Motivate Post

5 Surprising Ways to Motivate Your Students

by with No Comment Think Up Blog

As English language teachers, we understand the importance of motivating students to learn. A motivated student is more likely to participate in class, engage in the material, and retain what they’ve learned. While traditional methods of motivation, such as grades and rewards, can be effective, they can also be limiting. In this blog post, there are five ways to motivate your students that go beyond the norm.

A motivated student is more likely to participate in class, engage in the material, and retain what they've learned.

Create a sense of community:

Creating a sense of community in the classroom can be a powerful motivator for students. Encourage students to work together, share their ideas, and support one another. This not only helps to foster a positive learning environment, but it also helps to build self-esteem and confidence in your students.

Make learning fun:

Learning should be fun, not boring. Incorporate games and activities into your lessons that are both educational and enjoyable. This not only keeps students engaged, but it also helps to make the material more memorable.

Use real-life examples:

Connecting the material to real-life examples can help to make it more relevant and interesting for students. For example, if you’re teaching grammar, use examples from songs, movies, or news articles that students are familiar with.

Encourage personal growth:

Encouraging students to pursue their personal interests and passions can be a powerful motivator. Allow students to choose their own projects or topics to study, and provide them with the support and resources they need to succeed.

Celebrate successes:

Celebrating student successes, no matter how small, can help to build confidence and motivation. Recognize and reward students for their hard work and achievements, and encourage them to set new goals for themselves.

In conclusion, motivating students to learn goes beyond grades and rewards. By incorporating these five methods into your teaching, you can create a positive and engaging learning environment for your students. With a little creativity and effort, you can inspire your students to reach their full potential and succeed.

 

Happy teaching!

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Tatiana

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Storytelling Post

The Power of Storytelling in the EFL Classroom

by with No Comment Think Up Blog

Storytelling is an essential tool for any English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher looking to engage students and promote language learning. It offers numerous benefits, from improving listening and speaking skills to boosting creativity and critical thinking. In this post, we’ll explore six key benefits of storytelling in the EFL classroom, and suggest some practical websites to help you incorporate storytelling into your lessons.

BENEFIT #1: Improving Listening and Speaking Skills

Storytelling promotes active listening and helps students understand how to structure sentences and convey meaning. When students listen to a story, they must focus on the speaker’s words, intonation, and body language. This helps them develop their listening and comprehension skills. Similarly, when students retell or create their own stories, they are practicing their speaking skills, developing vocabulary, and improving their grammar.

BENEFIT #2: Building Vocabulary

Storytelling provides an excellent opportunity to teach new vocabulary in context. As students listen to or read a story, they encounter new words and expressions. By using these words in their own storytelling, they can reinforce their understanding and usage of the language.

BENEFIT #3: Enhancing Creativity

Storytelling requires imagination and creativity. When students retell or create their own stories, they must think about the characters, setting, plot, and resolution. This encourages them to use their imaginations and think outside the box, developing their creativity and critical thinking skills.

Storytelling requires imagination and creativity. This encourages them to use their imaginations and think outside the box, developing their creativity and critical thinking skills.

BENEFIT #4: Fostering Cultural Awareness

Stories are an excellent way to teach cultural values and traditions. By sharing stories from different cultures, students can learn about different customs and beliefs, helping them to develop respect and empathy for other cultures.

 

BENEFIT #5: Boosting Confidence and Motivation

When students tell their own stories, they become the center of attention, which can boost their confidence and self-esteem. Additionally, storytelling can be a fun and engaging activity that motivates students to learn and participate in class.

BENEFIT #6: Encouraging Collaboration

Storytelling can be a collaborative activity that encourages students to work together. By creating and performing stories in groups, students can practice their communication and cooperation skills, while also developing their creativity and problem-solving abilities.

 

Practical Websites for Storytelling

There are many websites that can help you incorporate storytelling into your EFL classroom. Here are a few of our favorites:

Storybird: This website allows students to create their own illustrated stories using a variety of themes and art styles.

Storyline Online: This website features videos of actors reading popular children’s books, providing students with a fun and engaging way to practice their listening skills.

 

Myths and Legends: This website features a collection of traditional myths and legends from around the world, providing an excellent opportunity for cultural exploration.

