the last line. Ask students to predict what the final line would be rather than simply doing a matching activity.

Another activity would be to give students a list of 4 or 5 words and ask which one does not belong. There is no right or wrong answer, what is important is that they justify their choice.

Do students want this style of teaching in class?

Traditionally students look to the teacher for the 'correct' answer. Open ended questions and undefined answers may frustrate some students who want to be tested and given the right answer. Critical thinking skills in class may take time to get used to but I think that taking a moment as teachers to tweak course book activities to involve critical thinking will definitely give more opportunities in class to work with the language. If it helps students to equip themselves with life skills along the way, all the better. As Benjamin Franklin put it ' Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me and I learn '

Over to you

If you missed any of the Macmillan Webinars this week, they will be available shortly on the youtube channel. There is also a lot of useful resources and links to life skills here.Check it out!

Think about a few exercises you are going to teach in class this week. How could you incorporate critical thinking into them? Try it out and comment below with your ideas. If you had a great lesson, share it here. If it didn't work for you, let us know.

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Critical Thinking - Making the most of your coursebook - ELT Connect

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I joined in yesterday in the Macmillan Education online conference and Ed Newbon's webinar in particular on Critical Thinking Skills really got me, well...thinking. He argued that our role as teachers is changing, that nowadays it is not enough for students to only speak English, they need to have transferable skills for work, studies etc.

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What do you need to do to quickly develop critical thinking? What teaching methods to use? These questions will appear in the head after the desire to improve the quality of decisions made. The approach to training your thinking is complex and time-consuming. For this reason, many give up halfway. All because the wrong training method was chosen.

What exercises will help develop critical thinking skills?

Let's think of a question that we will answer. For instance: "Is nuclear energy the energy of the future?"

Exercise 1:

Let's make a table that consists of:

We analyze the advantages and disadvantages of using nuclear energy and enter them in the appropriate columns. Nevertheless, these data are insufficient for us to draw an accurate conclusion, so in the third column, we write questions, the answers to which we must find ourselves. For example, it can be statistics: how many nuclear power plants are there in the world, how much energy they produce and at what cost, how many accidents have happened over the entire time, etc. After collecting all the data, the items in the first and second columns of our table may change if new information led to new conclusions. Thus, we have learned to collect, check, and analyze input data to solve the problem.

Exercise 2:

Before searching for the information you need, try to answer the question in a meaningful way. Be sure to include arguments. For example, the question: "Is nuclear energy really the cheapest?" Answer: "No, because, firstly, building a nuclear power plant is expensive, and secondly, solar energy is cheaper based on ... data." Thanks to this exercise, we will learn how to argue our opinion based on the information that we have at a given time.

Exercise 3:

Compare alternative options with yours. To do this, first, determine the indicators that you will compare. In our case, we need nuclear, solar, water, and thermal. Indicators: the cost of one unit of energy produced, the cost of maintenance and building the station, and the impact on the environment. Find statistical information on the Internet from a trusted source and determine which type of energy will be cheaper.

Exercise 4:

Discussion is a great way to find the best solution to a problem. Based on the data from the last exercise, we found that nuclear energy is on average better than thermal energy but worse than solar energy. Suppose another student disagrees and thinks that solar energy is inferior to nuclear energy. Lead the discussion, having previously prepared arguments in favor of your opinion. This way, your team can look at the issue from different angles and choose the right decision based on the facts collected.

Train your thinking every day with these exercises, and in the future, you will be able to automatically perform all the necessary actions to make better solutions to problems. Be patient, and everything will work out!

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Great Critical Thinking Activities That Engage Your Students

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What do you need to do to quickly develop critical thinking? What teaching methods to use? These questions will appear in the head after the desire to improve the quality of decisions made. The approach to training your thinking is complex and time-consuming. For this reason, many give up halfway.

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21 Digital Tools To Build Vocabulary
by Kimberly Tyson, Ph.D

If you follow this blog, you know that I believe effective vocabulary instruction is just about the most important instructional activity for teachers to get right. For lots of reasons. Vocabulary influences fluency, comprehension, and student achievement. How's that for starters?

In addition, a broad vocabulary is important for effective speaking, listening, reading and writing. Vocabulary is a foundational component of an effective K-12 comprehensive literacy framework. And, vocabulary plays an important role in the Common Core State Standards.

I write frequently about the importance of effective vocabulary instruction and my recent infographic - the 10 Do's and Don'ts of Effective Vocabulary Instruction - has proved very popular having been Pinned over 31,000 times. Since a broad vocabulary program includes both direct and indirect word learning strategies, the following online tools can be easily integrated to support word learning.

In today's 21st century classrooms, digital tools must coexist alongside more traditional tools. Online tools, compared to their more traditional counterparts, provide a broader array of information about words and word meanings. In addition, some tools allow teachers to easily customize words so that students can practice, review, and play games with content or unit-specific words.

Digital tools have advantages. For example, many allow students to:

hear pronunciations;

read words in a variety of authentic examples;

view photos and images related to words (important for English language learners);

reinforce word learning through interactive games;

play with and manipulate language;

discover rhyming words; and

collaborate with classmates to create virtual words walls.

The following digital tools show promise to support word learning, review, and playing with language. I've grouped these tools into four categories: Reference Tools, Word Clouds, Games and Review, Word Walls and Virtual Field Trips. They're not listed in any particular order, so check out the entire list. Like other digital tools, they're not all created equal. Choose tools carefully to support standards and learning goals.
21 Digital Tools to Build Vocabulary Reference Tools
Lingro is a cool tool for both the "wow" factor and for its usefulness. Simply type in a website address on the Lingro website and it instantly turns the website into a clickable dictionary that translates text in 12 languages. Lingro hides in the background until students need it. To use, students simply click on any word and several definitions of the word are instantly displayed. I could see this as very useful tool for just-in-time support for English language learners.

2. Lexipedia

Looking for a visual thesaurus? Then Lexipedia is for you. Simple to use. Just type in any word and Lexipedia instantly displays the target word along with other words. It also color-codes the words by both parts of speech and relationships. As you hover over a word, a complete definition is displayed.

