"What can you do with five minutes left in class? Instead of just allowing the students to chat or get a head start on their homework, you can spend that time doing something worthwhile and educational. Here is a wonderful article that explains several mini-lesson plans to keep your students occupied after you are done with your daily lesson and still have time remaining."
Teaching, learning, reading, writing, culture, classroom management, new technologies... anything related to education. Think and Dream in English (plus some Spanish and Catalan).
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What to Do With Five Minutes...
What to Do With Five Minutes...:
Top 10 Worst Things a Teacher Can Do
Top 10 Worst Things a Teacher Can Do:
"Here is a list of items that you should avoid as a new or veteran teacher. I have only included serious items in my list and have left off such obvious offenses as having affairs with students. However, any of these can create problems for you as a teacher and if you combine two or more than just expect to really have a hard time gaining student respect and finding your profession enjoyable."
Top 10 Summer To Do's
Top 10 Summer To Do's:
"Summer vacation is a time for teachers to recharge and refocus as they prepare for another group of students. This article looks at ten to do's that teachers can work on during this summer vacation. Hopefully, we can all return back to school next year with a renewed vigor and commitment after taking some time for ourselves and reflecting on the previous year. "
How to Write Lesson Plans
How to Write Lesson Plans:
"One of the tools that effective teachers use to help with classroom management is a quality lesson plan. If you create a lesson in such a way that students are engaged, learning styles and multiple intelligences are taken into account, and instruction is varied, there will be a greater tendency for students to stay on task. If, instead, you come to class unprepared, 'flying the by the seat of your pants,' you will find that students will have a greater chance of acting up. The step-by-step instructions in this article, 'How to Write Lesson Plans,' can help you as you create effective lessons for your own classes. "
Smart Study Strategies
Smart Study Strategies:
"People are smart in different ways. Some people can create a catchy song at the drop of a hat. Others can memorize everything in a book, paint a masterpiece, or be the center of attention. When you realize what you’re good at, you can figure out the best way to study. Based on Howard Gardner’s theory of intelligence, these study tips can help you tailor your learning for your intelligence type. "
"People are smart in different ways. Some people can create a catchy song at the drop of a hat. Others can memorize everything in a book, paint a masterpiece, or be the center of attention. When you realize what you’re good at, you can figure out the best way to study. Based on Howard Gardner’s theory of intelligence, these study tips can help you tailor your learning for your intelligence type. "
Online Learning Skills are Real Life Skills
Online Learning Skills are Real Life Skills:
"As careers become more technology-dependent, educators are beginning to realize that the abilities students need to survive in online classes are the same abilities that are necessary to thrive in the world of work.
Instructor Renee Hawkins recently published a blog post that explained this issue clearly:
'The skills necessary to be a successful online student are the same skills that will serve our students well into adulthood. Successful students are self-directed, self-motivated, and self-assessing. They are equipped with these skills because a great teacher taught them how and gave them ample opportunities to practice.'
This is one of the most compelling reasons for traditional high schools and colleges to offer some form of online learning to students. Many programs are now requiring students to take at least one virtual course before graduation."
Adding Web Graphics - Tips for Web Images
Adding Web Graphics - Tips for Web Images:
"Web images are an important part of your web pages. In order to make sure they don't cause your pages more problems there are a few rules of thumb you should be aware of.Keep Your Images Small
Small images download faster, and the faster your page downloads the more likely people will stay. A good maximum size for images is 10K. Plus, search engines prefer sites that load quickly, so keeping your images small is the first step to making them faster.
Some ways to keep images small: "
Discover Your Zodiac Personality!
Discover Your Zodiac Personality!:
"Studying Zodiac signs and the personality traits is a great way to quickly improve your vocabulary related to personality. This upper level visual dictionary contains adjective rich descriptions of each Zodiac sign as well as a follow-up quiz to help you learn the new vocabulary. Does your sign reflect your true self?