StoryMaps: This website allows students to create interactive maps that tell a story, providing an engaging way to practice writing and storytelling skills.

 

Conclusion

Storytelling is a powerful tool for EFL teachers, offering numerous benefits for language learning and student engagement. By incorporating storytelling into your lessons, you can improve listening and speaking skills, build vocabulary, enhance creativity, foster cultural awareness, boost confidence and motivation, and encourage collaboration. With practical websites like Storybird, Storyline Online, and Myths and Legends, you can make storytelling a hands-on and engaging activity for your EFL students.

Happy Teaching!

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Tops Mistakes

Top Mistakes English Teachers Make (And How to Avoid Them) – Part 1

by with No Comment Think Up Blog
   

As English teachers, we may feel sometimes that there are things that are just not working, but we’re not sure why. Well, in this series, we are going to explore the top mistakes we make as English teachers and how to avoid them.

 

 

Mistake #1: Failing to plan effective lessons

Why is it important? 

Of course, we all know lesson planning is an important part of the teaching process. You can even find different ways to simplify your lesson planning process in our previous post. Lesson plans help us stay on track and stay organized during class. They also make sure that your students get a well-rounded and interesting lesson. The most common mistake is not taking the time to plan our lessons.

Common Mistakes 

This can lead to a lack of structure and organization, as well as a lack of focus on the learning objectives for the class. Another common mistake is not considering the needs and abilities of the students, which can result in lessons that are either too difficult or too easy for the students.

Some tips to avoid common mistakes

  • Take the time to plan your lessons thoroughly and consider the needs and abilities of your students.
  • Focus on the learning objectives for the class and make sure that your lessons are well-rounded and comprehensive. Try using long-term planning, find out more here. 
  • Use a variety of teaching methods, including hands-on activities, group work, and discussion, to keep students engaged and involved.
  • Incorporate real-life examples and authentic materials into your lessons to make them more relevant and interesting to students.
  • Continuously evaluate and adjust your lesson plans to ensure that they are effective and meeting the needs of your students.

Continuously evaluate and adjust your lesson plans to ensure that they are effective and meeting the needs of your students.

Mistake #2: Over-reliance on textbooks

Why is it important? 

As an English language teacher, textbooks can be quite important, especially depending on your school’s curriculum. It’s easy to fall into the trap of relying solely on the textbook for lesson material. But if you only use a textbook, your lessons might not be as creative or interesting, and your students might feel bored and uninterested in the material. Textbooks are a valuable resource, but they should not be the only source of information or activity in the classroom.

Common Mistakes 

One common mistake is to only get information from the textbook instead of adding real-life examples and activities. Another mistake is to simply go through the textbook in a linear fashion, rather than using it as a starting point for more interactive and engaging lessons.

Some tips to avoid common mistakes

  • Use real-life examples and authentic materials, such as news articles or videos, to bring the material to life for students.
  • Encourage students to use English in real-life situations by incorporating role-plays and simulations into your lessons.
  • Use the textbook as a starting point, rather than the sole source of information, and incorporate other materials and activities into your lessons.
  • Encourage students to use the textbook as a reference, rather than the sole source of information, by encouraging them to do additional research and explore topics in more depth.
  • By supplementing textbook materials with real-life examples and activities, you can make your lessons more engaging, interactive, and relevant to your students. This will help to foster their interest in the language and support their development as English language learners.

By supplementing textbook materials with real-life examples and activities, you can make your lessons more engaging, interactive, and relevant to your students.

Mistake #3: Underestimating the Importance of Pronunciation

Why is it important? 

It’s important to realize how important pronunciation is to language skills as a whole. Good pronunciation is important for good communication because it makes it easier for students to be understood and for others to understand them. Students’ confidence and fluency in speaking a language can be greatly improved by putting a lot of focus on how to say words.

Common Mistakes 

One common mistake is not paying enough attention to pronunciation in lessons, especially if the teacher is a non-native speaker themselves. Another mistake is not taking the time to correct pronunciation mistakes in real time, allowing them to become ingrained habits.

