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Teach English in WAngchuAn Zhen - Tianshui Shi

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TEACHING EQUIPMENT: ?White/Black board marker ?Interactive White Board ? IWB ?Overhead Projector ? OHP ?Visual Aids ?Worksheets/Work Cards ?Cassette recorders ?CD player ?Videos & DVDs ?Video Camera ?Dictionaries ?Course Books ?Resource books ?Photo Copier ?Computers ?Online Resources 1-THE BOARD ?All classes have one. All board work to be planned/organised. Useful to make board plan on paper beforehand to show what you intend to have on board & when. ?Boards used for: writing, drawing, sticking things on, projecting overhead transparencies etc. ?Boards draw & hold attention of students effectively. Whiteboards preferred to chalkboards. ?Principles of board-work: ?Start with clean board ?Write neatly ?Use correct writing tool ?Keep board clear & easy to read ?Use different colours/underline/circle/to highlight language points/show irregularities/differences in language etc. ?Adjust size of writing to size of board & can be read from the back. ?Erase what no longer needed ?Try section board of to give areas for vocabulary/grammar/notes. Use columns? ?Avoid unnecessary capitalization as text on board must reflect natural writing ?Accuracy essential ? students tend to write down everything they see. ?Involve students in writing process ?Clean board at end of lesson 2-INTERACTIVE WHITEBOARDS Referred to as IWB/smart board being used in state funded & private classrooms. Expense delays introduction in many schools i.e. less developed Different types of IWBs i.e. price & complexity/technologies. Some are touch sensitive. Others use infra-red ? IR. All require own software. All IWBs required connecting to some form of computer/laptop. Not use normal whiteboard markers on IWB. Bear in mind: Test & have back-up plan: Remember it?s a computer ? electronic. Can let you down at crucial moment. Test before start of class & have backup plan ready. System selection & location: Do not place in poor locations. Background lighting or poor positioning of IWB can make life difficult. IWB Training Regime: When installed most schools run training sessions for teachers. IWBs are generally easy to work but training essential for effective use. Teachers take time to understand operating system Lesson Planning with an IWB: Possible to produce visually stunning lessons with IWB. But labour of love & time consuming. Some schools have purchased IWB lesson plans, often online for free. Making Your Own IWB Lesson Plans: Planning on paper & electronically not different. Thought process & flow remain same teachers mustn?t over complicate IWB lesson to point of losing focus on grammar point/target language. Using IWB as a Screen: Possible with most IWBs to show pre-existing Microsoft Power Point Presentation/movie or sound file from attached computer. When using non IWB applications the pen supplied normally reverts to being simple mouse. 3-OVERHEAD PROJECTOR ? OHP: Use is diminishing because of PCs but use full for showing pre prepared transparencies ? OHTs. Advantages of OHP: ?Focuses students attention ?OHTs can be prepared in advance ? help teacher avoid having their backs to students while board work. ?OHT cuts down on board writing time. ?OHTs can be put on top of one another to show emerging/developing patterns. ?Sheets of paper/card can be used to cover parts of OHT so teacher can reveal info gradually. ?OHTs can model grammar & present vocabulary. ?Perfect tool for feedback after written exercises ? worksheets can be copied on to OHT. ?Used for time reading & gap fill exercises. ?OHTs can be kept in a file & reused at any time ?Teachers can take their time over writing OHTs ensuring legibility. Disadvantages of OHP: ?Classrooms need surface ? board, wall, screen not bleached out by direct sun ?Some OHPs complicated/ troublesome to set up effectively ?Classrooms must be of efficient size to allow effective projection ?Classroom may need recognising to allow for uninterrupted projection path. 4-VISUAL AIDS: ?Most common are real objects/pictures & photos. ?Used to illustrate meaning more quickly & effectively than verbal explanation ? reducing teacher talk time, ?Can bring outside world into classroom ? add variety & interest. ?Attract attention & help with memory process. ?Stimulate discussion & elicit language. ?Used for prompts in communication games ? prompts for story building. Etc. ?Visual aids can set context ? picture of town, market clothing etc. ?Can be used in hand for presenting new vocabulary items & used in drills etc. ?In order to be effective important to make sure big enough to be seen. ?Can be produced by teacher. No needs to draw ? cut & stick pictures from magazines etc. ?Some used for small part of lesson ? others can be left up for students to see throughout lesson. Some ? charts & maps can be put up permanently 5-WORKSHEETS and WORK CARDS: Can be bought from publisher or made by teacher. Useful: ?To adapt published materials. ?To act as prompt/cue materials ?To write own exercises with authentic material ?To make cards ? role-play for communication activities. ?Can be used for reading & grammar exercises & cards for presenting new vocabulary etc. ?Cover cards in plastic to keep clean & undamaged. 