Fuel Creativity in the Classroom with Divergent Thinking
Recently, I showed a group of students in my high school art class a film called Ma Vie En Rose (My Life in Pink), about a seven-year-old boy named Ludovic who identifies as female. Ludovic has an active imagination, but is bullied by both adults and other kids who are unnerved by his desire to wear dresses and play with dolls. The film challenged my students to broaden their understanding of gender and identity and led to a discussion about ways in which our imaginations are limited when we are forced to be who we are not. It also reminded me of other examples in which character is forced to choose an identity, such as the movie Divergent, based on the popular trilogy of novels by Veronica Roth. In Divergent, a dystopian future society has been divided into five factions based on perceived virtues. Defining Divergent Thinking The word divergent is partly defined as "tending to be different or develop in different directions." In the Classroom: Strategies Strategy #2: Let the Music Play
Movies and Listening Comprehension in FOCAL SKILLS Programs
Clinging to the face of a cliff, Indiana Jones watches as crocodiles devour his enemies in the river far below. Westley kisses Buttercup after rescuing her from the evil Prince Humperdinck. Kevin whoops in glee as the Wet Bandits are hauled off to jail. Teachers in IEPs using the FOCAL SKILLS approach have developed a specialized movie technique for accelerating the growth of students' listening comprehension. FOCAL SKILLS is built around the concept of "functional skill integration," (Hastings 1995), which means simply that students' stronger language skills are used as tools for building their weaker skills. The Listening Module meets for three hours daily, with a fourth hour normally reserved for elective classes. In designing the instruction for the Listening Module, we are faced with several challenges. Movies help us meet all three of these challenges. the students' understanding of the story. Dozens of movies have been used successfully in this way.
Languages | Teaching Ideas
Join our email newsletter to receive free updates! Close Search for Ideas and Resources Filter Results Menu Languages Browse this collection of display materials, resources and great ideas for your language lessons. Filter by age Filter by subject (Select all / Select none) Filter by type Select All German Day Ideas If you're planning to spend a day (or week / term) teaching children about life in Germany, explore our collection of cross-curricular teaching ideas and classroom activities! View French Day Ideas Are you planning to hold a French day with the children in your class... or a special week / term of activities related to France? View Spanish Classroom Phrases A selection of printable cards showing useful classroom phrases in Spanish. View German Days of the Week A handy set of printable vocabulary posters, showing the days of the week on German flags. View French Days of the Week A collection of vocabulary labels, on French flags, showing the days of the week. View Using the Umlaute View View View View
A Global View: The Adventure of Kid-Friendly Foreign Films
Image credit: iStockphoto For many of us, Oscar week can serve as the annual reminder of how many great grown-up films we have yet to see, and how many kids' movies we've already seen -- over and over and over. Next time you're faced with indoor recess or a snow day, movie night or a free period before a holiday, resist the temptation to pop in Finding Nemo or Shrek (though I love these, too), and use the opportunity to take a journey around the world. Of all the great global learning tools out there, films from diverse countries are among of my very favorites. The Benefits of Active Viewing First and foremost, a good movie draws us in, and we simply enjoy the experience. Pre-screen movie trailers or short clips, easily accessible through YouTube or Vimeo, and archive your favorites to fill a gap on a rainy day or to weave into literature, social studies, music, art or science lessons. Don't shy away from subtitles, either. 6 Foreign Films for Every Classroom Ponyo (all ages)
The FOCAL SKILLS Approach to Language Education | International Center for FOCAL SKILLS | ICFS
Communicative activities
Looking for Strategies and Activities? Click Here! What are Communicative Activities? Communicative activities include any activities that encourage and require a learner to speak with and listen to other learners, as well as with people in the program and community. Furthermore, research on second language acquisition (SLA) suggests that more learning takes place when students are engaged in relevant tasks within a dynamic learning environment rather than in traditional teacher-led classes (Moss & Ross-Feldman, 2003). How do I know to what degree an activity is communicative? Many teachers make the mistake of thinking they are getting their learners to speak, when in fact, the learner is not. Consider the following questions. Singing? back to top What are the benefits and challenges of using communicative activities? BICS & CALP Explained by Jim Cummins
Gallery: What inequality means to me
Inequality is a complicated term. It can be applied to so many factors, for one thing. There’s income inequality, asset inequality, gender inequality, social, class, political … you name it, someone, somewhere likely feels (and is) hard done by. And, for all the focus that Thomas Piketty has gained for his analysis of a new, ever-diverging global class of the superrich, inequality is still personal. As such, we asked an international group of artists, designers, photographers and activists to provide one image that encapsulates what inequality means to them — and to explain their selection. Photograph: Ryan Lobo. Ryan Lobo, photographer, India “Here is a photograph I made of a little boy who lives in a slum outside one of India’s most successful IT companies, the Infosys building in Bangalore. India has very unequal patterns of development, and though the economy has benefited, most of India’s 1.28 billion people remain deeply disadvantaged. Photograph: Monika Bulaj. Photograph: Aaron Huey.
Effective WL Instructors…
Effective WL Instructors… Every teacher wants to be the best they can be for their students. While there are many attributes that can make a great teacher we can also observe some behaviors and routines that are in a great world language teacher’s classroom. It’s good to be reminded of the actions that make a good foreign language teacher. Below you will find some rubrics we have found around the web, but first we’d like to highlight some we believe to be most essential. Units have real world language performance goals and students have opportunities to communicate in real world context.Teacher uses the target language to conduct class (with out English translations). Take a look at the following rubrics. 1. Check out the TELL (Teacher Effectiveness for Language Learning) Project, who has some great rubrics and self-assessments, including this checklist for teachers: We’d like to hear your thoughts. Like this: Like Loading... Related Starting at the End In "Discussion/Methodology"