Some tips to avoid common mistakes

  • Emphasize the importance of pronunciation from the very beginning and make it a regular part of your lessons.
  • Use visual aids, such as pictures or videos, to help students understand the sounds of the language.
  • Correct pronunciation mistakes in real time and provide individualized feedback to students.
  • Encourage students to practice pronunciation in small groups or individually with a focus on proper intonation and rhythm.
  • Provide opportunities for students to practice their pronunciation in real-life situations, such as role-plays or presentations.
  • By placing a strong emphasis on pronunciation and promoting good speech habits, you can help your students to improve their overall language skills and become confident, fluent speakers of English.

By placing a strong emphasis on pronunciation and promoting good speech habits, you can help your students to improve their overall language skills and become confident, fluent speakers of English.

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How to Spend Less Time Preparing Lessons

by with No Comment Think Up Blog
   

Lesson planning has always been a time-consuming and complex process for teachers. I’m almost sure if you ask most teachers, novice or experienced, this will be a pain point. I remember when I first started teaching, and I would take at least twice as long as the lesson lasted. I would research the grammar to increase my awareness, find different ways to model or explain it to my students, and explore teaching practices that would support my students based on their needs. Through the years, this process became easier and more streamlined, which is why I wanted to tap into my over twenty-year experience and share some tips to help you plan smarter.

 

Analyze current lesson plans

  1. Assess your lesson planning routine

The process may seem complex and time-consuming, so the first thing you need to do is find out why. Analyze your lesson planning routine and determine which part of it is taking the longest or is the most difficult for you. Then, come back to this post and make a list of possible solutions to make the process easier and more efficient. This process of reflection should be done often so that we can evaluate both how we plan our lessons and the lessons themselves to see how well they worked for our students. Once you have identified the weaknesses in your lesson planning routine, it’s time to get to work! Here are some of my ideas.

 

Plan effectively

  1. Map out learning goals: Before planning each lesson, take the time to map out the learning goals for the entire course. This will help you see the big picture and ensure that each lesson builds towards these goals. I would start your course map with four columns: lesson, goal, and expected outcome. Then plan detailed lessons when the time comes.
  1. Use reverse planning: Instead of starting from scratch, try reverse planning. Start with the end goal in mind, which you can take from your course map, and work backwards to determine what students need to know in order to achieve it. This makes it easier to plan and makes sure that every lesson is important and relevant. At this point, you’ll need to add a column to the course map with the heading “Student Needs,” where you’ll enter two to three things your students absolutely need to be successful during this lesson. Think of it like a rough outline or brainstorm of your lesson’s needs.
  1. Simplification of lesson plan formats

Based on the findings of some researchers, a one-page lesson plan could indeed solve many of the issues teachers have when planning lessons. This short and to-the-point version of a lesson plan could have the most important information and keep the expected results realistic. We would go as far as to propose that you continue your lesson plan on the same Course Map. You can add one more column with lesson details, such as Introduction, Action, and Assessment.

 

Consider setting up a lesson planning group with other teachers and sharing ideas, materials, and resources.  

Reusing materials

  1. Use technology to your advantage: There are a variety of tech tools available to help streamline the lesson planning process. For example, you can use an app or website that allows you to create and save lesson plans, access resources, and track progress. You can also download our free Course Map and Lesson Plan Format to get you started and keep track on Google Drive.

 

  1. Collaborate with colleagues: Sharing lesson planning ideas and resources with colleagues can be a great way to save time and stay motivated. Consider setting up a lesson planning group with other teachers and sharing ideas, materials, and resources. Some researchers even created Wikis to help in this group planning endeavor. This not only saves you time but also keeps the lessons tailored to your teaching context.

 

7. Prioritize the essential content: When planning a full course, it can be tempting to try to include everything from the text book or curriculum. However, this often leads to lesson overload and can be overwhelming for both you and your students. Instead, prioritize the essential content and focus on delivering that information effectively.

 

Go with the flow

8. Embrace flexibility: Lesson planning is a fluid process, and it’s important to be flexible and adapt to the needs of your students. Don’t be afraid to change your lesson plans when you need to, and use any teaching opportunities that come up in class. Take notes of those unexpected moments in your Course Map and Lesson Plan Format or keep them in a teaching journal.