Shahi, as described on the website, is a visual dictionary that combines Wiktionary content with Flickr images, and more! An absolute new favorite for me. Besides serving as a nonlinguistic tool, I can also see this as a very useful tool for English language learners.

4. Snappy Words

Similar to Lexipedia, Snappy Words is another visual thesaurus. Teachers may want to introduce several of the thesaurus tools and allow students to select which works best for them. The visually sparse, cleaner display of Lexipedia works better for me.

5. Visual Dictionary Online

Check out Webster's visual dictionary which is simple to use. Type in a single word or choose a theme that also includes many sub-categories from which to choose. Even though Webster's is simple to use, there is a downside to this tool. After typing in a word search, 4 or 5 Google ads quickly appear above the definitions. Distracting. Yuk. It's so clunky I almost didn't include this tool.

6. Word Hippo

An all-in-one reference tool, Word Hippo does the following: defines a word, provides a meaning, provides a word that is opposite, pronounces a word, provides rhyming words, places the word in many different contexts, and translates the word. Whew! That's a lot.

7. Wordnik.com

Wordnik has the look and feel of a traditional dictionary with a twist. Along with the definition, students can see images related to the word, hear related sounds, and even see tweets with the target word highlighted. The "related words" feature is particularly helpful. Wordnik also features a "Word of the Day," "Random Words," and pronunciations of words.

8. Your Dictionary

Your Dictionary bills itself as providing simple, straightforward definitions and the easiest-to-use online dictionary. That's about right. Sometimes simple is good. In addition to providing a definition, Your Dictionary also includes a thesaurus and places the word in varied sentence examples.

9. MathWords

Math Words is a simple-to-use online dictionary specifically for math terms and formulas. This dictionary appears most appropriate for intermediate and secondary students.

10. A Math Dictionary for Kids

A kid-friendly math dictionary. I like the simple, bright appearance that includes visual examples of each term. This math dictionary seems to be appropriate for elementary students.
Word Clouds
11. Wordle

Type (or copy & paste) in a chunk of text or individual words and Wordle generates a word cloud of the key vocabulary based on word frequency. Wordle can also be used for many varied purposes - check out these 52 ideas for using Wordle to support learning.

12. WordSift

Similar to Wordle, students type (or copy & paste) in a piece of text and WordSift sorts the text based on word frequency. The visual thesaurus that displays beneath the words is a nice addition in WordSift. With the visual thesaurus, students immediately see how words are grouped semantically. A useful addition, I think.

Tagxedo is a word cloud app with style! Tagxedo provides a good deal of customization for users. For example, if teachers or students want to create a word cloud in a shape such as the apple shown above, then Tagxedo is the right tool for the job. For younger students, Wordle is much more straightforward to use; however, older students will love the customization Tagxedo provides which includes colors, shapes, fonts, and themes.
Games and Review
14. Flashcard Stash

While I think that flash cards are sometimes poor practice, students can benefit from instant recognition. Fluency, if you will, with a specific set of words. Now, if understanding doesn't go deeper than instant recognition, students are in trouble. Teachers can sign up for a free account and create flashcards to coordinate with units of study.

15. Vocabulary Games

While I'm not a fan of word searches for review or "seatwork," this website also includes a wide assortment of other vocabulary games that can be used on a SmartBoard for review purposes. To make a tool like this more effective, be certain to review the meaning of words as students play games.

16. Vocabulary Spelling City

A beefed-up version of vocabulary games, Vocabulary Spelling City includes many more game-like activities useful for reviewing words. A number of teacher-made lists are included such as analogies, compound words, math words, and many more. The free version seems to include about 5 activities and teachers can save lists. "Teach Me" pronounces words and uses each word in context. Teachers can use pre-selected sentences or create their own. Vocabulary Spelling City is a useful tool for students, teachers, and parents. While there is both a free and paid version, Vocabulary Spelling City seems like a natural for PTA funding. The classroom paid version allows students to practice in school and at home as well.

17. VocabAhead

VocabAhead is a useful tool for secondary students and teachers. Short videos - 30 to 60 seconds - accompany each word and make this tool stand out among others for secondary students. The Study Lounge, for students, features leveled word lists (grades 6-12) and SAT word lists. Students can view videos, hear pronunciations, practice, take quizzes, play games, track performance, and more. In addition, teachers can create their own word lists for students. Custom word lists can be embedded in a blog or class website which makes integration and review a snap. Apple and Android apps are also available for free download.

18. Free Rice

At Free Rice, students can practice matching words to the correct definition, and donate rice at the same time. For each correct answer, the United Nations World Food Programme donates 10 grains of rice to a country in need. How's that for combining word learning with social goodness? When a student plays, there is a visual display of rice (see image) which is added to a bowl each time the student makes a correct response. Free Rice includes subject area lists in Geography, Science, Math, and others. It is leveled so students can play at just the right level of challenge for them.

Note of caution: Free Rice may be addicting to you and your students.
Word Walls & Virtual Field Trips
Padlet is an online space to create a collaborative, digital word wall. Getting a leg up on the more traditional word wall, Padlet allows users to create sticky notes that can include text, images, links and videos. Teachers can embed this into a classroom website or blog which makes it a go-to collaborative space for students. For primary students, teachers will probably want to create the wall with words and links for students. Older students will get the hang of it fairly quickly. A great, collaborative tool and virtual classroom space to build online references and key vocabulary for content units.

20. ThingLink

ThingLink is a tool for making images interactive. To use, simply upload an image, identify hot spots on specific parts of the image, and add text or web links to the image. In the classroom, teachers could use ThingLink to launch a unit by introducing students to key vocabulary or students could design interactive images as they become more familiar with vocabulary. There are many possibilities; I'd love to know how you use ThingLink to extend and deepen student learning.

21. TrackStar

TrackStar, a free online program, allows teachers to collect a series of websites and annotate them so that students can follow an online journey. With a little work, teachers can create a visual vocabulary field trip for students. Teachers determine topics which support units of study. TrackStar is a great way for students to experience multiple exposures to words in varied contexts ( a characteristic of effective vocabulary instruction).

