The #1 Reason To Use Tech In ELT

May 7, 2013 by ddeubel

Number One ** Not your ordinary, endless list – just what’s number 1.

Differentiation

I have thought about this long and hard. I’m not a big proponent of using “tech for tech’s sake” or just because it is there and students like it. I sympathize with the argument that we should use technology because it is such a ubiquitous part of our life/living (or that of our student’s). However, I still think we need a reason, a rationale for its use.

In general, technology is valuable for what it does to the continuum of space and time. Technology allows us to access knowledge like never before – the library doors are wide open and so many can enter. There is no bottleneck and no 9 to 5 access. So I did consider the #1 reason to use tech as being “time on task” or “connectivity”. Students have more access to language, the distinctions between ESL and EFL are blurring, they can have more contact with language through online immersive experiences and contacts. Still, I’m voting for differentiation when it comes to “teaching”, when it comes to the typical language classroom.

Technology allows students to encounter language in control. It provides levels and support so the language learner won’t be bewildered and overwhelmed. Think of our typical language classrooms and be honest – 70 – 80% of students are usually tuning out after the first 5 minutes because there second language brain just gets too hot and they can’t cope. Technology makes the chaos of authentic language manageable and can provide students with material at their own level and pace. This is, if it is used correctly and in a self directed fashion not just as a one size fits all thing on a screen. Here’s a wonderful example of a school in South Carolina.

No matter how good your placement test, you are going to have so many students with such different levels and knowledge in your language classroom. It is impossible to cope, to find a common space. Technology solves this problem and gives learners the tools to learn what they want, at the right time and moment. This is why I’m working hard and so excited about the video corpus and suite of tech tools for language learning we are creating on EnglishCentral. Learners can acquire language in a safe, controlled environment. They can practice and repeat, review, rewind, rerecord, redo, respeak until they feel ready to speak and test themselves in the town square that is life.

Differentiation – so important in language learning for language is a type of knowledge that is so personal and so close to us.

The #1 …. teaching prop

June 24, 2012 by ddeubel

Number One ** Not your ordinary, endless list – just what’s number 1.

A Wig or a Hat

A teacher wears many hats, so why not actually wear one?

Especially for a language teacher, it is imperative to decrease student anxiety, lower the students’ “affective filter” *. We need to be “performers” as well as excellent psychologists and “doctors of human motivation”. We need to master the ability to manage class mood and to get students to “be” light but still connected with the learning happening in the classroom.

There is no better way I’ve found than using a wig or a hat. Putting on a wig or a hat helps in two main ways: 1. You become another teacher, it gives you a new identity and you can teach differently and stretch your limits, test out new methods and manners of being in the classroom. 2. Your relationship with the students changes, it lightens, the class becomes less heavy and more a place the students want to be.

I first used wigs and hats when teaching young learners and when storytelling. It was a way of indicating it was a time to hit the carpet and read our storybook. But then I extended its use to times when levity was needed, when the class mood had sunk. I started using it to be another and tell stories or act like another teacher. Eventually, I even allowed students to wear it as a reward, as a way they could have an alter ego. There are just so many ways, a wig or a hat is valuable in the classroom. And it is convenient, takes one second to do and bingo! – like magic, the learning environment is transformed.

One of the most memorable moments I had as a teacher trainer and evaluator was watching a teacher’s class when she was getting students to perform short role plays she’d ask them to prepare. As the students came to the front of the class, she pulled out a big box and students could choose a hat to wear during their performance. It instantly lightened the students’ anxiety and really helped them produce and learn the role play dialog language. It was magic!

Try it, you’ll be amazed at how your classroom will be transformed.

P.S. > My second vote goes to hand puppets. A very effective prop for language teachers!

* The affective filter is an impediment to learning or acquisition caused by negative emotional (“affective”) responses to one’s environment. It is a hypothesis of second language acquisition theory, and a field of interest in educational psychology.

According to the affective filter hypothesis, certain emotions, such as anxiety, self-doubt, and mere boredom interfere with the process of acquiring a second language. They function as a filter between the speaker and the listener that reduces the amount of language input the listener is able to understand. These negative emotions prevent efficient processing of the language input.[6] The hypothesis further states that the blockage can be reduced by sparking interest, providing low anxiety environments and bolstering the learner’s self-esteem.
According to Krashen (1982)[7], there are two prime issues that prevent the lowering of the affective filter. The first is not allowing for a silent period (expecting the student to speak before they have received an adequate amount of comprehensible input according to their individual needs). The second is correcting their errors too early-on in the process.