 

All in all, planning effective lessons doesn’t have to be overwhelming; you can find the best routine that works for you by trial and error. So, if the routine you currently have is not wokring for you, roll up those sleeves and get started. This is how I’ve managed to simplify my lesson planning over the years, while always focusing on the essentials. Here’s a brief summary, of how you could do it, too.

 

Preplanning > Planning > Implementing > Reflecting/Evaluating

Step 1: Analyze current Lesson planning routine. 

Step 2: Preplan with a course map. 

Step 3: Plan your lessons by expanding the information on your course map. 

Step 4: Implement your lesson. 

Step 5: Reflect on the effectiveness on your lesson plan and your students’ learning outcomes. 

 

Download our free Course Map and Lesson Plan Format to get you started.

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Banner Blog

Diversify Your EFL Career: Explore Different Contexts and Roles

by with No Comment Think Up Blog
   

As an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher, you have a wealth of opportunities to expand your career and explore different contexts and roles. While traditional teaching positions in language schools or universities are common, there are many alternative paths for EFL teachers to take, which can offer new challenges, skills, and experiences.

Here are some innovative and creative roles that EFL teachers can explore:

 

Teaching for Specific Purposes

Find job opportunities teaching business English or exam preparation courses.

 

Material and Course Design

Take your teaching role up to next level by creating and designing English teaching content or courses. 

 

Using English in other roles

Use your knowledge of English to take on roles outside of education like tourism and translation. 

 

Corporate Trainer: Many companies have a need for employees who can communicate effectively in English, especially for multinational companies. EFL teachers can offer their expertise to train employees in business English, cross-cultural communication, and presentation skills. You can prepare for this kind of role with our Teaching Business English 60-hour TEFL Course. 

Online Teacher: With the rise of online education, EFL teachers can work remotely and reach a wider audience. Platforms like VIPKid, iTutorGroup, and Cambly are popular choices for EFL teachers who want to work online. Find out more about how to be your own boss with our Teaching English Online as a Freelancer 30-Hour TEFL/TESOL Course. Keep developing your skills with courses like 10-Hour TEFL / TESOL Micro-credentials for Games and Activities for the Online Classroom for Very Young Learners, Young Learners, Teenagers or Adults. You could even gain knowledge depending on the group size like with the 10-Hour TEFL / TESOL Micro-credential, Teaching English Online to Groups.

Teacher-Trainer: Experienced and knowledgable EFL teachers who are passionate about professional development can consider becoming teacher trainers. They can deliver workshops, courses, and seminars to help other teachers improve their teaching skills and knowledge of English language teaching methodology.

 

There are many alternative paths for EFL teachers to take, which can offer new challenges, skills, and experiences.  

Content Creator: EFL teachers can leverage their knowledge and skills to create content, such as course materials, videos, podcasts, or blogs, to help students learn English. These materials can be sold online or used in their own teaching practice. Learn everything you need to know about how to create your own English course for Specific Purposes with our Designing Custom Courses 40-Hour TEFL/TESOL Course or Materials Development for the EFL Classroom 20-Hour TEFL / TESOL Micro-credential. 

Language Assessment Specialist: EFL teachers can work in the field of language assessment, developing or evaluating language exams or tests, such as TOEFL or IELTS.

You can learn all of the pedagogical strategies required to teach an exam preparation course with these Micro-credentials. 

  • Teaching TOEFL Test Prep 20-Hour TEFL / TESOL Micro-credential 
  • Teaching PTE Test Prep 20-Hour TEFL / TESOL Micro-credential
  • Teaching IELTS Exam Prep 20-Hour TEFL / TESOL Micro-credential 

Language Immersion Program Coordinator: EFL teachers can help organize and run language immersion programs, where students live and study in a foreign country. They can use their teaching skills and knowledge of the local culture to create a dynamic and engaging language learning experience. 

Tour Guide: EFL teachers with a passion for travel and culture can consider becoming tour guides. They can use their language skills and knowledge of different countries to lead groups of tourists and provide a unique perspective on the local culture.

Translators or interpreters: English language teachers can also learn more about becoming a translator or an interpreter. In translation, you could aspire to a written translation job or an online or face-to-face consecutive or simultaneous translator. 