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21 Digital Tools To Build Vocabulary by Kimberly Tyson, Ph.D If you follow this blog, you know that I believe effective vocabulary instruction is just about the most important instructional activity for teachers to get right. For lots of reasons. Vocabulary influences fluency, comprehension, and student achievement. How's that for starters?

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Reading lesson plans and practical teaching tips

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Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies

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ESL reading textbook evaluation checklist

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Adapting and supplementing ELT materials

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Exploiting material: reading texts - youtube

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Exploiting material - getting the full potential from reading texts

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Lots of practical ideas for the classroom on how to get the most from the reading texts in your coursebook or authentic texts. If you liked this, there are more free videos and a 'Grammar for English Teachers' course at www.elt-training.com

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Ways of Motivating EFL/ ESL Students in the Classroom.

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30 things you can do to promote creativity

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30 things you can do to promote creativity

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The concept of teaching creativity has been around for quite some time.

Academics such as E. Paul Torrance, dedicated an entire lifetime to the advancement of creativity in education. Torrance faced much opposition in his day about the nature of creativity. Creativity was considered to be an immeasurable, natural ability. Torrance called for explicit teaching of creativity. He advocated that it was skill-specific, requiring intentional instruction. His life's work ultimately led to the development of the Torrance tests and gifted programs throughout the world.

In recent times, there has been a shift towards the increased acceptance of valuing creativity for all learners. A 2003 TED talk by Sir Ken Robinson discussing this subject reached over 5 million viewers. It discusses how our current school systems suppress creativity. He proposes that our current model leaves little room for divergent thinking.

Much of the blame for a lack of creativity, and therefore innovation, can be traced to our traditional educational systems.

It relies on teaching to the correct answer. An innovative thinking model is needed. Robinson recently tweeted an article about a new study that suggested 80% of educators surveyed preferred creativity to be included as part of learning standards.

In the same way, David Hughes, founder of Decision Labs and professor at UNC Chapel Hill, argues that innovation is an essential skill for our global economy. In talking about creativity in schools he says, much of the blame for a lack of creativity, and therefore innovation, can be traced to our traditional educational systems.

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Most of the practice of creative methods is being done outside the traditional educational institutions by consulting firms and by persons in companies who have been trained in creative problem solving methods. In universities not much has changed since 1950, when the distinguished psychologist J. P. Guilford in his inaugural address as president of the American Psychological Association stated that education's neglect of the subject of creativity was appalling.

Adding to this sequence of events is the fact that textbooks are at least three years out of date when they are published and . . . educational systems were the slowest adopters of innovation. Thus, we see that educational institutions need a strong dose of creative problem solving.

What are some ways then, as educators, that we promote creativity in our classrooms?

1. Embrace creativity as part of learning. Create a classroom that recognizes creativity. You may want to design awards or bulletin boards to showcase different ways of solving a problem, or creative solutions to a real world scenario.

2. Use the most effective strategies. Torrance performed an extensive meta-analysis that considered the most effective ways to teach creativity. He found that the most successful approaches used creative arts, media-oriented programs, or relied on the Osborn-Parnes training program. Programs that incorporated cognitive and emotional functioning were the most successful.

3. Think of creativity as a skill. Much like resourcefulness and inventiveness it is less a trait and more a proficiency that can be taught. If we see it this way, our job as educators becomes to find ways to encourage its use and break it down into smaller skill sets. Psychologists tend to think of creativity as Big-C and Little C. Big C drives big societal ideas, like the Civil Rights movement or a new literary style. Little C is more of a working model of creativity that solves everyday problems. Both concepts can be included in our classrooms to promote creativity in general.

4. Participate in or create a program to develop creative skills. Programs like Odyssey of the Mind and Thinkquest bring together students from around the world to promote creativity, design creative solutions, and bring them to competition.

5. Use emotional connections. Research suggests that the best creativity instruction ties in the emotions of the learner. In the "Odyssey angels" program students can devise a solution to help their local community, such as helping homeless youth. This topic is worthy of more discussion by itself. A blog postby fellow blogger Julie DeNeen gives some valuable information about this type of teaching.

Research suggests that the best creativity instruction ties in the emotions of the learner.

6. Use a creativity model. The Osborne-Parnes model is oldest, widely accepted model. It is often used in education and business improvement to promote creativity. Each step involves a divergent thinking pattern to challenge ideas, and then convergent thinking to narrow down exploration. It has six steps:

Mess-finding. Identify a goal or objective.

Fact-finding. Gathering data.

Problem-finding. Clarifying the problem

Idea-finding. Generating ideas

Solution-finding. Strengthening & evaluating ideas

Acceptance-finding. Plan of action for Implementing ideas

7. Consider how classroom assignments use divergent and convergent thinking. Standardized tests do a great job of measuring convergent thinking that includes analytical thinking or logical answers with one correct response. Divergent thinking considers how a learner can use different ways to approach a problem. It requires using association and multiplicity of thought. We should design assignments that consider both types of thinking models.

8. Creativity flourishes in a "congenial environment". Creative thinking needs to be shared and validated by others in a socially supportive atmosphere. Researcher Csikszentmihalyi (1996) coined this term, to explain the importance of reception from others. Others consider how to create social communities that promote creativity to solve problems.

9. Be aware during discussions. You know that student who often asks the question that goes a bit outside the lecture? Well, engage him. Once a week, intentionally address those questions. Write them down on an assigned space in the board to go back to later. Promote creativity by validating students' creative thinking.

10. See creativity in a positive light. In his blog in Psychology Today, Eric Jaffe talks about research that suggests see creativity in a negative light. If we are going to promote creativity, we need to embrace it too. Reward students for thinking of problems in varied ways by recognizing their efforts.

11. Try the Incubation Model. E. Paul Torrance designed this model. It involves 3 stages:

1. Heightening Anticipation: Make connections between the classroom and student's real lives. "Create the desire to know".

2. Deepen Expectations: Engage the curriculum in new ways. Brainstorm and create opportunities to solve a novel problem.

3. Keep it going: Continue the thinking beyond the lesson or classroom. Find ways to extend learning opportunities at home or even the community.

