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Tips for the ESL Classroom
Talking
Feedback
Moving cursors and voice comments could revolutionise
the way teachers correct learners' work
Moving
images of computer text with a personal commentary are unlikely
to become the next YouTube sensation, but the use of screen-capture
software, which allows this kind of voice-annotated manipulation,
could become a major asset for English language teachers and
students.
Screen-capture
software allows you to record the screen of your computer as
if you had a camera pointed at it and also record your voice.
An attachable or built-in microphone is the only hardware requirement.
Teachers can "capture" the contents of their screen
as they correct and comment on students' work. All the notes,
highlights and spoken comments recorded and the resulting video
can be forwarded to the students.
Read aricle
Creative
Use of Crowdsourcing
English language
learners in Japan are getting the benefit of feedback on their
written work from over 6,000 internet users. A
class project, co-lead by EL teacher James York uses the internet
news site reddit.com as
a platform to publish the students' digital comic strips.
"For teachers the project can be
seen as crowd-sourcing native English-speakers to voluntarily
correct students' mistakes, praise them and communicate with
them," he said.
Read article
Books
Apps and ELL Students
Step
inside Julie Kusiak's first-grade class at Ocean Knoll Elementary
in Encinitas, Calif., and you'll find her students using iPads
in small group rotations. For her English language learner students
in particular, it's an enriching time where they get to read
books on an iPad.
The apps provide tools for them to master words and sentences
on their own.
"My favorite feature in book apps is the Read to Me option,"
says Kusiak. "Additionally, kids not quite able to read
at their grade level can access the book, tap on a word and
have it pronounced and tap on an object and see and hear the
word. This is great for second language learners and helps build
their vocabulary and reading fluency."
According
to Liz Griffiths, an educational consultant for Oceanhouse Media,
ELL students often do not have English modeled for them at home.
This means they are not getting valuable reinforcement at story
time every night. Apps can step in and provide children with
an accurate and consistent supplement to their language studies.
Read article
Do's
and Don'ts
A
few best practices to keep in mind when teaching ELLs
by
Larry Ferlazzo
Larry
Ferlazzo and Katie Hull Sypnieski teach at Luther Burbank High
School in Sacramento, California. Their book, The ESL/ELL Teacher's
Survival Guide, will be published this
summer by Jossey-Bass; this article is an excerpt.
Read article
The
J. Paul Getty Museum's Innovative Language through Art: An ESL
Enrichment Curriculum
This
site provides lesson plans, images and a list and explanation
of art terms for beginning ESL students.
Visit
the museum site
Teacher-Turtle
Team Helps Yuba City Students Learn English
He's
accustomed to being shrieked at and having his shell tapped
upon by little human fingers. For 30 years, E.T., a box turtle
originally named when the popular Steven Spielberg movie was
still in theaters, has been helping inspire immigrant school
children to speak. His
owner, Lincoln Elementary School teacher Kathy Hanlin-McPherrin,
placed him on the floor in front of her students, ages 6 to
8 years old, and allowed them to move in close.
"I
want everyone to notice one new thing about the turtle today,"
she told them. "The
turtle was opening his mouth and closing it," said Manvir
Sahota, 7, several seconds later. "It's
hard to get little kids excited about grammar," she said.
"But they want to say things about the turtle, and I give
them prompts to get them to use the appropriate tense."
Read article
From
the Desk of Mr. Foteah

Matt
Ray (Mr. Foteah ) teaches a self-contained special education
class of 100% ELLs at intermediate or beginner levels.
He chose to go into teaching because he "wanted to impact
lives. Its a cliche thing to say, but its the truth.
In my three years of teaching, I have been heartbroken to see
students as young as seven who already had it in their mind
that they were worthless and incapable but Ive
seen them shed those beliefs in favor of more positive ones.
Ive had students come to me, castigated by their previous
teachers as low-functioning, only to have them speed
past their classmates in what were considered their weakest
areas. All it takes is believing in these kids and letting them
know I believe in them."
Matt
Ray's blog
Guardian
Weekly Provides Complete Lesson Plans Based on News Articles
The
Guardian Weekly is one of the world's best-selling international
weekly newspapers, offering a unique blend of international
news, politics, culture and comment. Originally founded to keep
the US informed about world events as it became increasingly
isolationist after the first world war, its first edition was
printed a week after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles
in 1919. A monthly education supplement reports on the latest
developments in English language education and provides complete
lesson plans for TEFL teachers based on news features.
Two recent articles accompanied by lesson plans include Music
brings back memories for people with dementia and
Ferrari launches its first hybrid car.
Read
the latest Guardian TEFL education supplement
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