This lesson plan builds on the Zodiac sign resource at the site. Whether students believe in the Zodiac or not, working with Zodiac sign descriptions provides a great opportunity to widen their vocabulary knowledge about personality and characteristic adjectives. Use this Zodiac signs lesson plan to get students talking about themselves and their friends. You'll all have a good laugh, and students will improve their active vocabulary beyond the standard happy, funny, sad, and lucky."
Blogs as Showcase Portfolios | always learning
Blogs as Showcase Portfolios | always learning:
"I am a huge advocate of blogs as ongoing, reflective portfolios of student work. After using them with students for the last six years in a variety of formats in three different schools, in my opinion, they are the perfect container for sharing, organizing and reflecting on student learning.
the end or the beginningFor starters, they are so amazingly easy to use. I’ve used blogs with students as young as third grade and it really only takes one lesson for them to understand the basics. Once they get the hang of posting, organizing their work in categories is a breeze and adding links and media are natural next steps. Plus, the inherent organizational structure (categories and tags), if used properly, makes it extremely easy and quick to find anything. The hardest part is ensuring that students remember to organize their posts."
Adding Web Graphics - Tips for Web Images
Adding Web Graphics - Tips for Web Images:
"Web images are an important part of your web pages. In order to make sure they don't cause your pages more problems there are a few rules of thumb you should be aware of.Keep Your Images Small
Small images download faster, and the faster your page downloads the more likely people will stay. A good maximum size for images is 10K. Plus, search engines prefer sites that load quickly, so keeping your images small is the first step to making them faster.
Some ways to keep images small: "
Job Interview Lesson
Job Interview Lesson:
"Students in ESL classes (and some EFL classes) will eventually need to take job interviews as they integrate into society. It can be a touchy subject for many students as they societies they have come from may have very different employment environments. This job interview lesson focuses on getting students to help each other to get plenty of practice.
Here are some further job interviewing resources for English learners:
Example Job Interview Questions and AnswersFinding a Job - Writing a Cover Letter Writing Your ResumeThe Interview: BasicsListen to a Typical Job InterviewExample Interview QuestionsUseful Job Interview Vocabulary"
Learning ESL / EFL Using Smartphones | TeachingEnglish | British Council | BBC
Learning ESL / EFL Using Smartphones | TeachingEnglish | British Council | BBC:
"Dictionary.com: This app delivers reference content from Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com. The app also features audio pronunciation, voice-to-text search, and Word of the Day. It has 375,000 words and definitions, over 300,000 synonyms and antonyms, phonetic and audio pronunciation, spelling suggestions, example sentences, favourite words list. My students and I have found the application immensely useful.
Test your English: This app is at three levels: Test Your English I, II, III. It helps the learner improve their English skills. Each level contains more than 900 multichoice tests. The types of tests are: ESL/EFL grammar exercises, ESL Business English tests, English synonym worksheets, idioms tests, common errors in English tests, etc. There are also many interesting reading passages through which English grammar can be learnt in a fun way.
250 Grammar Quizzes: This app consists of 250 basic grammar questions. Each test contains five questions. It helps learners understand English grammar better.
Crosswords: This application lets you download and solve crossword puzzles from around the world. New puzzles are available every day from major newspapers, plus hints, clue listings and many more."
Reflective teaching: Exploring our own classroom practice | TeachingEnglish | British Council | BBC
Reflective teaching: Exploring our own classroom practice | TeachingEnglish | British Council | BBC:
"Reflective teaching means looking at what you do in the classroom, thinking about why you do it, and thinking about if it works - a process of self-observation and self-evaluation. By collecting information about what goes on in our classroom, and by analysing and evaluating this information, we identify and explore our own practices and underlying beliefs. This may then lead to changes and improvements in our teaching.
Reflective teaching is therefore a means of professional development which begins in our classroom.
