Finally we have a good deal of growth in our little indoor garden, well, a collection of jars really. The students are very happy at the progress and take great pleasure in announcing that their bean is taller than somebody else's bean!
Here's a short video I made to show what's going on!
So far I'm really pleased with the students' enthusiasm, now I just hope that the one bean that isn't growing decides to get on with it!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Fotobabble
I love the look of this new tool I've come across courtesy of this blog - 'Gettin' Techie with it' - where there are regular posts sharing web 2.0 tools useful for education.
The idea is that you can upload a photo and then record about a minute's worth of audio talking about the photo. It's incredibly simple and so obviously lends itself to language learning. I think it would be great to use this with students who can upload their own photos, record themselves talking about the picture and then share it on a class blog, or a wallwisher, for example.
I've babbled some stuff over this photo as a trial, see what you think!
It's really easy to sign up and use, here's the fantastic Russell Stannard's training video for this tool.
Also Ian James' blog post on the potential uses of fotobabble and wallwisher in elt.
I think these great tools so I thought I'd share them here!
Have you used them with a class already? If so, please leave a comment and share your experiences.
The idea is that you can upload a photo and then record about a minute's worth of audio talking about the photo. It's incredibly simple and so obviously lends itself to language learning. I think it would be great to use this with students who can upload their own photos, record themselves talking about the picture and then share it on a class blog, or a wallwisher, for example.
I've babbled some stuff over this photo as a trial, see what you think!
It's really easy to sign up and use, here's the fantastic Russell Stannard's training video for this tool.
Also Ian James' blog post on the potential uses of fotobabble and wallwisher in elt.
I think these great tools so I thought I'd share them here!
Have you used them with a class already? If so, please leave a comment and share your experiences.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
The Classroom 'Garden'!
I have recently been doing an experiment in growing small plants with a couple of classes of ten year olds. We have had mixed success so far, but some things are growing even it others seem to be struggling! I can tell you that I know that chickpeas grow faster than runner beans and that lentils grow extremely quickly!
Have a look here at my first video diary, straight from the classroom!
Have a look here at my first video diary, straight from the classroom!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Climbing up to the end of year test
The end of a school year in most schools is about exams. Revision, practice, pressure, disappointment, anger, maybe happiness, often relief or indifference...then 2 and a half months of holiday (in Spain) to forget everything, maybe?
The typically big build up to the end of the year is hardly the way to finish up a year, is it? Yet most of us have to jump through the same hoops.
I know how good the students are. I know what they know and how well they can use the language they've learned. I know their strengths and weaknesses and can sum these things up on a report if I have to, but we need a number, a percentage, a letter; something is necessary to confirm what we already know. Importantly, the exams tend to confirm what the students already know as well, which makes the tests pretty pointless, doesn't it?
“It's what the parents expect.”
Is it?
What if they were told to expect something else, would it really make any difference?
What do you think? Do you go through this end of year ritual? Do we need end-of-course tests? Do we need traditional reports?
What about continuous assessment and a neat portfolio of work to keep? A photo of the class and a message from all the other students and the teacher would be nice. Something that means something and wraps up good year of work, like the conclusion of an adventure, rather than the sharp end of a trek towards the top of a mountain.
How about some reflection on the year, feedback for the teacher, maybe for each other. What have they learned? Do they realise what they've learned? Can they compare themselves to the beginning of the course way back in October?
What do you think? What do you do at the end of a course? Do you think an end-of-course test is necessary?
The typically big build up to the end of the year is hardly the way to finish up a year, is it? Yet most of us have to jump through the same hoops.
I know how good the students are. I know what they know and how well they can use the language they've learned. I know their strengths and weaknesses and can sum these things up on a report if I have to, but we need a number, a percentage, a letter; something is necessary to confirm what we already know. Importantly, the exams tend to confirm what the students already know as well, which makes the tests pretty pointless, doesn't it?
“It's what the parents expect.”
Is it?
What if they were told to expect something else, would it really make any difference?
What do you think? Do you go through this end of year ritual? Do we need end-of-course tests? Do we need traditional reports?
What about continuous assessment and a neat portfolio of work to keep? A photo of the class and a message from all the other students and the teacher would be nice. Something that means something and wraps up good year of work, like the conclusion of an adventure, rather than the sharp end of a trek towards the top of a mountain.
How about some reflection on the year, feedback for the teacher, maybe for each other. What have they learned? Do they realise what they've learned? Can they compare themselves to the beginning of the course way back in October?
What do you think? What do you do at the end of a course? Do you think an end-of-course test is necessary?
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