Since Stephen Krashen first proposed this hypothesis in the 1970s, a considerable amount of research has been done to test its claims. While the weight of that research is still not definitive, the hypothesis has gained increasing support.

Krashen was not the first to suggest this hypothesis. Dulay and Burt were in 1977, and Krashen made it famous in 1982. This is stated by Krashen himself on page 31 of his book on second language acquisition (1982). Source: Wikipedia

The #1 ….. factor effecting teacher performance

June 8, 2012 by ddeubel

Number One ** Not your ordinary, endless list – just what’s number 1.

$$ Teacher Salary and Benefits $$

The Gates Foundation is pouring money into “better educational outcomes”. Lots of money. But little of it is going into the pockets of working teachers. In fact, most of it is going into designing tests, creating standardized curriculum and what I call, “fudging”, designing a system that will give improvement by the book but hides an underlying lack of learning and preparation for the future. The Gates foundation preports to know what makes a “great teacher” and thus can judge teachers, fire the bad ones and make the whole system better. Their constant refrain is that the most important factor in improving student outcome is the teacher. Very true. However, you aren’t going to do it without paying teachers well. That’s the bottom line.

The only direct factor across the board that makes an educational system strong is the support of teachers through respectable salaries, job security, benefits. The ONLY thing that works. It is the prerequisite to any reform of the system. All the nations that truly have great results according to PISA are all paying their teachers VERY well, giving them job security and benefits to rival higher income earners in their own country. As the saying goes, you have to “put your money where your mouth is”. That there is no talk of dramatically increasing teacher salaries – really speaks to how hollow their good intentions are.

You don’t need piles of fancy curriculum and glossy textbooks or blinking technology to get great student results. You also don’t need fancy buildings and an Ivy league look. Nor draconian school environments which control students behavior through brainwashing regiments of school discipline and “school pride”. You don’t need fervent testing and longer hours of study. None of this. What you do need is to pay teachers well and make them happy in their job. Attract the best – you’ll get great outcomes. It’s that simple and any other fix for education is just snake oil.

Some background. I’m a capitalist at heart. I love the fact that money created “common ground” and value where none existed before. Money, along with the wheel and the printing press (widespread literacy) is a human invention without equal. But we so often tend to think other things are causing problems and it isn’t “money” – we get sidetracked.

I began teaching as a steelworker. I “fell” into teaching, literally. Spent weeks in the hospital and woke up to become a teacher. Lots of accidents in the steel erecting industry and a lot of people trying to fix it and make it safer. But these fixes won’t work until steelworkers are paid a living, a good wage. Then safety will come and good outcomes. The metaphor works for teaching too. I watched this Frontline program last night and the metaphor hit me. In this documentary, they explore why hundreds of workers are dying while building towers so our cellphones work. Governments have been trying to do many things to stop these deaths. But they keep happening. And why? Well, these tower erectors get paid $10 an hour that’s why. No regulations will work until you pay the workers better. You’ll attract a better tower climber, one with experience and who knows how to do the job safely. Companies will have an incentive to keep the employee too. You’ll have better outcomes, less deaths – its the same with teaching. I urge you to watch the program and see how the metaphor works for teaching too.

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If you enjoyed this post, you might enjoy – The Freedom To Teach

The #1 ….. thing a teacher needs to succeed.

May 7, 2012 by ddeubel

Number One ** Not your ordinary, endless list – just what’s number 1.

The Freedom To Teach

There is one thing I always wish for the teachers I’ve trained and taught and shown the door into the big wide world of teaching – the freedom to not follow a script, to not teach to something but for something, the room to explore, to take the road less traveled. I know that I benefited from this kind of environment in my early years, in the newly minted uncommunist Czech Republic, I know it will work for all teachers, for all students at any place and time. Too often though, more often the case, teachers are shackled by textbooks, programs, tests, standard curriculum and set agendas/schedules. Why can’t we have a field instead of a factory?

If I wish for anything this Teacher Appreciation week – it is for us to trust teachers and give them the freedom to teach.