6-THE CASSETTE RECORDER: Useful tool for EFL teacher for many years. But today more modern technology gaining popularity. In past cassettes accompanied many course books & blank cassettes can be used to record authentic materials, record student?s communication or for teachers own dialogue for use in class. Therefore: ?Before lesson be familiar with machine i.e. which way to insert atpe. Where pause, rewind, volume buttons. Is there a counter? What is sound quality like? ?How long does it take to rewind back to start? ?Make sure it works in classroom! ?During discussion on what students heard on first listening, rewind tape to right place for second listening. 7-CD PLAYER: Have taken over from cassettes - now widely used as primary audio source in class. Many of guidelines for cassettes apply to CDs. Make note of exact track number you intend to use. 8-VIDEOS & DVDs: Basic principles of using audio cassettes in class can apply to DVDs. Videos used for many things i.e. presenting information, giving topic feedback, various forms of dialogues & interactions, building listening comprehension skills etc. Many course books have videos to support content. Materials can be recorded direct from TV or set up & filmed using video camera. Teachers find showing modern video films in short instalments over period of time can be motivational. Remember films must have purpose & task. Could be to analyze/present new language/predict what will happen in next instalment/write brief summary/review etc. Videos used to stimulate discussion/communicative activities. Advantages of Audio cassettes: ?Students can see/hear. Video therefore easier to understand. ?Video holds student?s attention n more. 9-VIDEO CAMERA: Major uses to record students during an activity & play it back for them to analyze & discuss. Camera also be used by students to record a film as part of activity or project. May wish to record their own news broadcast, play soap opera episodes etc. Most smartphones capable of HD quality recording so no need to purchase expensive/complicated video cameras. Correct usage of equipment important. Some training for teachers/students may be necessary to ensure effective usage. 10-DICTIONARIES: Book or computer form is single most useful tool for students. Will help students look up meaning, pronunciation and usage. Helps students produce language. At lower levels necessary for students to translate between English & native languages. Good English dictionaries have clear example sentences, are well presented & have definitions written in simple English for students to understand. Many good dictionaries: Learners dictionary produced by Oxford University Press ? OUP available at Elementary, intermediate & Advanced Lessons. 11-COURSE BOOKS: Discussed in previous Unit. 12-RECOURCE BOOKS: Range from grammar exercise books to communication games books. Thousands of these on market. Useful for adapting, supplementing & replacing material from course book. Many of these give permission for photocopying & are extremely popular with teachers ? give many idea/activities to make class interesting. When starting new job good thing to look round resource room & familiarize yourself with some of materials & books kept there. COMMON RESOURCE BOOKS IN MANY SCHOOLS: ?Grammar practicing Activities, Penny Ur ? CUP ?Elementary Communication games, Jill Hadfield ? Longman ?Intermediate Communication Games, Jill Hadfield ? Longman ?Essential Grammar in Use, Raymond Murphy ? CUP ?English Grammar in Use, Raymond Murphy - CUP ?Grammar Games and Activities, Peter Watcyn ? CUP ?Grammar in Action, Mario Rinvolucri ? Prentice Hill ?Grammar Games, Mario Rinvolucri ? CUP ?Five Minute Activities, Penny Ur & Andrew Wright ? CUP ?Keep Talking, Friederike Klippel ? CUP ?Discussions that Work, Penny Ur ? CUP 13-PHOTOCOPIES: Nearly all schools have one or access to one. Necessary for copying materials that aren?t contained within students course books. Teachers make sure copies are clear/attractively presented. Avoid wasting paper unnecessarily. Each photocopier different in use. Staff at school/institute should provide some basic training. 