Have you ever taken part in one of the Photo Challenge projects
you can find online? Every day/ week/ month, people are asked to take a photo
on a pre-selected topic, e.g. a self-portrait, night, something black, candy,
laughter. Then they display their photos and … gradually … improve their
photography skills.
Why do I like it? Firstly, it is the ideas, the challenges. There
are so many things I have never tried before. So many things I have never taken
a photo of. There are new ideas every time I feel I need a new task :) Secondly, it is the sharing with the rest of
the online group. Each person takes a different photo even though the topic is
the same. All the photos are unique and interesting. We can show off. We can
learn a lot from each other. We can try to follow other photographers, try out
new things and see what works for us… and what does not.
By the way, isn´t a Photo challenge something we should introduce into
each classroom? Shouldn´t we give our students regular challenges? Provide them
with surprising activities, extra support, regular opportunities to share
studying tips with other students and to show off and “imitate” each other? Let
them improve their English. Can you
think of a list of “10 Homework Challenges” or “5 Out-of-Class English
Challenges” or a “15 Classroom Task List” you could use with fast finishers
or at the beginning/end of the lesson? Share your list with us and I will add
my own!
I hope our TTC project is a similar challenge project.
Let´s choose interesting topics, “take photos” of our teaching “before and
after” and share our experience, ideas, worries and successes. What is our
common goal? I believe it is to enjoy teaching and feel as a great teacher …
for at least one more year :)
Pictures? Pictures! Pictures … The first topic to discuss
is not surprising at all. Most of you know that I like using pictures
and visuals in the classroom. Plus, it is October… dark and gloomy days,
endless runny noses, long days with kids at home. It is the time when we do all
the crafts and drawing. Here is Verunka´s drawing from her own storybook. Can
you unjumble the picture?
In TTC, I will do my best to make you use some new technologies
in your teaching. Give it a try! So, here is your third task: Can you come up
with some ideas on how to use a similar online jigsaw maker in the
classroom? Looking forward to your ideas.
See you Monday, October
14 (at night).
Kateřina, thank you very much for the jigsaw maker. It is great for deduction (must, might, can´t). I am going to try it this week.
OdpovědětVymazatA great idea, Žaneta. What´s more, it can be easily combined with prediction and guessing which are so important both in the class and when students study on their own. You can send them the link to the picture to get them think about what they already know about a given topic or to make them familiar with the aim of the lesson before they even enter the class.
OdpovědětVymazatBy the way, here is a nice tool to scramble the letters of words you would like to practise (e.g. from the endless vocabulary bank list in your book). It even creates a neat handout :) http://worksheets.theteacherscorner.net/make-your-own/word-scramble/word-scramble-form.php
VymazatŽaneta, what a challenging list :) Let us know if it works in the classroom. I would definitely like to do an extra homework task list with my NEF advanced students. They really need these extra challenges. I like the one on writing a poem. I promise we will do a post on creative writing soon. And, of course, the one on pretending to be a tourist and using English in Prague. My students were made to order a hamburger or a drink at McDonalds. Glossa did not pay for the meal :)
OdpovědětVymazat