How can film help you teach or learn English?
What can film and video add to the learning experience? Kieran Donaghy, who won the British Council’s TeachingEnglish blog award tells us why film is such a good resource and recommends some useful websites, in one of our top five articles of all time, illustrated by artist Jamie Johnson. Language teachers have been using films in their classes for decades, and there are a number of reasons why film is an excellent teaching and learning tool. Learning from films is motivating and enjoyable
20 Websites To Help You Learn A New Language
Although there are endless resources to learn languages on the web, it is often difficult to find quality websites that offer structured lesson plans. Here is a list of 20 links that I would trust when I learn new languages. Hope you find them useful too! 1. Duolingo – Duolingo offers six languages with grammar and vocabulary lessons. Earn points and unlock levels as you go along.
Blended Learning Definition
The term blended learning is generally applied to the practice of using both online and in-person learning experiences when teaching students. In a blended-learning course, for example, students might attend a class taught by a teacher in a traditional classroom setting, while also independently completing online components of the course outside of the classroom. In this case, in-class time may be either replaced or supplemented by online learning experiences, and students would learn about the same topics online as they do in class—i.e., the online and in-person learning experiences would parallel and complement one another. Also called hybrid learning and mixed-mode learning, blended-learning experiences may vary widely in design and execution from school to school.
Celebrating the End of the School Year
Photo School calendars are different across the nation, so while classes may be in session for another two months where you teach, in another district, it’s time for prom, awards season and commencement. Below are some ideas for reflecting on the school year that can be adapted to wherever you are in the semester, and for students of any age and with any level of English proficiency.
Tattoo - Possibilities (higher level)
Tattoo Possibilities is a set of teaching resources designed to encourage students to use their higher critical thinking skills. The focus on this lesson is hypothesising about an image using language prompts, reconstructing a text by means of a dictogloss, and practising speaking skills by speaking about values and attitudes. The materials accompanying this pack are designed to be used with higher level (B2+) students. Each pack in this series contains an audio recording with a photographer talking about an image they have taken and a complete downloadable lesson plan on how to exploit the image and the audio.
All of Me by John Legend
In this song John Legend uses opposite meanings to convey how he feels about his wife. It is a very ‘honest’ love song. I think it reflects real life rather than a fairytale version of a relationship.
WebEnglish
NB! This theme uses a new feature for vocabulary practice 1:1. The teacher can register their classes in order to follow the students’ progress, but this is not necessary. The students can study the vocabulary list, but to practise the words they need to log in. Otherwise, the programme would not be able to help them learn the difficult words.
Six ‘useless’ things foreign language teachers do
Recasts Recasts are the most frequent form of feedback that teachers give students in the course of oral interactions. They consists of utterances by the teacher that repeat the student’s erroneous utterance but ‘fix’ the mistake(s) without changing the meaning in any way.
20 End of the Year Reflection Questions
Here are 20 questions to help you and your students reflect on the school year. You could use these informally for discussion when you have a few minutes or for a more personal reflection experience, take a few of your favorites to use for a survey or as writing/journal prompts. There is also a list of reflection questions for teachers here.What is something we did this year that you think you will remember for the rest of your life?What is something you accomplished this year that you are proud of?What was the nicest thing someone in our class did for you this year?
The Fault in Our Stars
Interviews with the audienceGirl: I'm really excited to see the book come to life. Boy: I was going crazy when I got the email. Girl: I had liked the film's Facebook page, saw the sweepstake and joined in.
Lost Property
This EFL lesson is designed around a beautiful short film titled Lost Property by Asa Lucander. Students do a dictation, work out meanings of the verb ‘lose’, speak about lost items, watch a trailer and short film, and write a story. Language level: Intermediate (B1) – Upper Intermediate (B2)
