Tuesday, 26 April 2016

Saturday, 23 April 2016

Shakespeare's The Complete Walk

 37 Plays,  37 Films, 37 Screens...
Saturday 23 April, 10am – 10pm | Sunday 24 April, 10am – 8pm 2016

2.5 mile route from Westminster Bridge to Tower Bridge

37 specially-made 10 minute films will be screened along the iconic 2.5 mile stretch between Westminster Bridge and Tower Bridge.
Each film explores one of Shakespeare’s plays and includes scenes shot in the locations Shakespeare imagined when he wrote them. Picture Cleopatra in front of the Pyramids, Shylock in Venice’s former Jewish Ghetto, Hamlet on the rocks of Elsinore and much more.

Plan your route. View the Map
The Complete  Walk. Credits and Synopsis.

 Join The Complete Walk.

Sunday, 17 April 2016

Saturday, 16 April 2016

IATEFL 2016- FORUM ON TECHNOLOGY - Part 1

Bringing English to Life: practical classroom activities using technology

Being born in a digital world, students will appreciate having the opportunity to use different apps, mobiles, laptops, etc. Of course, using technologies for designing classroom activities sometimes may seem a challenging task. But the truth is that interacting with technology and having well-designed activities can result in a rewarding and enriching experience.

Now, I would like to introduce Laura Laubacher and Sarah  Wakefield who talk about how to integrate technology into their classrooms activities such as pronunciation, drilling etc., that is, using apps and websites to improve students' language skills. So, in this Forum they are going to share the ones they found the most useful.

Overview
Why using technology in the classroom

-    Engaging
-    Motivating
-    Entertaining and fun
-    Relevant and useful
-    Encourages pair work and interaction
-    Memorable

Apps and Websites
1.    Recorded Speaking


Fotobabble

- Easy to use. Assigned as homework

Movenote

- For group work.
-Practice target language.
-Reporting news. Using the passive
-Useful for language acquisition process

Useful tips
-     Make a model sample. In this way you may obtain better results.
-    Guide students through the site, that is, how to use it.
-    Allow them time to write, practice and complete the task.
-    Be aware of sound issues, such as poor mic quality.

2.    For vocabulary revision and activation

 Dvolver movie maker
Useful tips:
-    Choose vocabulary students have used in class
-    Flash and internet connection

3.    Quizzes and Feedback
Socrative
-    To collect students feedback
-    For students quizzes

Useful tips
-Make a test quiz first to test the app.
- Teachers should familiarize to see how it works first.

By the end of the talk Laura and Sarah provided useful tips regarding the use of techies in the classroom, for instance: never miss the focus, which is always "communication", allow students enough time to get familiarized and solve the activities, provide a model to minimize the negative impact of having students frustrated if they do not know how to use the app properly, and last but not least: always have a Plan B!


http://iatefl.britishcouncil.org/2016/session/forum-technology-classroom




Thursday, 14 April 2016

IATEFL 2016 SUMMING UP DAY 2- Sessions and Interviews

Here we are again. What can I say! Simply fantastic DAY 2 at IATEFL Conference 2016!
2 good 2 be forgotten. Memorable Sessions and Teaching Experiences, Projects and more shared  by the most amazing people.

I'd like to present Carol Reed's Interview talking about her experience with IATEFL as well as her work as a Vice-President. She also talks about the cicle of renewal, the creation of a new role: the International IATEFL Goodwill Embassador and more.

http://iatefl.britishcouncil.org/2016/interview/interview-carol-read




For all the other interviews listed below just go to Video Interviews

16:20     Interview with Amadeu Marin

16:00     Interview with Neil McLaren

15:50     Interview with Harisimran Sandhu

15:30     Interview with Ben Gray & Seamus Harkin

15:20     Interview with Judy Boyle

15:00     Interview with Melanie Aplin

14:50     Interview with Sandy Millin, Chia Suan Chong (and Natalie)

14:30     Interview with Kieran Donaghy and Lizzie Pinard

14:20     Interview with Thorsten Merse

14:00     Interview with Larissa Goulart da Silva & Maria Soledad Loutayf & Praphatsorn Wongchaiwa (Hornby scholars)

12:50     Interview with Roohi Malik

12:30     Interview with Carol Read

12:20     Interview with Vuyokazi Makubalo & Pipit Suharto & Urmila Khaled (Hornby scholar)

12:00     Interview with Adrian Underhill

11:50     Interview with Alireza Safar (Hornby scholar)

11:30     Interview with Shaike Francis Sefalane (Hornby scholar)

11:20     Interview with Andrew Foster

11:00     Interview with Nick Bilbrough

10:50     Interview with Wendy Arnold & Coralyn Bradshaw


As for Sessions, here is the list:

14:20        Day-to-day English: subject teachers' voices from Kenya, Nigeria and Malaysia   
12:30        Creating a Pan-African network of teacher associations in Sub-Saharan Africa   
10:20        Forum on encouraging teacher reflection   
14:20        ELTJ Signature Event - This house believes that teacher training is a waste of time 
 12:30       Ten great educators and their legacy   
9:00          Plenary by Silvana Richardson

So , happy watching!

IATEFL 2016 Sessions April 13th

Sharing David Crystal's full Plenary Session, in case you've missed it live!

David clearly remarks on how the English language has been changing in the last fifty years and draws a comparison on how language is likely to be change in the upcoming fifty years.
He also provides plenty of examples in the use of words, and discusses  the main shifts in pronunciation, grammar, orthography as well as the central factors in social mobility, globalization and Internet.


illustrates the main changes in pronunciation, orthography, grammar, and vocabulary, discusses the chief factors involved - social mobility, globalization, and the Internet - See more at: http://iatefl.britishcouncil.org/2016/session/plenary-david-crystal#sthash.yimOQDpn.dpuf

http://iatefl.britishcouncil.org/2016/session/plenary-david-crystal


Here are some of the words in use in the 60's:
D-day (for Decimalisation Day in UK and  the replacement of pounds shillings and pence with decimal currency.)
new-penny
beautiful people, flower people, peacenicks (for hippies)
yippies (for ically active hippies)
dolly girl (wearing a mini-skirt)

And many more...


To watch the full list of interviews April 13th, visit Sessions-IATEFL Online Coverage