In conclusion, there are many alternative and exciting paths that EFL teachers can take to diversify their careers. These roles offer the chance to utilize your teaching skills in new and innovative ways and to gain new experiences, perspectives, and challenges. If you want to know more about how ELT Think Tank can support you on your path, just contact us! 

 

Interested in becoming an English teacher? 

Find out more about our 140-hour blended TESOL/TEFL Certification course. 

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Top tips for teachers to maintain their English level

by with No Comment Think Up Blog

As a teacher, it’s crucial to communicate effectively with students and provide them with the necessary support and guidance. In this blog post, let’s discuss practical tips for improving your English skills as an English teacher and taking your teaching to the next level.

 

 

1. Make a plan to learn: The first step to improving your English is to make a plan. Decide how much time you want to dedicate to learning and what resources you will use. This could be a combination of websites, books, or courses like Enhance. The key is to find what works best for you and stick to your plan.

2. Be accountable: Find ways to make sure you stick to your plan by making the plan with a co-worker or teacher friend or joining a community of practice. You can always join the ELT Thinkers WhatsApp group to share teaching ideas and ask questions to fellow teachers. Find out more about teacher collaboration in this post. 

3. Use content that works best for your level: Choose websites with content that work best for your level. Find content such as movies, TV shows, music, podcasts, books, newspapers, blogs, or magazines. Start with materials at your level and gradually increase the difficulty as you improve. Find some great ideas in this post. 

 

"Improving your English skills takes time and effort, but it is well worth it for you and your students."

4. Go to Language Exchanges or find a language exchange partner: Language exchanges are a great way to practice speaking with native English speakers. You can find a language exchange partner online or attend local language exchange events.

5. Play word games or puzzles in English: This is a fun way to improve your vocabulary and grammar skills. Try playing crosswords, word jumbles, or other word games in English.

6. Take an online English course: Taking an online English course is an excellent way to improve your language skills and become a better teacher. Enhance is the perfect way to learn, enhance or maintain your English so you can confidently teach.  

Bonus Tip

Keep a journal in English to practice writing: Keeping a journal in English is a great way to practice your writing skills. Try to write about your teaching experiences and reflect on what you’ve learned. This will help you to improve your writing and reflect on your teaching to become a better teacher.

In conclusion, improving your English skills takes time and effort, but it is well worth it for you and your students. These tips will make you a more effective teacher and provide your students with the best possible support and guidance. Additionally, you’ll be able to aspire to different job opportunities.

Do you want more tips and details on improving your English as an English teacher? Sign up for our webinar! 

Happy Teaching!

 

You stayed until the end!

You stayed until the end, so we have a surprise for you! You get a 10% discount on Enhance, English course for teacher to take your English and teaching to the next level. Valid only until Feb 15, 2023.

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Banner Image Post Multimodality

How to integrate Multimodality in the current language classroom practices

by with No Comment Think Up Blog

Let’s take a look at the concept

Multimodality refers to the use of different modes, tools, or communicative resources to create meaning. In this sense, modes of representation are understood as those tools that can be: written and oral language; visual, audio, tactile, gestural, and spatial representations.

Consequently, as a teacher, you must keep these modes in mind both when you create or choose a text for your students, as well as when they are creating texts. 

 

These are the elements that people use to communicate and understand the world around them. That is why, in today’s classrooms, educators must be prepared to work with different resources and use multimodality in their classes by presenting the information in multiple ways. In this way, it will also be possible to recognize the elements that students use to create texts, where they show their preferences and communicative interests.

