SketchCast

How do you see your role in the classroom? As a lecturer or a facilitator?  If you are a facilitator, you may like to flip your class.

Flipping the classroom is a bit of a trend right now,  and it is actually pretty easy to do.  I've tried it a couple times and have really enjoyed the results.  Here is the set up.

The Idea

Instead of doing exercises at home, do them in class.  Instead of lecturing in class, lecture at home.  That is the principle.  There  are many different reasons for doing it, and many resources for it.  This is a website that my teacher made which I found to be particularly useful explaining the studies done about it and how to do it.

What do to

Choose a topic to teach. I find that teaching grammar works really well for this.

Pick a way to present it.  Here is a nice picture that you may find helpful.

http://flippingclasspedagogyandtools.weebly.com/index.html

Then you pick a way to share it.  I just used a program on my iPad called Educreations.  I really liked it, found it really user friendly.

What do to do after

Now you class is freed up to actually use the grammar.  Have conversations and do exercises.  Have the students explore the topic as much as possible.

Here is the lesson I made and a follow up conversation to have the next day.



Here is one example of a follow up activity to do the next day.

What do you think?

What are your thoughts on Flipping the class? Any concerns? Do you have any favorite sites or lessons? Have you made one yourself?  Let me know!

Collaborative Idea Lists

The Problem

I had a class I hated teaching.  It started when "rape" was one of the words to be taught that day (apparently it is in a bigger list of 2000 "most frequent vocabulary words).  In my teaching career, I'd never felt more frustrated about the material I was given and told to teach. Let's just say we did something different that day. Ever since, I've dreaded teaching that class.

The Idea

To shake the bad feelings off, I decided to put my heart into making teaching these 2000 words better. So I went to work and asked coworkers to contribute. Great time for a Google Doc.

What to Do

Share a document with other co-workers of different teaching ideas.  There should be a general goal and some guidelines.  For this, I found a common problem and tried to address solutions together.

After you frame what you want the document to cover, make it.  I just used Google Drive for this.  Click the create a new document button. Name it.  Click the share button, and then click "change" to so that it can be edited by who ever you want.

Example

The frame of this example:

• Create a 10 minute lesson
• Little to no preperatoin
• To be used with 10 words

Here is an example of a list that I started.



Go here to add your own ideas, be sure to write your name (if you wish) so you can get credit!

Write a comment if you can think of any other ways to use Google Documents.

Classroom Scribe

Ever wonder how to have students pay attention while listening? Having problems with students recording something meaningful during the course?

One way that you can help out your academically bound students with note taking, check comprehension, and encourage communication is by sharing notes.

The Idea

Select "note taking groups" for the day. Their job is to record all grammar, vocabulary, test dates, homework, or any other item that was important that day. That night, they go home and rewrite their notes as a summary for the other students in the class.

How

There are many ways that sharing these summaries could work. You could use a website like Edmodo and post. Another item could be Evernote, then students can send it to other people in class. Another method could be to make a shared document and have everyone collaborate, using something like GoogleDocs.

Here is an example template that students need to fill out. You could copy this, put a student's name and the date it is their turn, and have your whole class on one document.

Benefits

Teachers can check comprehension of their students and make comments or guide the students in the right direction. It could also be a forum for sharing knowledge and resources among students, encouraging communicative practices. The teacher could insert little bonus assignments or encourage students to explore and interest and share.

Students who have to be in charge of the notes may be highly motivated to provide their follow classmates with a resource. Students could also comment on other people's work, giving input or assisting other students in understanding the idea.

What are your thoughts? What are some other ways or things students could share?

Video Journals

Can the benefits of journaling be used to improve speaking?

After reading an article about recording students speech, I am thinking it would be worth a try.

The Idea

The original article focused on recording journal entries on tape and having students exchange them, which sounds like a whole lot of work on the teacher's end.

What I propose is that a student video journals and asks a question to the audience. They upload it to something like Youtube. Other students watch it and answer the question.

How to Do It

Students start with a topic related to class. Based on their level, they must speak about the topic for a predetermined period of time.  They record their spontaneous speech using a web cam (you can do this directly on Youtube).   At the end of the talk, the student must ask one or two questions to their audience. They upload it to YouTube.  Have your students "tag" the video with the name of your class so it is easier for everyone to find it.

To follow up, have students trade Youtube usernames.  The goal is to then have students listen to each other and give feedback, answering the questions either by a responding video, or in the comment section.

Example

Here is an example topic that could be given to students.

Read the Quote

"If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter."
George Washington

Without planning beforehand, answer the following questions in about 3 to 5 minutes.


1. What do you think this quote means?
2. Do you agree or disagree? Why?

3. What current events do these quotes remind you of?
4. Ask a question to your audience at the end (What do you know about... How do you feel about...)

As the follow up assignment:

Listen to a partner's monologue and answer their question at the end.  On their video, comment on one thing that you enjoyed about their talk.

Benefits

I've found that ungraded journals has really improved my students writing. When they are forced to produced for a certain amount of time but only for a participation grade, they feel like they are doing a good job.

It helps confidence. They know they can produce a certain amount of English. It also helps them hear their peers and learn from them as well.

Let me know if you give it a chance! How did you do it and how did it work out? Do you feel like it improved their speaking?

Source

Mir, M. (2006). Idea: Using "Oral Journals" to Develop Speaking Fluency, Self-Confidence and Much More! Hispania, 89(3), 559-561.

Back to It

After a bit of a hiatus, finishing classes and thinking about comp exams, I'm going to try to get back on the horse and start sharing again.

Photo Stream

What it is...

A talented student draws pictures of animals that will be the story.

Do you have students taking pictures of the board? Have a good picture someone drew? Have a lecture you'd like saved? Have notes on the board? Do students create interesting things you'd like to keep?


 Now how do you feel about being able to share those moments with students outside of class?

Using something like photo stream is a great way to share those in class pictures with students.

How to do it

If you have an iPhone it is crazy easy.  Just take a picture like normal, except create a new album. You then have the option of sharing that album. Now you have a collection of pictures that will always sync to your phone, that also lives online.

Other options would be to go the Flickr route and just upload into a "set". You could then share the set with your class.

Examples

Classroom Photostream

Here is an example of some vocabulary pictures that I've taken.  Students have decided which words they believe are the most important. Essentially they create their own tests.  I then share the link (or shorten it). They can then see it.

Ideas

Quiz Review

This would be a neat way to keep:

• Lectures
• Student posters
• Examples
• Student work in general

Expansion Questions from a Listening

It could help students wanting to review or keep some ideas.

What better way to remember is there than to see something you did again?

Class Blog

The Idea

Do you wish your students would write more? What about think more consciously about what they say? What about building a community of writers out of your class?  Try a classroom blog.

What to do

Make a new blog for your students to follow. Students are getting more and more techno savvy and you'd be surprised at how easy it is for them to sign up on their own. After you give them a day or two to catch up, you can pick up the stragglers.

Example

Here is an example for a reading and writing class. I try to make sure they are not only writing regularly but also making comments on what other students are say. The assignments ask them to reflect their writing and what the class is reading.

This could be a really easy thing to do after you get it set up. Once you have the prompts, they are there forever.

Other Uses

What are some other ways you think you could use a blog? Write a comment.