You see, teaching is an art and it depends upon the freedom granted a teacher. If there is no freedom on the part of a teacher, there is no trust in the teacher. And without trust, the social contract is nil – there is no investment by any part other than to pass/fail. Learning is left in the ditch, real inquiry is but a distraction. Without trust in a teacher, we suck the life out of teaching.

A lot has been written recently about Finland and why they have such success in education. It isn’t rocket science though. It isn’t a matter of masters degrees or small class sizes. It is all about freedom, the freedom to teach that Finnish teachers have. The trust their society gives them and has in them.

I came across this quote from a blog recently, it asks the right questions we should be asking ourselves about teaching;

How many teachers have the legal and moral authority to determine the materials their students read, watch, listen to or produce? How many take the initiative to design “curricula” based on broad but common goals? How many see change as the only constant and take calculated risks for the benefit of their charges? – Another dot in the blogsphere

She was writing about Finland and how teachers there are asked to be creative, to teach from their heart not just their head. The most achievement in the least number of hours. They are edupreneurs with the freedom to teach, with the freedom to fail. It’s that failing that counts. Here’s an nice video overview.

This freedom is the number one thing we can grant teachers, if we care about our children’s education. Our trust will pay off. Alas, especially in TESOL, there is so little of this. Seems the higher up the food chain a teacher marches, the less freedom a teacher has. Isn’t that strange? But thank god for those younger teachers given freedom, a classroom, a closed door and all that potential and possibility! Ah, I wish I could have that again ….. maybe that’s why I love doing things online, this sense of freedom and potential – things in my own hands, the teachers own hands.

Let’s hope we as a society have the guts to give teachers the space and time to be. To be edupreneurs and to speak from their hearts that beat the same sound, the same rhythm of what the future ought to be.

To end – a fav song – It’s A Matter Of Trust, Billy Joel. This goes out to all the teachers out there, struggling towards freedom on Teacher Appreciation week.

The #1 …… article about teacher development

April 21, 2012 by ddeubel

Number One ** Not your ordinary, endless list – just what’s number 1.

The Making Of An Expert

I’ve been involved in teacher training and professional development for a long time. A lot of the time, I’m trying to keep up the good fight against so many preconceived notions about what makes a better teacher. Right now, we are having an energetic conversation HERE about the issue of whether certification/degrees make a better teacher. Despite my own career, I’m convinced that certification actually hurts teachers and detrains them – especially language teachers. There is nothing but a lot of perpetuated misinformation about what makes good teaching.

I am not going to outline them all here but rather want to point those interested to a stellar article that I’ve often returned to and digested for thought – What Makes An Expert. Though not directly related to teaching, it focuses on what makes someone rise to the top of their profession/interest. So many valuable lessons for teachers all revolving around the notion that “teachers are made, not born” (another big myth we have out there). Please read at your leisure and comments welcomed.

To end, here is my own list of the myths that exist about – “A Better Teacher”. I’ll refrain from commenting on them and leave this for another post.

1. Teachers are of a certain character type/personality.
2. Professional development always is beneficial and teachers never “get worse”.
3. There is a relationship between increased subject knowledge and increased teaching effectiveness.
4. Teacher pay has no bearing on how effective they will teach.
5. Teaching is an academic subject and there is a set body of knowledge all teachers should know.
6. What a teacher thinks about their student’s abilities does not influence their teaching or educational outcomes.
7. A degree represents a better teacher than one without, all other things equal.

If you liked this post, you’ll be interested in this one: The #1 teaching factor effecting student success.

The #1 …. (teaching factor effecting student success)

December 5, 2011 by ddeubel

Number One ** Not your ordinary, endless list – just what’s number 1.

The teacher’s own expectation of the students.

Yep, that’s right. Teachers who think their students are smart will have smart students (all things equal). It is the factor that is most important regarding student achievement.

I asked my teachers about what they thought was the most important teaching factor effecting student achievement. Most mentioned motivation, some classroom management factors, a few curriculum/materials. Many rightly suggested school culture. However not one (and I have 160 students) got it right nor had heard about the seminal research of Rosenthal and Jacobsen.Teachers’ Expectancies: Determinants of Pupil’s IQ.pdf

Their research raised more questions than it answered. Stimulating read and subsequently tested and validated. They simply set up an experiment where teacher’s were (wrongly) told their students in “x” classes (18 of them) were smart and high achievers. They were actually quite average and chosen at random. They controlled other factors. The result? Students in the classes where the teacher “believed” they were top students suddenly became top students! All simply because the teacher thought they were teaching the cream of the crop.

