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Hughes learner group dictogloss CALL book task reliability syllabus around the verb word list skills activity practice reading writing babel placement test lexis bibliography dictation hyponomy segregated vocabulary cohesive devices list internet classroom climate Peter Watcyn Pre-teach children testing picture Alderson speaking weir game cooperative learning group cohesion curriculum discourse validity word cards Jean Piaget technique listening
Wordpress: adding learners to your blog
Note that this post (16.11.2009 was updated on the 23.11.2009 with extra information making the process more simple.
This is a potentially confusing step for learners so I have found that it was useful to have a run through with some learners in class. Here is the wordpress.com instruction page link. Read More
Wordpress user roles
The Wordpress.com page containing this information can be found here.
Why use a blog for your class?
Perhaps the easiest way to answer this question is to give you the link to one that we used in a seven week module. The link is here. Read More
Starting a Wordpress Blog in Your Class 2: Features
Features of your blog
On the ‘Your account is now active page’ you will see two links: Read More
Starting a Wordpress Blog in Your Class 1: basics
Here is a quick guide to starting a blog in your class. Read More
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Teaching Unplugged and Technology
My apologies for quoting at such great length, but there has been some polemic over the use of technology in classrooms of late. This comes from dogme at yahoo groups. Read More
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ParaPal Design
An excellent site from ParaPal Design: thank you!
A quick tour: Read More
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Protected: Post-Focus Assessment Task 2
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Multiple Intelligences
Fact or fiction? What does seem to be true is that MI (multiple intelligences) is widely accepted as a part of teaching theory. What what exactly is it? What does MI mean? Where is the proof? Is it the same as, or something different to NLP (neuro linguistic programming)?
Can anyone tell me what intelligence is? And then we might be able to talk about multiple ones…
Posted in Education & training, methodology Leave a comment
Johanna Sterling: Site Review
Joanna Sterling’s site has been in existence for many years and is thoroughly recommended for teaches and learners alike.
Activities for learners include: spelling activities, parts of speech, English jokes, advice about improving speaking as well as links for students.
For teachers the site includes: lots of practical ideas, the Portable Electronic Dictionary,remedial spelling, helping students to learn the vocabulary we teach them, the vocabox, make homework an effective tool for learning and links.
The Vocabox article on this site is attributable to Joanna Sterling who has retrospectively given permission for me to use it here. The original article can be found here: http://www.elgweb.net/articles.html.
One of the featuers of Joanna’s work is her focus on actually helping learners learn the vocabulary that we teach them. I fully agree with her.
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The Principles of DOGME
Dogme has ten key principles.
1. Interactivity: the most direct route to learning is to be found in the interactivity between teachers and students and amongst the students themselves.
2. Engagement: students are most engaged by content they have created themselves
3. Dialogic processes: learning is social and dialogic, where knowledge is co-constructed
4. Scaffolded conversations: learning takes place through conversations, where the learner and teacher co-construct the knowledge and skills
5. Emergence: language and grammar emerge from the learning process. This is seen as distinct from the ‘acquisition’ of language.
6. Affordances: the teacher’s role is to optimize language learning affordances through directing attention to emergent language.
7. Voice: the learner’s voice is given recognition along with the learner’s beliefs and knowledge.
8. Empowerment: students and teachers are empowered by freeing the classroom of published materials and textbooks.
9. Relevance: materials (eg texts, audios and videos) should have relevance for the learners
10. Critical use: teachers and students should use published materials and textbooks in a critical way that recognizes their cultural and ideological biases.
source and further information: