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Post by Otaku on Nov 13, 2008 12:01:57 GMT 8
YOU DON'T HAVE TO SIGN-UP TO POST A MESSAGE OR START A NEW THREAD! However, because you don't have to sign-up and because we are trying to keep spybots off the forum, there is a quick 'security check' you need to complete everytime you post. If you are frequently posting, I would suggest registering on the forum. Registration is simple and free and registered members don't need to complete the 'security check'. Englipedia wants to know what high school ALTs/JTEs are looking for! Yeah, while we might HS volunteers working on building this area of the site, we want as much input as possible! What would you like to see in the HS section? What have you always wanted but never seen? This forum is your wishlist area! Speak up! Also, what don't you want to see? What do you hate or think we can make better? This forum is your bitch session area! Speak out! Finally, you can only enter this forum from the Englipedia HS Homepage or if you directly enter the forum's address in the URL address. This forum is HIDDEN so you can't surf over to it from the regular Englipedia forum.
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Post by A on Nov 19, 2008 10:10:35 GMT 8
Hello there! This project I am sure will serve to assist many individuals with planning for HS. As for things that people might find helpful, I think that the theme of "project oriented" lessons might be a way to go. I find that bouncing from one topic to the next each lesson tends to leave the students with little vested intrest in what is happening in each class. I think that coming up with something that appeals to the students and that they can FEEL involved in might motivate them to be more productive in class.
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Post by Otaku on Nov 19, 2008 18:34:49 GMT 8
Congrats on being the first poster and thanks for the suggestion!
The tenative plan (I say "tenative" because I'm not building that area but rather overseeing the entire site) is to include project-orientated lessons as well as activities separated into topics.
Question, what do you mean by "feel involved"? Would you say student motivation comes from feeling like they are a part of the lesson or is it derived from simply having an activity?
I do agree with you that non-sequitor lessons based upon topics is no better than how English is currently being taught in elementary school. Miniature lessons are no good. Lessons need to be built on the prior lesson(s). I believe that is the key to mnemonic and successful learning.
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Post by A on Nov 29, 2008 8:10:56 GMT 8
Hello again! What I mean about students "feeling involved" is that in my experience, one of the biggest reasons activities or even games sometimes fall flat is because the kids are involved at different levels. I think that having more team oriented projects, be they competitive or collaborative generally leads to kids having a chance to be more involved and therefore ends up being a more cohesive lesson.
one example was with the "Mallet Mallet" game from this site where instead of having two kids come up to the front and volley words from a chosen topic back and forth. I split the room in two sides, chose a student from each side to act as the orator while encouraging the other members of their team to offer suggestions and help the speaker keep going with the word volley. It worked really well and I did this from CHU 2 to HS 1. Every class got involved in a way that really was fun and interactive.
Another time tested favorite the "Lines Quiz" is sometimes problematic for me because although the students are all lined up and waiting to have a chance to answer a question of the instructors choosing when they meet at the center of the room, Often times, the kids in the back of the line are messing around, being loud and generally disruptive.
It is VERY difficult to get all students involved and usually requires a lot of direction and organization from the instructor but sometimes, even a simple game like "mallet mallet" if tweaked can offer a chance for the kids to all participate in the action.
well, best go for now but I do hope all is going well with you and your site!
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Post by Otaku on Dec 2, 2008 18:12:18 GMT 8
Keep the ideas coming!
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Post by MattS on Dec 11, 2008 8:11:48 GMT 8
What would you like to see in the HS section? Class sizes can vary, and class dynamics can vary greatly depending on the size of the class. It would be helpful if there was a way of categorising activities according to their suitability for small classes (<20) or large classes (e.g. 40 students). Any suggestions re: fun speaking and listening activities for large classes would be especially appreciated.
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Post by Otaku on Dec 11, 2008 14:04:19 GMT 8
Class sizes can vary, and class dynamics can vary greatly depending on the size of the class. It would be helpful if there was a way of categorising activities according to their suitability for small classes (<20) or large classes (e.g. 40 students). Any suggestions re: fun speaking and listening activities for large classes would be especially appreciated. I'm sure we can make that happen! What else...
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Post by crustpunker on Jan 9, 2009 9:34:14 GMT 8
Hey there! I always try to do some sort of short and simple writing activity after the kids come back from the break for the first week or so of class. Just a general kind of "write about your winter vacation" task. Very basic really, just have students write a very short (1 to 2 paragraphs) about their vacation and then give short presentations in front of the class or in small groups.
Start off the lesson by talking about your own vacation a bit, call on some students at random and ask a few of them what they did and then explain the lesson "Writing/ Talking about a vacation"
It helps to give them an outline as for what to include. Ex. on a B4 sheet have the left side consist of a few basic "WH" questions that the students supply their own answers to (where did you go, who did you see, what did you do etc..) on the right side of the paper write your own example paragraphs so the students can use it as a starting point to develop their own paragraphs.
Alternatively, you could hold off on passing out the worksheet and assign your own vacation as a listening task by writing 3-5 specific questions on the board, ask students to listen carefully while you talk about your vacation and have them take notes. Read it as many times as you deem appropriate and have the kids confer in groups or call on kids at random to supply the answers.
Once the kids have the worksheet,allow them time to answer the questions/ develop their own paragraps, walk around the room and help out as needed. After a designated amount of time (this will certainly depend on each class) have them present!
Very basic and simple but it is a good way to get everyone back into the swing of things. Obvious trouble spots may be of course what to do with the kids who aren't interested in the assingment/ have low ability etc but as long as it is made clear from the beginning that EVERYONE will be expected to give a presentation, this should be enough to motivate even the worst slackers to do something... maybe.
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Post by Sam on Jan 19, 2009 14:26:22 GMT 8
Alternatively, you could hold off on passing out the worksheet and assign your own vacation as a listening task by writing 3-5 specific questions on the board, ask students to listen carefully while you talk about your vacation and have them take notes. Read it as many times as you deem appropriate and have the kids confer in groups or call on kids at random to supply the answers. i did this activity three times last with 2-nensei's about my holiday home to Australia and it went down really well. I just used it as a warm up activity.
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