Sharing is rewarding

This entry supposes the last activity of the course “INNOVATIVE TEACHING PRACTICES SUPPORTED BY THE FOCUSED USE OF ICT TOOLS IN THE LANGUAGE CLASSROOM”. Before explaining it, I would like to say how much I have learnt with the different activities that we have carried out and how interesting and useful this course is. I recommend it totally.

Now, moving to the last task, I have carried out one of my course mate’s activity in one of my primary groups. Maybe it is not exactly what I was asked for, but everything is explained below. It has been Teacher Carmen’s EdPuzzle activity. You can find it on the following link:

https://itsteachercarmen.blogspot.com/2020/03/edpuzzle-activity-steve-and-maggie.html?showComment=1583689096844#c7200704124422239643

The reasons to do this activity are varied. The first one is that I find very interesting to use one of my colleagues’ work in my lessons. It makes sense of the Moodle platform as a meeting point among teachers, as a place to share resources and ideas. Secondly, it is a way to check if although we are teachers in different schools, the resources can be usable in both of them. Other point to choose this activity is the quality of the video: it is very appealing for children, the presentation of the content is appropriated, it is motivating and the questions created by Teacher Carmen are suitable. Besides all these reasons, my students already know Steve and Maggie, and they love them.

Regarding the results of the implementation of this activity in my lessons, it has been a total success. The students have loved the video, finding the questions interesting and at the same time challenging. 

Finally, I have gone further than that. Not only we have carried out the activity, but also I have explained them why. I have told them that it was part of a course because although I am a teacher, I am always learning. They know too that it was created by another teacher in the same course and I have it because we share a lot of things, and the more we share, the better we work. Even I have shown them the blogs to demonstrate that it was something real, not just an idea about giving my things to other people because a teacher says that. Their faces were thoughtful; I hope they reflect on this idea because it is probably one of the best things I can teach them.

Genially activity

As my students are too young to create their own Genially project, we will work on one that I have created and whose main purpose is to work the speaking skills and to learn about India.

The Genially project deals with India as an English speaking country. During the development of the presentation, students will answer to different questions with varied grouping, so they will have the opportunity to work different speaking and listening skills.

The project starts asking the students what an English speaking country is. This will be worked by the whole class, so we will have a lot of answers, using them to lead to a final idea by the teacher. 

The second slide shows the most famous ones. We can do a list with those they say. The third slide has another question: what do you know about India? To answer it, the class will be divided in small groups which have 5 minutes to reach an answer. The answers will be shared later by the group speaker with the whole class. By this, all of them speak in the groups but just a few in front of the class, so shy students can be calm and those more outgoing have their paper. 

The fourth slide has a link which goes to Google Maps. The task now is to say the neighbour countries of India in the following way: “India is next to...”. It will be done in pairs. The fifth slide has a video showing important aspects about India. It is a song. 

The sixth slide has different images related to India and a question. They will answer it in pairs again and finally, those who want to do it could say their answers to the whole class. Meanwhile, an Indian flute sounds. It invites to reflection. 

The activity is thought to work speaking in different levels: the whole group, small groups, pairs and finally everybody again. It allows students to participate in the moment they feel confident to do so. Furthermore, it also includes listening and students awake their wish to know about India. 

Without a doubt, the use of Genially is a key factor in the activity since the inclusion of music, video, links and gifs makes it much more appealing for the student. Without the music or Google Maps, it would not be the same.

Genially

STORYJUMPER

My STORYJUMPER book: 

https://www.storyjumper.com/book/index/79278625/5e569ebee9d20

Based on the images, the students must create a story. They would be divided in five groups (as much as parts the story has). Each group must imagine what happens in each part of the story looking at the pictures and writing it, but they have to take into account what has been written previously, since it is going to affect their narration.

We would write a part every day, so five lessons are required to complete the story. Before the first group writes their part, there would be an explanation and presentation day about the activity. In this point, the first page of the story is showed so the first group can create their text to write it down on the following day. Therefore, the whole classroom can read what their classmates have written and the second group would be shown the second page to create their part. In this way till the end. Finally, after having the story completed, there would be a class discussion about what the different groups would have done different, what they like the most, the difficulties they have found, and all they would like to speak about the activity. 

In this activity, students will learn different animal names, they would write about a topic that is relevant for them (the vocabulary is about things they say everyday: school, classroom, classmates, park, playground, football, friends, etc.).  Furthermore, having a new classmate is something very common and this activity would let them reflect on the feelings people (or in this case the unicorn) could have when they do not know anybody in a new city.

Creativity is used because they can add any element to the story they want. The images lead to a clear path, so they can consider it as a easy task to answer, what is positive too, therefore, as it is easy, why not to try to create something funny or interesting? The teacher would encourage them to go further than the images show (with this simplicity but at the same time the possibility of creating more, we work diversity awareness).

I think that what they would like the most is that they can write whatever they want, but at the same time, it could be a bit frustrating since they have as point of departure the previous writing of their classmates what could not match their expectations. It is a challenge.

Next time I would ask my students what they want to write about, so I would prepare the images according to that. The whole project would be read when finished all together in the mentioned last lesson of the activity, when all the process and the result would be commented.

EDPUZZLE activity

Hello! In this occasion I have prepared a EDPUZZLE activity. I have found it really interesting. What do you think about it?

 

https://edpuzzle.com/media/5e53f1156958fd40bd500ce4

According to my students’ age (7-8 years old in this occasion), this video matches their level and one of the common topics we usually work. It would be used as a flipped classroom activity, since the students would watch it as the introduction of the next unit that will be worked in classroom. Hence, the questions it contents are considered previous knowledge detection activities. Furthermore, it also reminds them what they know about the topic. 

Taking it as a flipped classroom activity would be motivating for the students because it would be something different to what it is usually done in class. In addition, starting a unit in this way would be very noteworthy. 

The positive points could be that carrying out this activity means that the pupils would use computers or other electronic devices (it is appealing for them). Besides, a later analysis of the results of the answers, all together in classroom, could be funny for them too. They would be working with a material in the computer that has been produced by themselves!

On the other hand, a possible negative point could be that not all of them could have internet access. To solve this, the activity could be done in the IT classroom. More videos with different clues and questions can be prepared about the same topic or others along the course.