12. Use a cultural artifact. Research from experimental social psychology finds that artifacts can enhance insight problem solving. Consider using an ordinary object, such as a light bulb used in the study or a historical artifact to have students think about living in a particular time period.

13. Establish expressive freedom. The classroom environment must be a place where students feel safe to share novel ideas. Allow for flexibility and create norms that promote creativity.

14. Be familiar with standards. Knowing the standards inside and out helps find creative solutions in approaching a lesson. Teachers can adapt them and work within the current framework. Some topics allow for flexibility and use of creative approaches.

15. Gather outside resources. There are some great resources to read related to creativity. The University of Georgia, provides an array of amazing resources related to how to promote creativity in practical ways. It also gives a list of programs and organizations that can help with the process.

16. Allow room for mistakes. Sir Ken Robinson said it best when he said, "If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original."

17. Allow space for creativity. Design some classroom space for exploration, such as a thinking table, a drama stage, a drawing table, or a space for groups to discuss ideas.

18. Give students time to ask questions. Organizations such as CCE (Creativity, Culture, Education) suggest teachers incorporate opportunities for students to ask questions. Intentionally design lessons that allow for wondering and exploration.

19. Creativity builds confidence. Students take ownership of their own learning. Think of ways where students might design a project. For instance, for the history requirement, I suggested students of both fifth grade classes create an exhibition of their final projects. The students were so proud of their final work and learned from others presentations. Parents and community members were happy to see students take ownership of their learning.

20. Encourage curiosity.Consider what is important to students. Student interest is a great place to start on what drives their own thinking tank. Find inspiration from their world. Creativity is intrinsic in nature. Try to promote creativity by stepping into their viewpoint to find what motivates them.

Student interest are a great place to start on what drives their own thinking tank. Find inspiration from their world.

21. Structure is essential. Studies, such as a meta-analysis by Torrance suggest that creativity instruction is best with clear structure. For instance, consider the guidelines of the standard curriculum objectives and add these to the design. For example, reading considers communication, comprehension, listening, writing and reading.

22. Observe a working model of creativity. To get a better idea of how others promote creativity, visit a creative classroom or watch a video about how a creative classroom works. The "Case for Creativity in School" is an excellent video that educators can watch to see how creativity might play out in a classroom. This school adopted a school-wide approach to recognize students.

23. Consider the work of current experts in the field. Sir Ken Robinson is an internationally renowed creativity and innovation expert. His work is used to meet global challenges, renovating education, business, and government organizations to implement his strategies. His books and TED talks are great places to promote creativity in your own teaching.

24. Explore different cultures. Culture is an excellent vehicle for inspiring creative thinking. In Thinking Hats & Coloured Turbans Dr. Kirpal Singh discusses how cultural contexts are central to creative endeavors. You can discuss how collaboration between cultures, such as in the space program, produces unique, novel ideas.

25. Find ways to incorporate and integrate art, music and culture. A recent report prepared for the European commission considered that creativity is a central force that shapes our culture. With the changing times we live in, the report suggested that society is enriched by cultural-based creativity.

26. Use a collaborative creative thinking model to solve classroom problems. For instance, read a paragraph and then have groups discuss a list of questions. Collaborative problem solving is catching on quickly. In fact, many business schools have implemented creative thinking models into their curriculum.

27. Design multidisciplinary lessons when possible. When teaching geometry, I designed a lesson called, "Geometry through Art". It included works of Art to show fifth graders their application to everyday geometric concepts. The result was astounding. I never thought that the subject matter would be so successful. I designed an entire unit that focused on how different concepts rely on geometry. I even asked the Art teacher to help reinforce those concepts in class.

28. Tapping into multiple intelligences is key. Creativity requires us to use different parts of our brain. We often bridge connections between seemingly unrelated areas to make new concepts emerge. Allow students to use their strengths to find new ways of approaching a topic or solving a problem. You might be surprised with what they come up with.

29. Understand that creativity is important to students' future in the job market. Paul Collard for Creative Partnerships, discusses how 60% of English students will work in jobs that are not yet created. In today's market, students must largely be innovative and create their own jobs. Collard suggests teachers focus on teaching particular skills or set of behaviors, rather than preparing students for specific careers.

30. Teach creative skills explicitly. According to Collard, "Creative skills aren't just about good ideas, they are about having the skills to make good ideas happen." He suggests creative skills should include 5 major areas:

Imagination

Being disciplined or self-motivated.

Resiliency

Collaboration

Giving responsibility to students. Have them develop their own projects.

In a recent article, What Would Dr. E. Paul Torrance Do?: A Legacy for Creative Education, the author considers what lies in the future of creativity in our schools?

Retired professor Berenice Bleedorn says we should continue his legacy of sharing information and practice "the art of creative thinking". We must continue to advocate for its use and move against the current or as Torrance himself called them, "the powers that be". After all, teachers are the real driving force behind the creative thinking in our schools.

If our schools are lagging behind, we must be the creative minds that urge our students to be curious and seek new answers.

Miriam Clifford holds a Masters in Teaching from City University and a Bachelor in Science from Cornell. She loves research and is passionate about education. She is a foodie and on her time off enjoys cooking and gardening. You can find her @miriamoclifford or Google+.

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30 Things You Can Do To Promote Creativity - InformED

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The concept of teaching creativity has been around for quite some time. Academics such as E. Paul Torrance, dedicated an entire lifetime to the advancement of creativity in education. Torrance faced much opposition in his day about the nature of creativity. Creativity was considered to be an immeasurable, natural ability.

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Ch: 10-11-12

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The spike in the number of technology-enabled classrooms in the past few years clearly indicates what a crucial role technology already plays when it comes to education.

The dawn of mobile phones has changed the way people access information. Almost everything we need is available at our fingertips and available on demand. The fact that the current breed of students is comfortable using cool new gadgets only goes to show that the influence of technology is here to stay.