* Why it is important
* Beginning the process of reflectiono Teacher diaryo Peer observationo Recording lessonso Student feedback
* What to do nexto Thinko Talko Reado Ask
* Conclusion"
Education Article :: Quick Guide to Differentiated Instruction
Education Article :: Quick Guide to Differentiated Instruction:
"Why differentiated instruction?
Good teachers have always understood that they don’t just teach a subject, they teach individual students with different learning skills, backgrounds and abilities. Differentiation connects the content to the students and addresses these varied needs.
Differentiated Instruction expert Dr. Carol Ann Tomlinson reminds teachers that although you might use a variety of instructional strategies, they are a 'means to an end.' These strategies help students reach the clear learning goals set by a teacher and should be utilized to address students' readiness, interests and learning profiles.
Differentiation is not something a teacher does every now and again and it is not something any teacher would ever be able to say they had mastered. Differentiation is looking at who, where, what and how we teach and continually improving in these areas so all children learn well."
teachingvillage - Little Tech for Big Results (Busan)
teachingvillage - Little Tech for Big Results (Busan):
"Live recording of the presentation, plus interview afterward with Jeff Lebow: http://koreabridge.net/kotesol/barbara-hoskins-sakamoto-busan-kotesol-2011
Voice Thread: http://voicethread.com/
Student projects on Voice Thread: http://voicethread.com/?#u487282
Wordle: http://www.wordle.net/
Glogster: http://www.glogster.com/
Student projects on Glogster: http://barbsaka.glogster.com/
Fotobabble: http://www.fotobabble.com/
Student projects on Fotobabble: http://www.fotobabble.com/l/barbsaka
Toondoo: http://www.toondoo.com/
Student projects on Toondoo: http://www.toondoo.com/user/barbsaka
Favorite Word - The Write-n-ator (from PBSKidsGo): http://www.nhptv.org/pbskidsgo/main_challenge.asp?aid=7
Xtranormal: http://www.xtranormal.com/
Student projects on Xtranormal: http://www.xtranormal.com/profile/2282007/
(Download 'State' version to make movies without Internet connection: http://www.xtranormal.com/about_state)
Morgue File (copyright free photos): http://www.morguefile.com/
Rocco's Day (power point picture book) on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxZDgENojWc
Six Word Stories (post on my blog): http://www.teachingvillage.org/2011/03/03/six-word-stories/"
A To Do List That Works
A To Do List That Works:
"We have all done to do lists. Somehow there never seems to be enough hours in the day to accomplish all the things on your to do list. Here is the system that has worked for me. It can work for you too.
A List Is Not EnoughMaking a 'things to do list' is not enough. You have to rank them. You have to know which tasks are more important so you can focus on them. Then you have to allocate resources to those items, measure your progress, and reward yourself for your successes."
Learning 3.0: Why Technology Belongs in Every Classroom| The Committed Sardine
Learning 3.0: Why Technology Belongs in Every Classroom| The Committed Sardine:
"The National Educational Technology Plan (NETP) delineates five goals for engaging and empowering learners of all ages through technology. In the first, Learning, the plan aims to personalize learning environments, incorporating life outside the school, and help for people with disabilities. New Assessment, objectives involve measuring a “full range of standards, not just those in bubble tests,” and should employ real-time feedback, as well as “persistent learning records” available to the parents of students. In Teaching, technology should “augment human performance,” just as it does in other industries, says Cator, enabling teachers to connect to experts and each other. Infrastructure, improvements mean bringing broadband internet to 98% of the country in a few years’ time, so no matter where they live, all students have online access. The Productivity, goal involves offering technology platforms so students may accomplish the most in a given subject.
Finally, the NETP addresses large-scale, persistent inequities in American education, says Cator. Some estimates suggest 90 million adult Americans may be undereducated – for instance, reading at grade school level or worse. Broadband access and new learning platforms will create a richer set of informal learning pathways for such adults and provide new opportunities for lifelong learners."