They concluded that this happens most often with younger students. Also, there are a lot of other possible influencing factors. Yet, time and again, this experiment proves itself.

I put the word “believe” in quotes because it isn’t as simple as just believing in your students. Most teachers believe in their students. What really counts is not just belief but what you really think/feel/know in your gut about these students. It isn’t hope but faith, Meister Echart might have written (for it is the same distinction – hope really means we know one thing but hope for another by chance. Faith means we really believe and that belief effects the outcome).

I really believe that what Rosenthal and Jacobsen illuminated was something Goethe suggested decades ago – commitment. Teachers who are committed to the possibility and achievement of their students will do very well. True commitment is what counts. Are you a committed teacher? I’ll leave you with his quote.

The #1 … ( authentic book for teaching ESL/EFL)

November 3, 2011 by ddeubel

Number One ** Not your ordinary, endless list – just what’s number 1.

Hana’s Suitcase

Forget fiction/non-fiction, if I had just one book to insist teachers of all levels share with their students – Hana’s Suitcase would be it.

A personal aside: I’ve always had an obsession and a personal connection with the holocaust, read one of my poems below (more specifically on the holocaust HERE). It is an event that has such an important meaning to me. So I’m biased but rightfully so. There is no greater calling than to make students aware of how they too can be “nazis”, they too can be the civilized and the cultured, committing barbaric acts without ache or acknowledgement.

Hana’s Suitcase I’ve used in both my time teaching Grade 4s and Grade 8s. The story just works. It has a detective element and students get right into it – trying to discover who this Hana was, who George her brother was and what about this Japanese woman who tried to find out about Hana? It is the perfect book about a real life and family – destroyed and torn by the horrible events of WWII. I’ll leave it at that – let you discover it with your students. This will be the best money you or your school will ever spend on your students’ education.

RECOUNT

I asked her
in bed
covered in honesty
just fed
by nature’s always
replenishing,
I asked her
love lent,
what the number
6,000,000 meant?
……………………………
Looking up
like a little girl might
counting stars or sheep
she said,
“A large city
maybe a bank account?”
Then, closing her eyes
leaning over,
she said again,
“Come here! Give me
6,000,000 kisses!”
……………………………
Yes, we are learning
how to count again.

The #1 …. (quality of a successful student)

October 12, 2011 by ddeubel

Number One ** Not your ordinary, endless list – just what’s number 1.

Grit / Perseverence

I asked my B.Ed. students this question recently – the number 1 quality that research shows will lead to a “successful” student. They came up with many great qualities but didn’t hit the nail on the head – probably (and admirably) because they were focused less on student achievement and more on student personal growth.

But when using student achievement as the measuring stick – “grit” stands out. The quality to keep going, to endure, to not give up when obstacles appear and get in the way. It is based on the work of Angela Duckworth . A lot of research showed self control as being the most important quality for student achievement and long term success at school. We all remember the famous Stanford “marshmallow experiment”, I’m sure. Students who could postpone short term gratification for long term pay off – excelled at school (see Larry Ferlazzo’s great list of resources on this topic). However, Duckworth went further, studying these successful students. She found that many did not end up succeeding later on. Yet, those with “grit” did achieve long term success. She devized a simple scale to determine if a student might have “grit” – what it takes to carry on.

You can take/see the short version of her quiz HERE.

I find this fascinating. Looking at my own students, the ones that I thought would succeed later in life, I see this so well. It begs the question if we can “teach” grit, help students develop this quality early on in life.

I think we can (but the question of “do we want to? is debatable). Especially for language learners, we should expose them early on to lots of ambiguity, so they learn to tolerate the fact they can’t understand everything and will be in a state of frustration and may I say “pain”. And if we can do this early enough – expose students to initial hurdles that we can help walk them through, hand in hand, in a safe environment – we will promote and help instill the quality of “grit”.

