Experimenting with English (Part 2) – Activities for learners to do outside the classroom [26 and counting!]
In my blog post Experimenting with English: scaffolding learner autonomy, I discussed how I approached helping my learners to use English outside the classroom, drawing on learner autonomy theory and methodology (e.g. Benson, 2011; Oxford, 2003; Smith 2003). Central to that project, alongside the very important element of discussion, was a handout I created for my learners.
The LOC Launches the National Screening Room Online
The Library of Congress has a new online collection called the National Screening Room. The National Screening Room currently contains 287 videos. The videos are digital copies of films made in the 19th and 20th centuries. You can browse the collection by date, location of the filming, and subject. You can also search for videos that are parts of other LOC collections. All of the videos in the National Screening Room can be viewed online and or downloaded as MP4 files.
Blended Learning in language teaching Newsletter - March 2016
Pete Sharma The term BL means different things to different people. One thing I have noticed over the years is that successful BL courses are few and far between in language teaching and in business English in particular. Is it possible to identify a successful formula for ‘making Blended Learning work’? Is it possible to identify a successful formula for ‘making Blended Learning work’?
The 8 Books Neil deGrasse Tyson Thinks Every Person Should Read
In honor of World Book Day, we've gathered reading recommendations from scientists whose specialties range from astrophysics to neuroscience to primatology. First up is a list of eight books that Neil deGrasse Tyson thinks everyone should read and his reasons why. The recommendations are from a 2011 Reddit Ask-Me-Anything.
What happens in the brain when you learn a language?
Learning a foreign language can increase the size of your brain. This is what Swedish scientists discovered when they used brain scans to monitor what happens when someone learns a second language. The study is part of a growing body of research using brain imaging technologies to better understand the cognitive benefits of language learning. Tools like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electrophysiology, among others, can now tell us not only whether we need knee surgery or have irregularities with our heartbeat, but reveal what is happening in our brains when we hear, understand and produce second languages.
Listen to English around the World.
Click on any of the flags below to hear accents from some of the main English-speaking countries. Hear more English accents. One of the best ways of improving your English is to listen to radio news and discussion in English on your computer.
Historic Maps
Welcome to ETC's collection of historic maps. Here you will find over 5,000 maps representing many different time periods. A friendly license allows teachers and students to use up to 25 maps in non-commercial school projects without further permission.
Blog
Caracas workshop – Handout Posted by Pete on 17 March, 2016 In my workshop today at the British Council event in Caracas (English – the way to go) – 30 Practical ideas for using digital technologies in ELT– I divided the ideas into four groups: ideas which need IWB software; ideas which need the Internet; those which don’t; and Apps. The same as the workshops on Monday and Tuesday. Here is the Handout. 30 Practical ideas for using technology-newWhat a fantastic way to finish the workshop – with singing and dancing! Pretty much the same way all my workshops end, in true Anglo-Saxon tradition….
Adelaide Graduate Centre Postgraduate Research Scholarships
The selection and ranking of applicants within the University of Adelaide is undertaken by the Graduate Scholarships Committee, using the criteria of academic merit and research potential. The ASI provides Course tuition fees for two years for a Masters degree by Research and three years for a Doctoral research degree (an extension is possible for doctoral programs only), An annual living allowance ($26,288 in 2016) for two years for a Masters degree by Research and three years for a Doctoral research degree (an extension is possible for doctoral programs only), and For Student Visa (Subclass 500) visa holders the award provides compulsory standard Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) Worldcare policy for the student and their spouse and dependents (if any) for the standard duration of the student visa. It does not cover the additional 6 month extended student visa period post thesis submission. Conditions and Eligibility Criteria
Stand Still. Stay Silent - webcomic, page 196
14 October. 2014 Language trees for the language lovers! I've gathered pretty much all the data for this from ethnologue.com, which is an awesome well of information about language families.
Recipes for the EFL classroom
Not sure what to do with a listening text coming up soon in the unit? Don’t like the comprehension questions in the book? Want some ideas to liven it up? Pre-listening Prediction work can be a really useful pre-listening activity, preparing the students for what they are about to hear.
World Digital Library Home
No other symphonic composition has met with such a broad and complex reception as Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony Number 9 in D minor, opus 125, popularly known as the Choral Symphony. The work marked an important development in 19th century music. In the finale, Beethoven set to music the German poet Friedrich von Schiller’s An die Freude (Ode to joy), the first time the human voice was included in a symphonic work.
10 Speaking Activities
b) Write the questions just once for each pair and give the copy to one student in the pair. The student with the handout asks the questions and the other answers them. c) Print one copy for each pair and cut it in half.
