As we approach the end of the year it’s time to review all the amazing content we have had throughout the year and to pick my personal favourite five blog posts for 2018.
The content, resources and activities have been of high quality so it was hard to pick just five. I’ve really enjoyed the articles which provide practical activities for teachers as I can imagine these must be invaluable for any teacher who is struggling with ideas or wants to freshen up their techniques within the classroom.
Providing creative activities in the classroom is a great way to give meaningful opportunities to apply their learning because it also helps students of all ages to retain the information they are learning as the process is enjoyable and memorable. I have chosen the below five articles as I feel they contribute to what we understand to be fun ways of teaching the English language to students of all ages, incorporating those important life competencies.
Robert Dobie – Five things to do with a pair of scissors
I really liked this blog as it alerts you to the possibility that some activities used in the classroom are too low energy for students and in order for them to engage and get the best from it, assigning a more dynamic activity could work more effectively. Robert’s suggestion of using scissors to cut up standard activities such as crosswords and spot the difference games is a simple but effective way to unlock more possibilities in learning. I think this is great blog to encourage teachers to try something new, think outside the box and have fun with their students.
Rachel Jeffries – Creative drama activities for the classroom #2
This blog by Rachel is a slightly different take on activities for students, as this one is focused on getting students to slow down and listen rather than an actual English teaching activity. Accompanying the blog is a video which demonstrates the technique of using basic movement to slowly engage students to stop what they are doing look, listen and copy. It is a great calming technique which I think teachers will really benefit from in their own classroom and the video offers a great visual aid for teachers to replicate.
Mariana Ruiz Nascimento – An integrated skills activity based on inventions
I chose this blog as the activity is very inventive! Mariana has an activity to encourage students to present their own invention in English. It is a fantastic way to integrate language skills and increase critical thinking ability. The task itself is divided into four steps; discussion, creation, presentation and feedback. Mariana goes into detail on how to set up those tasks and what to ask and expect from students taking part. I like that she clearly demonstrates that teaching English is more than using textbooks and talking at students. Her activity includes examples of many skills essential for life – problem-solving, collaboration, team work etc. I think teachers would benefit highly from this and again it shows a fun way to teach English.
Justyna Matwiejczyk – Who do you want to be when you grow up?
In this blog Justyna offers two activities which are aligned with an OECD report on the career aspirations of primary school children around the world. The activities chosen are simple and energetic which is engaging and fun for students and no doubt enjoyable for teachers to instigate too. The step by step guide is invaluable for teachers and guides them through the process offering extended worksheets to follow up the activity. I love that these can be used for students to take home and follow up the discussions with their families. This has great longevity which I think teachers will like.
Mike Astbury – Creative storytelling classroom activity
Mike’s enthusiasm for teaching comes over very strongly in this article. I think this is a very inspirational series of blogs which can easily be adapted for any classroom environment. Students love storytelling so building in language use and error correction is a great combination to help students build up their skills and knowledge of the English language. I think teachers will find this fun and useful and something they can replicate and adapt in their own way within the classroom.
I think what these five blog posts show us is that there are a variety of activities which teachers can use in the classroom which are engaging and fun for both students and teachers and that teaching English doesn’t have to be restricted to general day to day routines and methodology but can actually go beyond that and encourage creativity, collaboration, critical thinking and more!
Check out the next in the series of ‘A year in review’.