Teaching tips

Here are some teaching ideas that you can include in your teaching practices and routines from a multimodal approach:

Practical exercise in class

  • Students will choose a person with whom they have close and continuous contact.
  • They will begin to observe and note their characteristics: the way they speak, the colors of their clothes, the accessories they use, their favorite music and food, the continuous movements of their body, the persistent gestures of their face and hands, most used words, and socio-cultural characteristics: like the people they live with, where, and what they do on a
    daily basis.
  • To collect the information students could use different data collection tools like: diary, organizing in charts the information, interviews, photos, observation, to name a few. (For this part of the process, the teacher must have explained in advance the characteristics of these tools and their application).
  • After having these characteristics, students will begin to write a short story (which includes images, sounds, textures, colors, and elements that capture the reader’s attention) where the main character will be the person they chose and analyzed.
  • This story must keep in mind its target audience (age and interests of the audience) and it must have a learning objective. That is, it must have a message, explanation, or new knowledge for the reader.
  • In addition, it must follow the main characteristics of a short story.
  • Then, students will share their stories with their classmates and in a reflective way, the teacher will open a space to talk about the process of observation, information gathering and the writing of the short story, according to what each student was able to do and experiment.
  • The teacher may end up explaining how a person becomes a text that can be read and understood. All the characteristics that make up a person create their text, and by being able to interrogate, analyze and understand these characteristics, we can say that a person is a text that can be read. When we understand texts beyond written letters and recognize that there
    are multiple modes and resources that can enrich them (color, movement, sound…) we open the perspective and understanding of what a text is.
  • In addition, broaden the students’ vision of the way they read and write based on multimodality.

Here there are some key ideas that you can consider when applying multimodality in your classes:

● Include always in your classes different kind of modes to explain or send a message to your students: Pictures, illustrations, audio, speech, writing and print, music, movement, gestures, facial expressions, and colors.
● Keep in mind the different learning styles of your students and allow them to be able to choose the modes of their textual creations.
● Allow learning to be dynamic and interactive, so that students can interact with the information and knowledge presented in class.

Well, and how can you help your students to read and write in a multimodal way?

Here are some links to continue learning about Multimodality that can be useful for you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nt5wPIhhDDU&ab_channel=JeffBezemer
https://vimeo.com/88937627?embedded=true&source=video_title&owner=5137968
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUZ9Zu6Fb3g

For more information, you can also reference this LSLP Micropaper: 

Mejía-Vélez, M. C. & Salazar Patiño, T. (2014). Multimodality. LSLP Micro-Papers, 4. Available in http://www.literaciesinl2project.org/uploads/3/8/9/7/38976989/lslp-micro-paper-4-multimodality.pdf

 

This post is in alliance with a guest author from LSLP or Literacies in Second Languages Project.

Find out more about LSLP 

 

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Natalia Andrea

Ramírez

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Exploring Creative Ways to Use ChatGPT in English Language Teaching

by with No Comment Think Up Blog

What is ChatGPT, and how can it help teachers in the English language classroom?

ChatGPT, short for “Chat Generative Pre-training Transformer,” is an extensive language model developed by OpenAI that can generate natural language text. There has been tons of buzz around this innovative tool since it came out last year, with mixed feelings about how it could be used in education or if it should be used. What’s my position? I’m all for it, it’s a tool we can use to support teaching and learning English. 

 

ChatGPT and its Benefits for English Language Learning

     ChatGPT can be an invaluable tool for teachers in the English language classroom. It can help students practice various language skills, including grammar, vocabulary, reading, writing, and even preparing for speaking. However, I’ve read many articles debating where ChatGPT should be used in teaching and learning since it could be just another way for students to get out of doing their homework. 

     As English teachers, you could tell if your students used a translator on a writing task; the same occurs with using ChatGPT. Although it can mimic a human, it will never quite get the exact style your students use of the language, their level of English, or their lexis. We can tell, so I don’t think it will impact our work negatively, but it could benefit our teacher activities and students’ learning process. 

     So, let’s explore how we can get the most out of ChatGPT in ELT. One of the ways that ChatGPT can be used in the classroom is through the use of prompts and questions. Teachers can prepare these for ChatGPT to either generate responses that help them plan a lesson or develop content that students can use to learn.

For Students

  • You can use the model as a starting point for class discussion. Ask the students to explain their understanding of the model’s response, and you can ask higher-order thinking skill questions to promote critical thinking. 
  • Using ChatGPT as a writing assistant, students can input a sentence or a paragraph in their own words, and the model will help them with grammar, vocabulary, or even spelling mistakes.
  • Students can then analyze the model’s responses and compare them to their own answers, leading to a better understanding of the language.
  • It can also be used as a self-study tool. Teachers can assign homework that involves interacting with the model, and students can share their findings with the class. This can be an excellent way for students to practice their language skills in a fun and engaging way.
  • Students can also use ChatGPT to learn or practice vocabulary. 

