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      Teaching Tips

      Teaching tips extends the Language Assistant resource manual with more tips and practical hints.

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      Improving discussion lessons

      Have you ever felt you were asking all the questions about students’ opinions? Do you find you are doing more talking in a discussion than your class? Here are some tips to:

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      Christmas tips

      Introduction
      Christmas is an excellent theme for adding games and fun to your teaching. Most students enjoy festive lessons if your activities encourage a personal contribution about the students’ own families and customs.

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      Activities for using magazines in the classroom

      Introduction
      Magazines are a rich source of authentic materials and can be very motivating and inspire a wide range of activities. You can bring whole magazines to class to stimulate interest in British culture,

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      Introducing yourself to classes

      The first lesson and subsequent lessons will be crucial in establishing the atmosphere in your classes and your students’ attitude towards you.

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      Festive resources

      Introduction

      This week's tips is a pick and mix of classroom activities on a festive/seasonal theme. Secondary and Primary teachers will find there is something for them. Don't forget to check out last year's seasonal links and

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      Reluctant talkers 1

      Introduction
      Being faced with a class which won't speak can be very disappointing after all your planning. When there are rows of blank faces or questions that nobody will answer it can de motivating.

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      Student progress

      Assistants are not usually expected to carry out formal assessment of their learners with tests or marking. However, students need feedback as they come towards the end of their time with you. Here are a few short activities for your last month or weeks with them.

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      Working with teachers in teams

      Coming in to a classroom to help an established teacher needs tact and lots of planning. It is not always going to be straightforward working together .Here are some tips to help improve your team teaching relationships.

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      Adapting materials for mixed ability classes

      Introduction
      All classes are mixed ability to one extent or another. Extreme cases, when you have near native level speakers with beginners, can be very challenging for the teacher.

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      Activities on the theme of Summer 2

      Introduction
      Here’s a second group of tasks to get your students’ in the mood for summer. Some of these tasks are more suited to intermediate learners and up.

      A to Z list

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      A multi-level writing class


      This activity is a great writing task to use in the first week or so with a new group.

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      Activities for first lessons 1

      The activities that you use in your first lessons are very important and are likely to set the tone for the rest of your classes. In your first lessons, it is good to focus on two areas:

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      Activities for first lessons 2

      The following activities focus primarily on fluency and are suitable for intermediate level and up. They will give you a chance to get to know the class, break the ice and estimate their language level.

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      Activities for using magazines in the classroom

      Introduction
      Magazines are a rich source of authentic materials and can be very motivating and inspire a wide range of activities. You can bring whole magazines to class to stimulate interest in British culture,

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      Activities on the theme of Summer

      Introduction
      With the summer holidays approaching it might be nice to base some of your lessons around this seasonal theme. Here is a selection of activities that you can use a various levels.