The market is full of apps that make any classroom an interesting place for both students and teachers. From easy-to-use user interfaces, to customizable features to suit individual needs, these apps have been built to deliver great user experience. My experience using these below listed apps has been great. While some of them were recommended to me by my colleagues, a few others were suggested by my students. I've greatly benefitted from their uber cool features and I hope you will, too. Here is my favorites list:

1. English LaunchPad: The app enables teachers to keep a track of students' learning progress and also maintains a register that helps teachers check either individual or group progress. It also offers practice exercises, translation support, and virtual whiteboard. The app works on iOS and is available on App Store.

2. Culips ESL Podcast: Whether you're a beginner, intermediate, or advanced language learner, Culips ESL Podcast offers podcasts on several topics, from general day-to- day conversations to specific questions. The best part is that the app allows users to translate each episode to a language which the user is familiar with. The app works on iOS and Android and is available on App Store and Google Play.

3. StudyMode: Are you worried about that pending book report or research project report? StudyMode Mobile can put your worries to rest. The app gives you access to papers on a broad variety of research topics, flashcards, essays, and critique of classics written by Hemingway, Shakespeare, Melville, etc. What's more, you can read book notes and AP notes for free. The app works on iOS and Android and is available on App Store and Google Play.

4. MyWordBook: Developed by British Council and Cambridge University Press, this app provides users with vocabulary packs and flashcards, which can be downloaded for later use. The app works on iOS and Android and is available for free on App Store and Google Play.

5. SpeakingPal English Tutor: An interactive app, SpeakingPal offers exercises, dialog with a virtual character, role-playing, and a series of mini lessons. It comes with speech and language recognition and provides instant feedback to students. The app works on iOS and Android and is available on App Store and Google Play.

6. Voxy: Voxy is a language learning app that can be customized to suit learners' requirements and interests. A popular app in the Spanish-speaking market, Voxy provides users with an option to connect with native English speakers to learn English. The users can even learn language through games. The app works on iOS and Android and is available on App Store and Google Play.

7. Grammar Up: Grammar is the foundation on which a language stands and it is therefore important to know how these rules influence language usage. With over 1800 grammar questions across 20 categories, Grammar Up helps students learn by choosing a specific topic. The app works on iOS and Android and is available on App Store and Google Play.

8. English Listening and Speaking: This app by Miracle FunBox helps English learners by providing conversational stories and transcripts, along with word chain games. The app can identify and assess pronunciation and also lets users bookmark lessons. The app works on iOS and Android and is available for free on App Store and Google Play.

9. Busuu: A fun and easy app, Busuu helps users learn multiple languages besides English. The app draws support from 60 million native speakers who learn, teach, and practice with Busuu. It is interactive and can be personalized to suite individual education goals. The app works on iOS and Android and is available on App Store and Google Play.

10. Lingual.ly: Lingua.ly helps users learn multiple languages through games. It uses the classic snake game where users can snack on words! It comes with a smart dictionary which users can access on the go. The app works on iOS and Android and is available for free on App Store and Google Play.

With so many great apps available for users, learning is now just a click away. Technology has changed the way we think and work. Adapting ourselves to technology usage is definitely the way forward. If you think there are other apps that are worth sharing, please use the comments section.

For more, see:
Sophia Sanchez is an online ESL/EFL instructor. Follow her on Twitter: @sansoph. Stay in-the-know with all things EdTech and innovations in learning by signing up to receive the weekly Smart Update

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10 Popular Apps for English Language Learners and Teachers

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The spike in the number of technology-enabled classrooms in the past few years clearly indicates what a crucial role technology already plays when it comes to education. The dawn of mobile phones has changed the way people access information. Almost everything we need is available at our fingertips and available on demand.

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by Claudia Pesce 702,731 views
Did you know that a student needs to encounter a new word 10 to 16 times to effectively "learn" it according to recent research?
Considering the number of new words students have to learn per course, this means us teachers have our work cut out for us. We all know that although it is important for students to use correct grammar and structures, words are the main carriers of meaning. This means that the more words students are able to handle accurately, the better their chances of understanding English and making themselves understood.

To effectively acquire new vocabulary, students must go through four essential stages:

first, they notice a new word with help;

secondly, they recognize the word at first with help,

then later on their own;

and lastly, they are able to both recognize and produce the word.

It is essential that you, as the teacher, make use of activities that target each of these stages; more often than not, we make the mistake of merely introducing new vocabulary, and we don't give students the opportunity to put these new words to use.

So, here are 10 great ways to teach English vocabulary, outlined for each of the stages of vocabulary acquisition:

Stage 1: Noticing and understanding new words
Introducing nouns, things, objects, animals, etc...
Visual elements work best with concrete nouns, but try to go beyond flashcards and illustrations. Try to use real objects whenever possible, or even sounds, smells, and tastes. Appeal to all of your students' senses!

Introducing adjectives
Opposites, like "big" and "small", "long" and "short", are usually illustrated with pictures, but here's another case where realia will help you teach new adjectives; the use of real life objects is wonderful for words like "soft" and "rough", adjectives that may take precious minutes of class time to explain. For more advanced adjectives, like "stunning", "gorgeous", "spectacular", "huge", or "immense", bring in photos of famous sights from around the world like the Louvre, Egyptian pyramids, the Eiffel Tower, etc...then use these new adjectives to describe these places in ways that clearly illustrate their meaning.
Introducing abstracts
There are things you simply cannot teach with a flashcard. What works best in these cases are synonyms, definitions, substitutions, or simply placing students within a given context. Consider this simple example: To teach the difference between "early" and "late", remind students what time class begins, then state that those who arrive before this time are "early" while those that arrive after this time are "late".

Stage 2: Recognizing new words

Bingo
Bingo is one of the most versatile games employed by ESL teachers. For younger learners, make bingo cards with illustrations, and call out each word. For those who can read, do the opposite, make the cards with words, then draw the flashcards from a bag. For teens or adult learners, you can make cards with the definition and call out the words, or vice versa.

Matching
Another type of exercise with countless possibilities. Students may be required to match opposites, synonyms, or a word with its definition, as well as a picture to a word.

Fill in the blanks (with options)
Hand out a piece of written text (anything from a description, song, letter, to even a short story) with blank spaces that must be filled in from a list of words. You can adapt this to longer texts, and also have longer word lists.