As Angela Duckworth so well addresses – measuring achievement by “intelligence”, isn’t a right measure. Also, “success” isn’t latent, it isn’t just talent that rises to the top. It is “industry” or “work”. It was my badge of honor as a runner – no talent but just would work and never give up. This quality we MUST develop in language learners. If you have any ideas on how to do this – please comment.

Here she outlines here ideas about “True Grit”, in fine style.

If you liked this, you may enjoy: Having Teaching Endurance and Keeping Going

The #1 … (delivery error teachers make)

September 21, 2011 by ddeubel

Number One ** Not your ordinary, endless list – just what’s number 1.

Assuming The Students Understand

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”

~George Bernard Shaw

I’ve thought a lot about this and based on my own experiences as a teacher in the trenches, based upon my own development and reflection, based upon knowledge of how a brain works and students learn – I’m convinced too many teachers don’t check student understanding enough. Especially language teachers. They assume there is communication with students when indeed, many times, they didn’t understand a thing.

I’m sure it is a familiar scene for all teachers. The teacher talking, explaining an activity or idea. The students nodding. The teacher continuing and assuming everyone understands. Do they?

The pragmatic elements seem to dominate. The students using context and non verbal communication “assume” to understand. Also, students just never want to say they don’t know. They are human. Teachers do the same. They see the polite nod and eye contact, the paralanguage of students and assume they are listening, they understand, there is communication. But really is there? Too often, I believe there isn’t.

As a language learner, I’ve had so many conversations or been in so many situations where this is the case. Teacher assumes she/he is communicating. The students not understanding and just “playing the game”. There is learning failure.

I think teachers need to do several things to avoid this kind of surreal and ineffective situation.

1. Filter the teacher language. This is a teacher acquired skill that often must be done by thinking through the lesson, the language of the lesson.

2. Pausing. Give Ss time to process language. 2nd language learners have brains that are hot and overworked – they need time to process the information.

3. Rephrasing. Get Ss to rephrase and communicate for the class what was said, explained. Students will put the language into a form better for student understanding. The teacher will know the students did understand.

4. Slowing down. All of the above entail that many teachers need to slow down in their lessons. Of course, this entails not pushing through units, coursebooks and you’ll have to negotiate this with your school. It does no one any good to finish a unit, if so little was understood!

The #1 …. (voicethread of all time)

September 7, 2011 by ddeubel

Number One ** Not your ordinary, endless list – just what’s number 1.

Dr. Quinn’s Love Line

I can’t tell you how many tears of laughter I’ve shared with students while using Dr. Quinn as an example of Voicethread. He’s incredible and even after 5+ years, still brillant and new as the sun is each day.

I’m really proud of being one of Voicethread’s first supporters. I saw immediately the revolutionary thing they were and cheered it on as such. Really proud too of my own Voicethreads that have acted as models for many EFL teachers. But alas, I could never, ever beat, nor could anyone Dr. Quinn. It is so real, so genuine. A gem.

See my own tutorials for using/making your own Voicethreads – HERE.

The #1 …. (thing teachers do wrong the first day back to school)

September 6, 2011 by ddeubel

Number One ** Not your ordinary, endless list – just what’s number 1.

They Go Over The Class Rules

Yes, despite so many teachers doing this – I believe it a killer for creating the class atmosphere and “team spirit” that is so essential for teaching.

It is crucial that right away, teachers focus on team building and getting to know you exercises. Bring the class together immediately, the first period. Spend lots of time on this. Only later in the day (if with the students all day) or the next class (if you have the class for only one period) should you negotiate rules and set out the “Dos and Don’ts”.

First and last steps are so crucial when teaching (and here I outline why last things are so important!).

Language teaching especially, requires a tight knit group that allows students to take risks and “be loose” – things so important for successfully learning and practicing a language. By coming out “heavy” right at the beginning, teachers set the tone incorrectly. Start by introducing yourself with a slideshow or having students guess about you. Then focus on them. Play informal conversation games that allow each other to get to know about one another. Have fun! You’ll have lots of time to get to the rules…..

Here’s a few places to find icebreakers or materials about team building.

1.Icebreaker ideas. Search results

2. Latest Blog Carnival: Back to school fillers/icebreakers

3. Getting to know your students.

4.Introducing the teacher

5. Find Someone Who / Pass the Paper

6. Storming Out or Norming In? Marisa Constantinides

7. Ultimate list of team building games/ideas.

Set the tone for cooperation!