For teachers 

Now, as you can see, ChatGPT is a powerful tool that you can use in the English language classroom. But it can also help teachers to create interactive and engaging lessons. 

These are just a few examples of how ChatGPT can be used in the English language classroom. The possibilities are endless, and I encourage you to experiment with different ways to use ChatGPT in your teaching practice to save time and still offer personalized and differentiated content for your students. It’s a powerful tool that can help to make language learning more fun, interactive, and practical. Give it a try, and let your creativity flow!

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How to create an online communicative activity in minutes?

by with No Comment Think Up Blog

When teaching English in today’s classrooms, our task is to create engaging activities to promote collaboration among our students but, most importantly, promote communication. Through communicative activities our students can use the language in prompted or real-world situations, allowing them to continuously improve their overall usage. Even the shyest students can become empowered when we use just the right activities and tools. 

In this short post, we’re going to give you some ideas on how to create an online communicative activity in just a few minutes. Let’s jump right in. 

What makes an activity communicative?

There are many different definitions but in short it’s when the activities encourage and require students to speak and listen to others. This includes any activity that promotes real-world interactions such as tasks like finding information, learning about or teaching a topic, or exchanging ideas and opinions on specific topics of interest. 

For these activities to be more effective, remember to keep teacher talking time to a minimum, trust students’ knowledge and capabilities but above all have fun! There are many types of activities that provide opportunities for students to interact and communicate during your lessons. Here are a few ideas: 

    • Surveys
    • Dialogues
    • Conversation grids
    • Information gaps
    • Games
    • Experience-sharing 

How to create a communicative activity online? 

By using some of the existing online tools, we can create virtual spaces that will allow students to communicate online with similar activities as we would have for in-person lessons. Here are some considerations to keep in mind: 

  • Identify the main elements of the communicative activity. First of all, you should be able to take the in-person activity and identify the main elements that make it communicative, and determine which ones you’d like to transfer to an online setting. 
  • Adapt the elements to an online setting. Once you’ve identified these elements, decide which ones would work best for your online classroom. For example, if it’s a conversation grid, this could work by simply sharing an image of the grid with your students and having them work in pairs to complete the task. Before determining the type of digital resources and tools you’re going to use, ask yourself the important questions: How can I create the digital version of the task? How can I share it? How can I make it accessible to all students? How can I ensure all of my students have the possibility of participating? Will the activity be synchronous or asynchronous? How can I track my students’ participation and performance throughout the activity? How can I guide adn support learners during the activity in real time?  
  • Use the right tool, depending on the interaction patterns. Some tools may be more useful than others depending on the interaction patterns you chose for the communicative activity. In some cases, where you want students to work in pairs, any videoconferencing tool with breakout rooms will work just fine. In other cases, you may want to explore whole-group communicative tasks and instead some other tools may be the right fit. 
 

Recommended communicative tools 

  • thursday This is a one-click and no login tool that gets students connected easily. Once you’re set up, you can use one of the four options: Lounge, Doodle race, Would you rather, or Trivia. Any of these could prompt communicative activities and motivate students to participate actively and engage in meaningful interactions with the whole group. For a whole group communicative activity, try this:

Step 1: Share the link with students so they can connect. 

Step 2: As the teacher, you can join the stage and guide your students by starting in the lounge. You can kick things off with a short task like asking everyone to write one word that describes their mood today. 

Step 3: Get students to participate by using one of the available Mixers or an activity that you’ve prepared. 

Step 4: Students can participate with text messages, emojis or can join you on the stage. 

 

  • The Online Fishbowl Tool This is a great tool to get students to listen and chime in when they are ready. The teacher can get started with an introduction to guide students through the activity and then students can join in by taking an available seat. You can only have five people on camera at a time, although everyone else is always listening. 

Don’t forget that any videoconferencing tool can be used to promote communication and interaction as long as you adapt the elements correctly. You could even use WhatsApp! 

 

Share your ideas for teaching communicative lessons online in the comments. 

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Tatiana

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