Stage 3: Producing vocabulary
Descriptions
From a newspaper photo of a recent event to a personal account of a recent trip, there are countless things students can describe while putting new vocabulary to good use. This goes for both oral and written descriptions. You may give them some guidance, like indicating that they have to use at least five adjectives in their description, or five words related to sports, weather, etc...to no guidance at all.
Fill in the blanks (no options)
Supply students with a piece of written text with blank spaces that have to be filled in with any word that fits. You may give them indications for each space, like "noun", "adjective" or "adverb", if they're advanced students. You can then read several out loud to compare the different words used to fill in each blank.
Mind maps or brainstorming
Tell students they need to think of words they can use to describe the weather. Write "weather" at the center of a blackboard or whiteboard and circle it. Write every word supplied by students as "rays" that shoot out this circle. They should reply with previously taught words, like "chilly", "scorching", or "mild". You may even have sub-circles shooting off to the side for winter, summer, etc...words. This works great for vocabulary review lessons.

Guess what I'm thinking
Students take turns describing something, like a place: "I'm thinking of a place that is so huge it takes visitors hours to see all of it. It has stunning works of art. It is a breathtaking building, very old, but with a modern glass pyramid in the front." Students choose to be as obvious or as cryptic as they like. Even little ones can do this with simple descriptions: "It's an animal. It has a very long neck and big brown spots." Or simply state a series of words: "Africa, black and white, stripes".

It's better to teach vocabulary in context, in other words, teach highly descriptive adjectives when the lesson is about travel. Or clothes and accessories when you're talking about shopping. Never teach a list of words just because, or students won't have a chance to practice this new vocabulary.

On a final note, remember to cater to different learning styles or multiple intelligences.

Use songs and music, real life objects, or puzzles, but the more you mix the better. Remember the difference between recognizing and producing words: to practice recognition the words have to be supplied by YOU; then students use them to fill in blanks or match them. For students to effectively and accurately produce vocabulary, they have to spontaneously recall the words.

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Teaching English Vocabulary: 10 Fabulous Ways to Teach New Words

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by Claudia Pesce 702,731 views Did you know that a student needs to encounter a new word 10 to 16 times to effectively "learn" it according to recent research? Considering the number of new words students have to learn per course, this means us teachers have our work cut out for us.

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Teaching reading and writing is a nine-part series of videos and tasks to help you explore different ways of developing reading and writing skills with your students.

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Introduction to Teaching Pronunciation Workshop - Adrian Underhill (COMPLETE)

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'Motivatonal strategies in the language classroom' dornyei zoltan

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Motivational Strategies inthe Language Classroom

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Questioning is crucial to the way teachers manage the class, engage students with content, encourage participation and increase understanding.

Typically, teachers ask between 300-400 questions per day, however the quality and value of questions varies. While questioning can be an effective tool, there is both an art and science to asking questions.

Every question demands a response (except in the case of requests and suggestions), so that questions inevitably generate communication. However the quantity of questions asked needs to be considered in relation to general time constraints and the need to keep teacher talking time to a minimum while maximising learner contributions.

Types of questions

Purposes of questions

Effective questioning

Conclusion

Types of questions
There have been a number of typologies and taxonomies of questions. Socratic questioning, exemplified by Paul's taxonomy, forms the basis of eliciting, while Bloom's taxonomy identifies six types of questions by which thinking skills may be developed and tested. In the context of language teaching and learning, Bloom himself maintained that "The major purpose in constructing a taxonomy of educational objectives is to facilitate communication..." Classroom questions tend to fall into two broad categories:

Display questions. These are designed to elicit learners' prior knowledge and to check comprehension. They often focus on the form or meaning of language structures and items, and the teacher already knows the answer.

What does ..... mean?

When do we use .....?

What comes after .....?

What's the opposite of .....?

Where's the stress in .....?

Referential questions. These require the learner to provide information, give an opinion, explain or clarify. They often focus on content rather than language, require 'follow-up' or 'probe' questions, and the answer is not necessarily known by the teacher.

What do you think about .....?

Have you ever....when/where .....?

If you had .....what.....?

What kind of .....?

How do you .....?

The best referential questions are those that are 'divergent' or 'open-ended' in that they are broad, may have multiple answers, and require a higher level of thinking from the learners.

Open-ended questions are ideal for developing skills such as inferring, predicting, verifying and summarising, as well as eliciting more language. 'Convergent' or 'closed' questions have more narrowly defined correct answers which can be recalled from memory and require little reflection or originality. Closed questions are common in conventional tests.
Purposes of questions
Questions have a variety of purposes often related to the type and stage of a lesson.

During the lead-in to a lesson, referential questions form the basis of brainstorming a topic, generating interest and topic-related vocabulary. Student's responses may be recorded as a mind-map on the board, or as the first phase of a 'what we know / what we would like to know/ what we know now' framework, particularly in receptive skills based lessons where predicting content is a useful pre-reading / listening activity.

When language is being presented, questions are used to elicit students' prior knowledge, and guide them into recognising patterns and forming hypotheses about how the language is used. 'Noticing' questions are used to help learners identify language in context ('What language does he use to talk about his plans?', 'How does she make a promise?')

Meaning and understanding need to be checked before language is practised. Concept-checking questions (CCQs) should demand short answers, be simple and asked often ('Is he talking about the past, present or future?', has the action finished?', 'Is time important?', 'ıs the meaning positive or negative?' (Checking meaning and understanding is the subject of another article on this site.)

Question-response is a common form of guided oral practice. Nomination is often essential in this stage, but the traditional 'lockstep' pattern of interaction should be minimised by asking students to ask and answer questions in open pairs across the class and in closed pairs. Student involvement nay be increased by asking students to nominate the person to ask the next question (student nomination).

Globally designed materials often suggest form-based questions for language practice which are too general, outside the learners' experience, or which produce obvious answers. Form-based questions may also be personalised and divergent in that they require elaboration. Thus 'How often do you brush your teeth?' is unlikely to either stimulate interest or generate language, whereas 'How often do you argue with your parents?' offers the opportunity for follow-up questions as well as producing the target structure.