14-COMPUTERS: Becoming big part in English language classrooms. Major problem is having enough computers for all students at same time. Cost is high ? many schools not able to afford the quantity teachers want so often only available to teacher. As with video, computers, shouldn?t be overused or will lose impact & effectiveness in classroom. Using computer too often can make student uncommunicative ? not what teacher wants. Computer aided language learning ? CALL is developing rapidly as use of computers increase throughout world. Main Use For computers in English Include: Word Processor: Microsoft Word or Free Open Office enables teachers to put text/images together in legible/professional format than hand-written. Computer generated worksheets/activities allows teacher to store materials electronically to use again/adapt at later date. EFL CDs: Many course books also have a cd to support content containing anything from games to other class activities. Reference Tools: Computers can be useful reference tool via installed dictionaries, encyclopaedias & locally stored resources or on CDs. If computer has internet access any materials searched & found online can become live teaching aids in EFL classroom. Email: Can allow students worldwide to communicate together in English or for students to communicate electronically with others as part of project/exercise. Videos/Video Clips: VHS video cassettes & videos on VCD/DVD have been superseded nowadays with videos stored electronically, either on computer or external storage device. Huge content online to supplement an EFL lesson or base a lesson around. YouTube: www.youtube.com is excellent source of videos/audio for use in classroom. If search for subject or song on YouTube most likely you will find what you need. Are add-ons for YouTube ? found via add-ons option within your browser that will allow downloads of either video with audio or sound only to enable use offline later. Podcasts/MP3s/Audio Clips: The Merriam Webster tenth International Collegiate defines a podcast as a program ? as of music or talk ? made available in digital format for automatic download over internet. Podcasts are now widely available from variety of sources i.e. broadcasters, publishers & private websites. They are excellent form of authentic listening materials for TEFL classroom. Online search for ?TEFL audio clips? or ?TEFL MP3s? will yield many results for created materials but perhaps best are created by the BBC, specifically for English language learners. They are available at www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english, with search facility at top of page tat should produce language point you?re looking for. Should you prefer American English, VOA ? Voice of America has audio selection on website designed for students of English. http://learningenglish.voanews.com/. 15-ONLINE SOURCES: Thousands of websites that TEFL teacher can use as resources. The following, taken from CALL@hull, compiled by Fred Riley are few. Note when searching that some sites may no longer exist. Original link is www.fredriley.org.uk/callhull/languages/english DICTIONARIES: Online dictionaries, grammar references, thesauri & etymologies. ?Cambridge International Dictionaries Online ?The DICT Development Group ?Dictionary.com ?The Exploding Dictionary ?FreeDictioanrt.org ?Geordie Dictionary ?HypertextWebsterInterface ?KnowplayReference ?Online English grammar ?Oxford reference: English Dictionaries and thesauruses ?Roget?s thesaurus ?WordNet-alexical Database for English ?Wordsmythe English Dictionary-Thesaurus ?World Wide Words: Exploring the English language LEARNING: Online lessons, exercises & learning materials for students of English. ?Accents of English with eViews ?The Amazing Cognate poems Homepage ?Dave?s ESL Café ?English@WSL ?English through the Internet ?ESL Lessons and Links ?English@home ?Englishclub.net ?English School on the net ?ESL Internet Group ?Infotech online learning activities ?Interactive listening comprehension Practice ?Interesting Things for ESL Students ?Internet Grammar of English ?Learn English ?Learning English with BBC ?La Mansion del Ingles ?The Many Roads to Japan ?Randall?s ESL Cyber listening Lab ?Tom Robb?s page ?Wicked stuff for English learners LITERATURE AND POETRY: ?The On-Line Books Page MEDIA: English Newspapers, TV & radio Stations & Journals ?British Broadcasting Corporation ? BBC ?BBC English radio ?BBC World Service ?Capital radio ?CNN ?Daily Mirror ?Electronic Telegraph ?The Guardian ?The Independent Online ?The new Internationalist in Easier English ?The Scotsman ?Reuters ?This is London: evening Standard Online ?The Times ?UK Newspapers and International newspapers with English Versions RESOURCES: General resources for anyone interested in English in general or TEFL in particular. ?Business English special Interest Group ? BESIG ?EFL resources ?The English centre ?Online resources and Journals related to ELT and Linguistics ?TESL/TEFL/TESOL/ESL/EFL/ESOL Links ?Tower of English ?Wisconsin online resource Centre TEACHING: Teaching resources for teachers of English ?1-language.com ?5000 SAT preparation words ?Aardvark?s EFL Resources ?Boggie?s World; ESL activities for Adults ?Education Guardian: TEFL ?EFL Tech-France ?ELT Calendar ?Flo-Joe for Cambridge exam preparation ?Guide to grammar and writing ?Sarah and John?s Pitstop ?Teaching Materials ?About.com ?TEFL Games ?ESL Resources ?Teaching Ideas ?Songs and Worksheets MISCALLANEOUS: EFL related sites that don?t fit into any other category. Foreignborn.com
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