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Working with the Board 2
Check out Working
with the Board 1
Here are some more ideas for making your
board work more effective.
1. Think of the board as an important visual
aid. You put in lots of effort presenting other visuals so
do the same with the board.
2. Ask your stds for comments on your board
work. After all they are the ones on the receiving end.
3. When you're designing your lesson plan
write out the different board stages. When you come to write
it up you can simply copy it from your plan & it'll look good.
The board also acts as a change of focus in the lesson so
also consider this when planning lessons.
4. Use the stds to write up answers on the
board. As an activity is nearing the end, choose a pair who
have finished to write up the answers while the others are
finishing.
5. Use headings & titles to organise your
board. Use capitals for headings but lower case for the rest
- your writing is a model for your stds.
6. As you finish one stage, clean the main
area of the board. This signifies the movement to another
stage & means you don't have bits from different stages of
the lesson all over the board. It keeps everything tidy &
organised.
Here's a warmer using the stds & the board:
Draw a fairly big rectangle on the board
& give out board pens to the stds & ask them to draw in any
object they can think of. When the rectangle is full explain
the situation: Std A has bought this picture from the local
flea market & wants to hang it in the living room. Std B shares
the flat & hates the picture. A discussion/argument ensues!
For
more warmers
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Blocking roleplays
Here's a roleplay that shows your
students where they might have problems in an everyday situation.
You take one of two roles in a roleplay e.g.
a ticket seller at a train station. A student then comes to
buy a ticket from you & your job is to 'block' the communication
i.e. make it difficult for the student to continue. When the
student is 'blocked' s/he sits down & another continues &
again you try to block. This carries on a few more times &
it is all recorded as you do it.
The tape recording is then analysed as a
class for how blocks could be overcome & appropriate language
work follows. You could transcribe sections of the tape before
the analysis.
Your students can see that you are catering for their real
needs.
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A classroom guide
This is very much connected to the previous
beginning of course tips that we've had recently. This lays
down a few classroom 'guides' that go to make a smooth learning
environment - all know what is expected of them.
Here is a possible list:
All should:
- try to arrive on time.
- bring a pen, notebook & the coursebook to class.
- try to do as much of the homework as possible.
- be supportive of each other & try to help out when necessary.
- be patient with each other.
- try to speak in English all of the time.
- prepare for each lesson by looking at the timetable & thinking
about what we're going to do.
- review each lesson at home by going through your notes.
- try to bring in an English newspaper article for the class
file.
'All' means both the students & the teacher!
Some activities for introducing & discussing
the above points:
You could get the students to brainstorm a list & then collate
them into a manageable list & add in any of your own.
You could simply hand them out & have a general discussion
about them.
You could give a point to each student & they have to go round
persuading their classmates of the importance of their point.
Ask the students to put the points in order of importance
& then as a class discuss their orders.
Put the list of points on the classroom noticeboard
& refer to them when necessary.
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the Past Teaching Tips
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