In skills lessons, questions may focus on strategies as well as language ('Do you have to read everything to get the information?', 'Do you need to understand every word?'. 'What do you think will happen next?' Questions may also focus on process rather than product ('How did you guess the meaning of that word?', 'Where in the passage did you find the information?', 'What helped you to understand what the speaker's opinion was?')

Student nomination may also be used for obtaining the answers to exercises and comprehension tasks, but feedback on the tasks themselves is equally important and can be dealt with by questions such as 'What was difficult about that question?'. 'Did you have enough information?' and 'Did you enjoy that activity?'

The success of many fluency activities depends on the use of open-ended referential questions, but the teacher can also increase motivation by expressing interest through questions. Some of the best discussions take the form of 'chats', often outside the classroom, when paraphrasing and clarification can take place more naturally.

Questions focusing on form, function, meaning, concept and strategies may all be termed 'guidance questions', and differ from comprehension questions in that learners are not necessarily required to provide correct answers. The overall aim of these questions is to gradually raise awareness of language and skills and to help learners develop strategies for learning in a focused way.

Throughout the lesson, questions play an important role in classroom management, including general questions ('Can you all see the board?', 'Have you got your dictionaries ready?') and questions for checking progress 'Ready?', Have you finished?'. Questions designed to check instructions are vital in order to avoid interrupting a task in order to reinstruct or clarify the task. These questions should be kept simple ('Are you working alone or in pairs?', 'Who's in group B?', 'Are you going to write anything?') and spread around the class.

Many teachers find it difficult to estimate the amount of time needed for a student to respond to a question, often due to pressure of time, impatience or fear of silence. Rushing learners may result in mistakes and frustration. Sufficient 'wait-time' is needed for learners to comprehend the question, formulate an answer, process language and respond. Wait-time before nominating and after the initial response encourages longer answers, questions from the learners, self-correction and level of student involvement.
Effective questioning
As with all aspects of teacher talking time, it is not the quantity but the quality and value of questions that is important. When thinking about their questioning technique, teachers might use the following as a check-list:

Decide on the purpose of questions.

Minimise the use of "yes / no" questions except when checking meaning and understanding or encouraging weaker students.

Ask a balance of referential and display questions.

Use open-ended (divergent) questions to encourage opinions, elaboration and discussion.

Ask questions about important rather than trivial content.

Grade language in questions and try not to over-paraphrase.

Personalise questions where possible.

Avoid questions that contain the answer.

Make sure that students clearly understand questions.

Spread questions randomly around the class.

Balance questions to the whole class with individual student nomination.

Give enough time for students to answer.

Anticipate students' responses.

Give appropriate responses to questions, particularly where correction is required. and in order to extend the dialogue.

Conclusion
Clearly there is more to asking questions than the common division into 'information' or 'wh', 'yes/no', direct and indirect questions, though this is often how they are taught and how learners categorise them. Good questioning provides a model which hopefully will promote correct and intelligent questions from learners.

There are pitfalls such as over-eliciting when the learners have little collective knowledge, and bombarding students with questions of little relevance or importance. The questions 'Do you understand?', 'Is that clear?' and 'OK?' are unlikely to provoke a helpful response. It is also wise to avoid questions which may cause embarrassment or which may offend through sarcasm ('Are you awake?').

Given that little training is given in asking questions, and it is rarely mentioned in general ELT texts, teachers are left to develop the technique themselves, and are often unaware of how effective their questions are. The teacher's questions are therefore a useful focus for peer observation and feedback on a lesson - an awareness-raising exercise for teachers themselves.
Further reading
Bloom, B.S. Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. Addison Wesley, 1956
Gabrielatos, C. A Question of Function: Teacher Questions in the EFL Classroom. 1997. http://www.gabrielatos.com
Thompson, G. Teaching Teachers to Ask Questions. ELT Journal 51/2, April 1997
Ur, P. A Course in Language Teaching. CUP, 1996

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Questioning is crucial to the way teachers manage the class, engage students with content, encourage participation and increase understanding. Typically, teachers ask between 300-400 questions per day, however the quality and value of questions varies. While questioning can be an effective tool, there is both an art and science to asking questions.

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The general aim is to involve the students in a more autonomous fashion in their learning, rather than simply having them presented with word lists selected by the teacher or syllabus.

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An attempt to empower learners to be more creative and innovative

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An attempt to empower learners to be more creative and innovative

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Probably one of most well-known management philosophies in recent years has been Google's "20% time". Over 10 years ago, Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin mentioned the idea in their 2004 IPO letter: They stated, "We encourage our employees, in addition to their regular projects, to spend 20% of their time working on what they think will most benefit Google," They continued, "This empowers them to be more creative and innovative. Many of our significant advances have happened in this manner." For those that have followed this news, you will know that in practice this has not always been the case. However, in principle, this seems like a great idea that could be employed in the classroom. Given that Google is one the most successful companies in the world, what could we as teachers learn from this? Would it be a good idea to have 20% time in classes? How would the learners react? How would it feel as a teacher to go into class purposefully under prepared? Would it empower learners to be more creative and innovative?

These are a few of questions that I started to ponder last year when I was first contemplating implementing 20% time in class. I teach at the tertiary level in Japan, and from discussions with my learners I discovered that this was something they had never experienced as language learners. In fact, most of their classes seemed pretty much maxed out. In particular, at the end of the semester the work seemed to spill over to add to the amount homework they were already getting. From these conversations, I realised that the idea of a 20% time was actually very far removed from my context. This raised concerns. In particular, to how the students would react to having this freedom in class. Classes are 90 minutes long, so that would be approximately 20 minutes of class time that would be unplanned.