The #1 … (“funnest” game in ELT)

September 2, 2011 by ddeubel

Number One ** Not your ordinary, endless list – just what’s number 1.

Draw My Thing

I’ve written about this game every time I’ve posted about drawing in the classroom. However, it is much more than a drawing game. Think pictionary on competitive steroids. Students don’t have to sign up!!!! With a few clicks they are playing against “real” people, bringing a great element of reality into the learning.

It’s really easy and competitive. Each person gets a turn drawing and the others have to type in answers to guess. This will slow down 2nd language students but won’t distract from their fun, I think.

It’s a great game – instead of myself mumbling on, just try it! Be careful, it is powerfully addictive!

The #1 …. (video all teachers should watch)

July 22, 2011 by ddeubel

Number One ** Not your ordinary, endless list – just what’s number 1.

How Hard Can It Be – F.A.T. Workshop

I remain firmly convinced, based on years in the classroom and the research out there, that language learners older than 4-5 are “disabled” learners. They are “special needs” students, there isn’t enough processing power, the brain easily gets overwhelmed, the learner can’t attend to two things at once (form and meaning). See my article for more background on this. In particular the findings of Dinklage and his study of Harvard language students.

Teachers need to borrow from the practices, techniques and beliefs of special educators. We also can do more to borrow from the technology that benefits the disabled and helps them communicate. There is a lot of crossover. Many training programs have new teachers experience the frustrations of learning another language – I’d go further, let them experience things like the teachers in this video and truly walk in their student’s shoes.

I know of no other video that speaks in volumes to the practicalities of teaching than Rich Lavoie’s How Difficult Can This Be: “Frustration, Anxiety, Tension” workshop. Ignore the 80s hair, ignore the insecure giggling – he shows us some fundamental principles that will benefit all language teachers. This video had a big impact on me, I know it will on you. Go here for a few more parts of the workshop.

Here’s the first part (can’t show the whole thing due to copyright).

If you enjoyed this, you might enjoy – “More On Killing Creativity“

#1 ebook in ELT (for my readers)

June 5, 2011 by ddeubel

Just a reminder to those who haven’t taken a look yet – my “Number 1 in ELT” ebook is a free download (click the little icon). Full of the best and not the rest – a synthesis of my experience both regarding technology and also plain old fashioned teaching.

Just click on any photo/link to go to the resources. Plenty for everyone. I’m working on a slick update of the rest of these “number 1s”. Get them all HERE.

The #1 …. (myth in education)

May 1, 2011 by ddeubel

Number One ** Not your ordinary, endless list – just what’s number 1.

Learning = School = Education

Learning is not 9 to 3, Mon. to Friday. Learning is not with a teacher and sitting at a desk. Learning is not a diploma or certificate. Learning is 24/7, learning is in our own hands, learning is possible without school.

Slowly the myth that learning only takes place in school, is being eroded through the pervasiveness of new technologies allowing people to connect and access knowledge. The library is much more powerful than it once was. People are waking up to the concept of self-directed learning, independent study……. Soon we won’t be asking, “So, what college did you go to?” but rather, “So, where did you learn about “x”?”.

It isn’t anything new, as Twain suggested long ago. Many of the men we herald as “geniuses” didn’t get much from school. The list would be too long to mention here.

Right now, we are experiencing a tipping point I believe. Things are going the way of allowing for more informal learning to be “accredited” and given credence. As the formal side (schools, government, institutions) begins to recognize informal learning and learning outside “4 walls” and a school, we will see a flourishing of human potential and creativity. I truly believe this. Let’s keep going forward!

A couple of reads on this topic.

1. John Taylor Gatto.
2. OECD report on informal learning + country practices.
—————–

If you liked this post, you might like: Self directed learning or Teachers. Who needs them?

The #1 …. site for debate materials

April 28, 2011 by ddeubel

Number One ** Not your ordinary, endless list – just what’s number 1.

True Tube

I’ve been on TrueTube since the beginning and watched it flourish as a go to site for great, critical content for educational use. In the beginning, a one woman show, now a big production. A real educational success story.

