A good place to start is to introduce myself.
I'm Maite, and I'm an English teacher at Colegio Base.
I have recently started working on this blog to record some activities I use in class to help my students improve their skills. English skills have traditionally included speaking, writing, reading and listening, with grammar as the 'glue' holding language together.
I think there is a stronger 'glue' than that, though--necessity! If you need to do something, you will learn how to do it more quickly, more easily, and with longer lasting effects.
How do you create necessity without taking your students to an English speaking country and throwing them in at the deep end? Agreed, then. Some of these necessities are somewhat artificial but they begin by using English, and English alone, in the classroom. Ok, and charades, and the occasional pointing, visuals and onomatopoeia, but that's about it.
I also create needs by giving students a challenge, be it a project, a written or oral assignment, or a quest of some sort, in which they have to research, connect information, and put it together in such a way that meaning is conveyed effectively so others can gain knowledge, or enjoy your product, or decide whether they agree or disagree with you.
I'm not the only one doing this. I've learned from others and I'm really glad I have. With this blog, my intention is to show others how I do it, and to share some of my ideas with them.
I'm Maite, and I'm an English teacher at Colegio Base.
I have recently started working on this blog to record some activities I use in class to help my students improve their skills. English skills have traditionally included speaking, writing, reading and listening, with grammar as the 'glue' holding language together.
I think there is a stronger 'glue' than that, though--necessity! If you need to do something, you will learn how to do it more quickly, more easily, and with longer lasting effects.
How do you create necessity without taking your students to an English speaking country and throwing them in at the deep end? Agreed, then. Some of these necessities are somewhat artificial but they begin by using English, and English alone, in the classroom. Ok, and charades, and the occasional pointing, visuals and onomatopoeia, but that's about it.
I also create needs by giving students a challenge, be it a project, a written or oral assignment, or a quest of some sort, in which they have to research, connect information, and put it together in such a way that meaning is conveyed effectively so others can gain knowledge, or enjoy your product, or decide whether they agree or disagree with you.
I'm not the only one doing this. I've learned from others and I'm really glad I have. With this blog, my intention is to show others how I do it, and to share some of my ideas with them.
Happy reading!
Maite
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