Motivation | TeachingEnglish | British Council

A box of tricks: warmers, coolers and fillers

Submitted by Paul Braddock on 18 June, 2012 - 14:02

Date: 26 April 2012

Time: 20.00-21.00

Theme: A series of short activities to help consolidate – challenge – and enhance language learning. Some of them are tried and tested and are old favourites to many of us and some are variations on a theme. I am a great believer that we as teachers should have a 'box of tricks' that we can call on to add variety pace and hopefully fun to lessons. So whether you are an old hand or just starting out come and join me in some practical classroom games and ideas.

Watch a recording: You can see a recording of the webinar here:

http://britishcouncil.adobeconnect.com/p55s21b39ev

About the speaker: Simon is the teacher trainer for the British Council Turkey and joined the team in November 2011. He has worked all over the world including 3 years in Mauritius, 5 in Bahrain and 8 in Argentina. He gained his RSA Diploma in TEFL in 97 and has worked in EFL for nearly 18 years and has taught age ranges from 5 year olds through to adults. He is a CELTA tutor and has delivered sessions for CELTYL courses as well. He has worked closely in shaping and delivering courses for the Ministries of Education in both Bahrain and Mauritius and is looking forward to achieving the same degree of involvement here in Turkey.

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Mobile learning

Submitted by Rob Lewis on 23 March, 2011 - 18:01

What is mobile learning, or m-learning? Watch Chris talk about how he uses mobile devices in class, then leave a comment below if you have similar ideas.

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Using traditional songs

Submitted by TE Editor on 8 March, 2011 - 10:52

You can find many traditional songs for use in the primary classroom on the LearnEnglish Kids website.

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Class journals

Submitted by Paul Braddock on 4 December, 2012 - 10:52

Students often write in their English classes, following a specific genre in order to do so: the informal email; a job application letter, etc. Of course, it is important that they learn this kind of writing (which is usually essential for exam success), but it doesn’t always encourage them to write for the sake of writing, and to get used to writing in a more relaxed and creative way.

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Using songs in the classroom

Submitted by Rob Lewis on 6 March, 2012 - 13:40

Do you use songs in your lessons? How? Watch how Seema uses them and then share your ideas below!

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77 comments

Using poems to develop productive skills

Submitted by TE Editor on 19 January, 2012 - 10:53

You and your students might already enjoy reading and listening to poetry in your own language and perhaps in English too. Poems are, after all, authentic texts.

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Reading out loud

Submitted by TE Editor on 9 November, 2011 - 16:43

As a teacher I had always perceived 'reading aloud' as a 'taboo' in the EFL classroom since it focuses specifically on a 'bottom-up' approach where learners can fall into traps of worrying about 100% comprehension or simply read aloud without understanding the text.

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Flashcards

Submitted by Rob Lewis on 1 November, 2011 - 11:21

How do you use flashcards in your class? Watch Vikki, and then let us know how you use them by leaving a comment below.

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Getting teenagers talking

Submitted by TE Editor on 16 August, 2011 - 14:02

Getting teenagers to use English in class can provide a considerable challenge to most teachers. This article examines some of the reasons why it can be so difficult and makes some suggestions for overcoming these problems.

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Energising classes

Submitted by Rob Lewis on 28 June, 2011 - 11:46

Do you have days when your learners seem tired or lacking in energy? How do you re-energise them?

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