Learning your phonetics

Ever wanted to shoot your phonetics teacher...? This may be the next best thing!

If you found learning your phonetic symbols tough, you might find the phonetics games at CambridgeEnglishOnline useful.

You can also design and print phonetics flashcards on the same site.

Task-based learning

To accompany their new book, Doing Task-based Teaching, Dave and Jane Willis have launched a new task-based learning website, which has articles and lesson plans on the subject.

Your CELTA course tutor must have mentioned Jane Willis' classic A Framework for Task-based Learning, one of the books I'd most recommend after you've finished your course.

CSI in Second Life

I've not been in Second Life for several weeks (and haven't missed it). In fact, I doubt if even my favourite TV show -- CSI -- will persuade me to head back, though there's a new CSI:NY episode featuring Second Life, though the latter is not named, which aired on CBS in the States October 24.

The episode, says New World Notes, led to "an explosion of new account sign-ups -- as many as 100,000" joining Second Life, that is. It would be interesting to know how many of those would rather spend time in SL than they would watching CSI on the telly, once they've experienced SL. Not many, I would guess...

You can watch the promotional machinima on YouTube.

Elsewhere, on virtualworldsreview.com, there's are reviews of some of the (many) alternative virtual worlds, though not many of them are making as big an impact as SL, not at least in the media.

Interactive whiteboards in the classroom

This makes all our whiteboards interactive... in theory, that is

Futurelab has a new report on interactive whiteboards in the classroom [.pdf file] that makes interesting reading. If you're new to the topic, read it; if you're wondering why your interactive whiteboards (IWBs) don't seem to get used that much, it looks at -- among other things -- the issues involved.

"The introduction of an IWB does not in and of itself transform existing pedagogies," the report highlights -- a misunderstanding I'm sure many of us fell under when they first came out.

There is evidence, it goes on to say, that "factors such as increasing familiarity, good training, time and space to practise and try new approaches, and the growth of teacher confidence all can play in increasing the likelihood of a greater impact on teaching and learning".

How many of those can you check off if you have access to IWBs in your school...?

At IH Barcelona we have "normal" IWBs in some of our classrooms; in all of the others we could use a portable Mimio board (equipment, pens, shown above)... only, regretably, we very rarely do.

Experimental School Gets Rid of Classes, Teachers

The New Country School in Henderson, Minnesota [website], has decided to do away with teachers, says this story on NPR.org, and pupils now "spend most of their day in front of their computers, working on interdisciplinary projects".

They have no classes, working instead on projects they select themselves; no teachers, no school bell, no fixed schedule, no walls and no janitors (the loos they have to clean themselves!)

Would it work...? Would it work with your learners...? What do they think...? Sounds like a discussion that might work...

NPR is also a great site for listening material -- and one you could recommend to your learners.

What a Dogme lesson feels like

The (approx.) monthly Pilgrims' Humanising Language Teaching newsletter is one I subscribe to (free).

Among the interesting articles in its back issues is one on "What a Dogme lesson feels like".

In case you wondered:

"...like a group of people freed from their expectations of the traditional teacher-student, them-and-us, relationship"

And in case you wondered what Dogme is, it's -- among other things -- a fascinating discussion group that will be of interest if you think your learners more important than your materials.

Things like the HLT newsletter coming to you, rather than you going looking, is one way to save yourself wasting time on the Internet, which is a good thing. Belonging to a discussion group like Dogme is one way to ensure you continue to think critically about what you and your learners are doing in your classroom.

That's a good thing, too...

Get started with Office 2007

For anyone having trouble getting used to Office 2007, here's a couple of useful links.

• Get started with the 2007 Microsoft Office system
• What's new in Microsoft Office Word 2007
• Finding your tools in Word
  

At the first of those links, you will also find help for the new versions of Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint.

Help!
Two other ways to find help which people don't use nearly as often as they should:

• Press the F1 button, which brings up Help in just about all computer programs -- and help yourself
• Ask someone that knows -- the fastest, most efficient way!

If you are here with us at IH Barcelona, there's always "someone that knows" (Sergio, Natxo or myself) in the Internet Room to help you. If you work here, call us -- that's what we're here for ,-) !

Some wit once said "The important thing nowadays is not to know but to know the telephone number of the person that does"!

Chocolate!

Get me my daily dose of chocolate, quick!

October 15-21 is Chocolate Week, according to the weekly tip DevelopingTeachers.com sent to my mail box this week.

Not sure I'd "use chocolate bars as prizes in class competitions", but the Tip comes with lesson plan ideas and some great links -- like a chocolate tasting competition as a warmer!

"Chocolate" might also make an interesting class discussion -- and you might then turn it into a webquest.

True, I am wild about chocolate (see picture of my breakfast, above), but I'd be prepared to bet a King Size Mars Bar you've got several chocolate freaks sitting there in your class, too!

>> Another Weekly Tip idea

Halloween lessons

On TeachingEnglish.org.uk's section of resources for teaching children, there's a new .pdf file with ideas for Halloween lessons.

>> More ideas for Halloween lessons

October 10, World Mental Health Day

This Wednesday (October 10th) is World Mental Health Day, the "Weekly Teaching Tip" from DevelopingTeachers.com tells me.

If you like your lesson plans gifted to you without too much thought on your part -- and directly into your own mailbox if you subscribe -- the Tip is a good place to look.

Personally, I like students as involved as possible from the start. This week's Tip quotes an article on stress from the BBC. The headings are:

• Symptoms of stress
• Dealing with stress
• Work-related stress
• Tackling work stress

I'd suggest starting there and, before the students read the article, get them to brainstorm what they think will come under the headings... Getting them to find which of the ideas they came up with and what other ideas the article suggests then gives you a natural reason for reading the article, and a natural reading comprehension question.

"Stress", some wit once said, "is when you wake up screaming and then you realise you haven't fallen asleep yet." If you're already stressed out yourself by your new term, now you know where to look...!

>> Bank of previous teaching tips
>> More free stuff in your mailbox