The materials are A+ and all the categories revolve around an issue. For example (because it is in the news), The Royal Family . Along with materials that you can directly use in class. Many, many categories/debates. I particularly recommend and have used – Beauty vs Intelligence and Degree vs Training

As they say on the site:

TrueTube is a FREE teaching resource offering:

High-quality youth-led videos on social issues to inspire classroom debate
Free resources and film-making tools to help bring your teaching to life!

A plethora of authentic material with a youth flavor for your classroom.

Find other debate material on EFL Classroom 2.0. Lots of instructional materials for EFL / ESL on how to hold a debate, topics, organizers, powerpoints and more…

The #1 …. (teacher in Canada)

March 25, 2011 by ddeubel

Number One ** Not your ordinary, endless list – just what’s number 1.

David Suzuki

David Suzuki

There are many great teachers in Canada. Are and have been. However, despite my love of Northrope Frye and having grown up on his intellectual bread – I have to voice without a doubt that the nod goes to David Suzuki.

He’s 75 years old today. His seminal program “The Nature of Things” is 50 years old. He’s done more to educate a few generations of Canadians than a thousand teachers.

He’s simply a great teacher. He cares, he’s passionate, he’s active, he is challenging. You see it in his eyes. Look in his eyes and you will learn more about being a great teacher than a stack of books on education.

I watched a few months ago – his “Force of Nature” biography. Inspiring and get a glimpse here. Take a look at his amazing Test tube interactive. Journey with him and his daughter through The Suzuki Diaries.

Thank you David, it is the least I can do to introduce you to maybe one more reader, one more viewer, one more student.

The #1 … (“personal” resource in ELT)

February 22, 2011 by ddeubel

Number One ** Not your ordinary, endless list – just what’s number 1.

Larry Ferlazzo

Larry Ferlazzo does so much to help the wider English teacher community, I’m almost lost at how to begin…..

With that in mind and with the thought that he is not as appreciated as he should be (and there are a few others in this category) – I’m happy to add him to the #1 series. This series wouldn’t be complete or have any integrity without him.

Larry should be added to any teacher’s reader, to any twitter account, to any blog sidebar. If you haven’t – do it now, so others will “get the goods”.

What I really like about Larry is that he is so fair and impartial. That’s always a sign of a great educator. He doesn’t judge a tool or resource – like a good journalist, he just notes the pluses and minuses and let’s you decide. I wish I could be so impartial and non-interfering!

To end, let me list the ways Larry helps the wider community.

1. His “Best” lists. Larry is a great lister, probably the best around.

2. His blog. Full of great categories and information, always updated!

3. His teacher’s website. Lots of links for students, all categorized. And more.

4. His published materials. Larry writes on practical topics. Strategies / Motivation / Parent Engagement

5. He writes for numerous other blogs as a guest blogger. Engaging Parents in Schools, In Practice, The Huffington Post and others.

6. An interview series with other great educators.

7. His twitter feed of incredibly useful references/resources.

8. The ESL / EFL / ELL blog carnival which he organizes and promotes.

All this and he teaches! Thank you Larry and hope every new teacher finds you and gets the help they deserve.

The #1 …. (EFL Prof. Development site)

February 15, 2011 by ddeubel

Number One ** Not your ordinary, endless list – just what’s number 1.

The British Council’s – Teaching English

Last week I wrote about the #1 Professional Development site for ESL. This week, the focus is EFL.

I’m a big fan of the power of “Teaching Voices”, the development that comes when teachers share their own stories and experiences. My graduate course in curriculum development used Cambridge’s and Grave’s own “Designing Language Courses” specifically because it had teacher’s “voices”.

Teaching English does a great job with this. I’ve enjoyed many guest teachers through the years and find this is one of its main strengths. Check out the ongoing guest blog series. Hit the “Talk” button.

Other things they do well (but browse around – these are only my own personal likes;

1. The Teaching Knowledge Database. I know of several more complete glossaries but none as well done in terms of knowledge and examples.

2. The Training Area - free workshops for practicing teachers.

3. “Think” articles – a kind of hodgepodge of a lot on the site.

A few negatives. Their lesson plans are a little too detailed and specific imho. I also don’t like the very proprietary nature of the site that really doesn’t allow a lot of embedding or sharing of content. Grrrrrr.

Finally – I’ll recommend two things I built for EFL Prof. Development.

1. Teacher inclass videos and all my presentations for teacher training

2. TESOL modules and articles I collected for each.