After some deliberation, I decided I would experiment and implement 20% in one of my freshman classes. However, as I wasn't completely confident, I would go in with a 70 minute lesson plan and I would also have a few back-up activities and things to do just in case it fell apart. Early in the semester, after the class had got to know each other a little, I told the class that there would parts of the class where I would like their suggestions on what we should do and how we should do it. There was a quite muted response to this idea and I could see there was quite a lot of confusion. In fact, for the first couple of weeks that I tried this, the only suggestions I got were for a YouTube music video. I have built up a collection of interesting and thought provoking videos over the years, and I used the time to show these or to tell a short narrative about an experience or something I had learned. These videos and stories had nothing to do with the content of what we were learning. However, they seem to go down well. Over the course of the 15-week semester, I had many comments on how they were actually the most enjoyable activity of the class. One girl told me her favourite part of the class was these stories! I also received an e-mail from one learner who told me how she had put into practice some advice that she received through one particulate Ted video I played. She said it helped her calm down before an interview for a part-time job and she had gotten the job.

Towards the end of the semester, some learners were more comfortable sharing their own stories in small groups and going to the front to take charge of the classroom computer to share videos they thought the class would enjoy and find beneficial. The stories were generally how they had overcome a challenge and the videos were mostly videos to encourage, inspire, or just to make it each other laugh. It never quite made it to the 20% time in the vision set out by Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, but I do feel it helped to create a lot of positivity in class. It was probably more like 10% time to be honest, but I do think it helped the class develop relationships and create a more positive atmosphere in the class.

I am currently wondering how to take this forward next semester. Any ideas? I'd love to hear them.

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20% time! - An attempt to empower learners to be more creative and innovative

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Probably one of most well-known management philosophies in recent years has been Google's "20% time". Over 10 years ago, Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin mentioned the idea in their 2004 IPO letter: They stated, "We encourage our employees, in addition to their regular projects, to spend 20% of their time working on what they think will most benefit Google," They continued, "This empowers them to be more creative and innovative.

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The beginning of the school year for many teachers includes something that many are grumbling about. Do you hear those low-pitched rumbles? That's right, I'm talking about your school's required professional development. While nearly all teachers are required to complete continuing education credits in order to keep a current certification (and by extension, a job!), the school-mandated and offered 'training' days are often broad in scope, and many report that they're not that helpful. Other schools don't have the funding or time to support teacher training, leaving those teachers to manage their own professional development. While that may sound like an extra step in the process and just one more thing to manage, it is important to remember that if you're managing your own professional development, you get to invest your time (and sometimes money) into what is going to be most useful for you and your classroom. So if you're way ahead of the classroom technology integration curve, you won't be wasting a day while your school teaches your peers iPad basics. Even in higher education - where for many years experts in their field who couldn't teach that well were kept on as professors for their other abilities, notoriety, and grant-getting abilities - many schools are now often requiring professors to participate in professional development to improve their teaching. Especially in education departments around the globe, having great teachers teach future teachers is particularly important! So how to improve on your teaching skills, fulfill mandatory continuing education requirements, and continue to teach on a daily basis? For many beginning teachers (who may be hired with a teaching certificate but an unfinished Master's Degree), completing graduate courses will often satisfy the required CE credits - for at least a period of time. But if you're not in a graduate program (and let's admit, most of us won't be!), you may be able to find a lot of different options online.

Online Professional Development For Teachers

From online graduate courses that are a part of M.Ed. programs to one off PD courses to MOOCs, there are a ton of options out there.

Intel Teach Elements

Intel Teach Elements offers online continuing education courses for teachers that focus specifically on technology in 21st century classroom topics. From learning about social media to 21st century assessments, these free classes are 'just in time' - meaning you don't need to devote hours to taking the class. Free, short format, and focused on technology? We consider that a win.

Modern Lessons

Modern Lessons is a free online learning platform designed for teachers and students looking to bolster their existing technology skills (or to get started with technology altogether!). Many 'basics' classes are offered - like how to start up a Twitter account for your classroom, but there's a huge section focused on stuff teachers would find useful, like an awesome guide to using Google in Education and courses on integrating iPads into your classroom.

PBS Teacherline

PBS Teacherline offers a wide variety of online courses for teachers, many of which can earn you credit depending on how you choose to enroll in the class. Pricing varies depending on if you're seeking graduate credit or not and varies course by course. Nearly all K-12 subject matters are offered, as well as courses in technology integreation, and many of the courses could be applicable for college instructors as well.

Annenberg Learner

Annenberg Learner offers a wide variety of online courses and workshops that can count for continuing education credit, or in some cases, graduate credit as well (depending on the course). Users also have the option to purchase a DVD instead of participating in the class online. Courses are searchable by subject matter, and grade level varies widely. This site in particular has great descriptions of their courses so you'll know easily if one might be useful to you.

ScholasticU

ScholasticU is the online PD for teachers arm of education giant Scholastic. They offer courses for both continuing education and graduate credit both for teachers and for administrators as well. They offer many full-format courses as well as 'quickies', meant for having easy access to information when you need it in a crunch. Most of the classes are geared towards Pre-K through secondary teachers, and they offer a huge community of like minded teachers for you to communicate and collaborate with.

Library Of Congress Teacher Modules

The Library of Congress offers its 'Teacher Modules' for free online. The courses are geared towards helping teachers learn how to use the huge collection of resources available from the Library. Courses would be appropriate for educators at all levels, and many would also be useful for older students as well. Those who complete the course can get a certificate of completion, but not graduate credit.

ASCD

ASCD offers over a hundred online courses in professional development for educators. From resources on teaching to the Common Core to STEM subjects and teaching with technology, they have a wide range of subjects covered. The courses are well-priced (many around $99) and each one offers additional resources that may be helpful to you (suggested books to purchase, etc).

Teachers First

Teachers First offers free courses in two formats - live sessions and pre-recorded sessions - on a variety of educational topics. If you participate in a live session, you are eligible to receive a certificate of completion for that work. Since you need to participate in a live session to receive a certificate, this is obviously somewhat less flexible than watching a pre-recorded course, but we think the awesome subject matter is worth it (Bloom's Taxonomy!!).

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9 Places To Find Great Online Professional Development

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The beginning of the school year for many teachers includes something that many are grumbling about. Do you hear those low-pitched rumbles? That's right, I'm talking about your school's required professional development.

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Short, 11-point video presenting qualities of an effective English language teacher (ELT)

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10 great ELT e-books that are free to download

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10 great ELT e-books that are free to download

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