Pre Course Discussion Padlet. by Sharon

2025-06-15 13:05:21 UTC

Hi, I'm Laura Bassanetti and I'm an English teacher. I've been teaching English since 2020. I'm teaching English in a secondary school (1st grade). I think that teaching English is great challange in the 21st century, because students have changed; they have changed their way of learning, of perceiving the world and their brain structure. Therefore, it is important to apply a learner-centred approach and to integrate this approach with the new technologies (TEAL), in order to make them more motivated in their learning process. It is also fundamental to focus our method on communication, because nowadays the ability to use English for communicative purposes is often required and communication is also strictly connected to like skills. When I teach English, I usually use a lot of different materials: books, videos, flashcards and new technologies (ICT). Using new technologies can help us to work on three aspects: MOTIVATION, ASSESSMENT/SELF-ASSESSMENT, AND INCLUSION. I usually adapt these materials making them simpler and interactive. For example, I ask students to create mind maps in groups using some programs like Mindmeister or Canva (so that they work together and they are involved in their process of learning); in a difficult text I include a glossary which gives the definition in a simpler way in English, or I highlight keywords; in teaching grammar, I prepare grammar videos; in teaching vocabulary, I use flashcards and so on. In conclusion I adapt materials making them more visual rather than discursive.

2025-06-16 17:54:04 UTC

Hi everyone! I'm Martina Bonapace, and I have been teaching English for two years in a technical institute with a focus on computer science. English was taught to me mainly through traditional frontal lessons, entirely in Italian. I never had the opportunity to actually speak English in class. Nowadays, I think it is essential to involve students and to help them develop their oral skills. I use different materials in my teaching, such as textbooks, videos, and audio recordings. I try to keep students engaged and to expose them to different forms of input. I always try to choose materials that are appropriate for the level of my students. If not, I provide a glossary of the unknown words.

2025-06-17 10:11:27 UTC

Hi, I'm Pamela Carollo. I’ve always worked in secondary schools. I spent a year teaching at a Liceo delle scienze umane, another year at a technical institute for tourism and business, and at a vocational school with students in graphic design, mechanics, and woodworking.

I try to mix things up depending on the class and their needs. I use a bit of the grammar-translation method, situational language teaching, TBLT, and the communicative approach. Having had experience in different types of schools, I've seen that the context changes a lot and requires different approaches, it really depends on what works best for the group.

I use coursebooks, worksheets, and online platforms or apps. I also bring in authentic materials like videos, audio clips, films, and songs to make lessons more engaging and relevant.
When I can, I adapt materials by simplifying or adding complexity depending on the students’ levels. I often use scaffolding to guide them through tasks and include a lot of pair and group work to make the learning more interactive and supportive.

2025-06-17 12:47:53 UTC

Good afternoon, I' m Sofia Massari. I've bene teaching since 2019, my first year was at a junior school and then, I've started teaching French and English at the Middle School in a mountain village. I think that we are leaving in a world that changes every day, students have full access to information and news so it's really challenging to get their interest and attention. Therefore, it is important to apply a learner-centred approach and to use the new technologies to get their attention. It Is fundamental to communicate and to use English for purposes that will be useful for their real lives. I often use authentic materials such as BBC articles, videos, songs. As I've always taught at junior high school I try to make them have fun proposing games in English, role-playing activities, TBLT, learning by doing works in order to involve every students, even the most timid and those who are in trouble. First of all, I want them to be happy to study English with me. Thank you for your attention. See you tomorrow!

2025-06-17 16:23:09 UTC

Hello everyone, I am Milena Burati and I have worked as a language teacher in Secondary schools ("scuole medie") for four years now. When I think about 20th/21st century English Language Teaching there are a lot of different methods and approaches that come to my mind, starting from the traditional ones (grammar/translation method) to the recent communicative approaches. In my opinion it is essential to make the student feel as involved as possible, this enhances their motivation to learn. To teach language I usually use coursebooks, worksheets, websites and online apps. Nowadays new technologies offer us the chance to have updated authentic materials and this can also increase interest in our learners. I believe that teachers need to be very much aware of their students (their interests, abilities, difficulties, etc.). This helps to define measurable objectives but also to provide material with appropriate adaptations. There are different ways in which our lessons can be adapted to be accessible to everyone, it depends on the kind of activity the teacher has in mind. For example, when I introduce a new topic I find brainstorming activities particularly useful to bring together diverse perspectives. Students are encouraged to share their ideas without fear of being judged or criticised.

2025-06-18 08:25:00 UTC

Hi everyone!

I'm Marta Scarduelli. I have been a teacher since 2019. During the first year I worked at a primary school, in the province of Trento. I taught German and Arts and Music by using CLIL method.

Then in 2020 I started teaching English in a vocational school and I'm still working here. In my school, technology has gained the upper hand: teachers as well as students use iPads provided by the school. Therefore we don't have any paper books and each teacher has to prepare his/her own materials. We use the Moodle platform and we upload the materials on it; we inevitably teach thanks to the digital tools. Personally, I create my own materials by inserting mind maps, pictures and using colors that can help students associating concepts. I rely on online gamification, focusing on EdPuzzle, Wordwall, Padlet, Learning Apps or standard grammar exercises. I also use Quizlet for digital flashcards. I show them videos dealing with different topics, we focus on new words and we do a comprehension. To explain more complicated topics I generally introduce songs: we analyze the words and the grammar structure. In my opinion, one disadvantage is the constant accessibility to online translators: if I asked students to write down a text, I would be forced to forbid the translator because they wouldn't be able to use it correctly: they don't look just for the single word they need, they look for the entire sentence and they don't reflect on the grammar structure. They are very lazy! One difficulty I notice is the speaking competence: they are really afraid of making mistakes, so they prefer not to speak at all. Above all they are scared by the classmates' judgements.

Finally, I sometimes show them Instagram videos uploaded by funny creators about pronunciation, grammar tips, cultural curiosities: they are usually fond of them.