Tag Archives: new year

My Teaching Resolution 2012 – Make It Real

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Every year, I make a very practical, specific resolution for my teaching. Last year, it was to explore and practice the possibilities of using video in the classroom. This year, it is one big, inspiring one that I hope other teachers will join in – MAKE IT REAL.

Too often, we postpone. We dream, we plan but our resolutions just remain that – ideas. This year, I will follow the Signal 37 philosophy that I’ve long espoused and make my own long list of teaching projects become REAL.

I’ve got a new School of TEFL, I’ll be launching with a full 120 hour course. In my own lessons, I’m going to bring in experts, bring the world into the classroom and flag – relevance to the world out there. I have a list of ideas that I won’t wait on but will seed. I’ve long mucked about but this year it will get even more intense.

So join me – let’s resolve to Make It Real in 2012. Here are the words of Goethe to get you off the couch. Also, some 80′s rock, The Scorpions. Let us know what you will make real this year in your teaching world!

 



Make 3 wishes….

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three_wishesI really believe in the power of faith. Long ago, I remember reading C.S. Lewis’ poignant, “The Problem with Pain” and noting his wonderful philosophy of simply acting as if something were true. That if we pretend the world is so, it might just become so….

So since this is the new year, I’d like to share my faith with you – by making 3 wishes for English language teaching. 3 things I wish would happen in the new year or even right away.  After mine – it’s your turn. Make your own blog post or share in some way, your own 3 wishes for the future of ELT.

[ and here is my own gift - my recipe for the 3 wishes game. Students love it and can play the genie and produce lots of language! Download the 3 Wishes Game files]

My 3 wishes.

1.  That teachers give over more control to students. More control over the learning process and the content/curriculum.  The answers are easy to get – we just have to let them off the leash. Truly.

2.  That ELT become less provincial and truly adopt and borrow more from the regular world of educational research and theory. This has been called for again and again but has yet to happen. We need to move towards a focus on delivery and instruction and away from methods and applied lingo (oops, linguistics).

3.  That more teachers begin to come online WITH their students. Why the divide? If you can be together in a classroom, why not online? Let’s bring the learning to this fantastic freeway (and if I had a 4th wish – it would be to keep that freeway FREE).

And since we are talking about wishes…… why not visit Akinator! Your students won’t ever get enough of him.