New technologies and ... new dictionaries!

In their latest webinar, Macmillan hosted Michael Rundell talking about how computer technology helps us make better dictionaries. If you -like me- feel sorry you missed this great opportunity, here's your chance to enjoy it. Just click on any of the links in the image below to have access to Michael's slideshow or listen to his presentation:

Michael Rundell Webinar via kwout

Happy listening!

Gladys

The communicative classroom

Most present-day practitioners would probably like to think that their classes are "communicative" in the widest sense of the word. Their lessons probably contain activities where learners communicate and where tasks are completed by means of interaction with other learners. To this end... [more]

Rings a bell, doesn't it? Right now, when we happen to be discussing the challenges of communicative language teaching at college, Tim Bowen (via Macmillan) shares a most interesting article on the issue. Definitely an opportunity not to be missed!


I invite you to enjoy Bowen's article (just follow the link!) and come back here to share your reactions:
1. What idea has caught your attention the most?
2. What relationships can you establish between Bowen's ideas and the ones discussed so far either in class or by the authors you've been reading?
3. Would you describe your own teaching as communicative? Why (not)?

That's all for today...
Have a nice weekend!

Gladys

A CLIL lesson plan

Just before classes at TTC start once again, why not have a look at...

... Carol Read's Amazing world of animals?

In this six-lesson CLIL project children build up their language skills and learn about different aspects of animal life in order to create a magazine/e-zine.

Have you ever implemented any CLIL lessons yourself? Would you try something similar with teen learners or adults? Or do you think such an approach would only work with young learners?

Gladys

What IS assessment?

Many people assume that assessment is simply another word for testing but in this article Adrian Tennant outlines its role as an important aspect of teaching and learning (click on the image below or on either of the links in it to be directed to the article itself) :

Onestopenglish | Assessment matters: What is assessment? via kwout

Another great resource from the kind guys at Macmillan's Onestopenglish!

Gladys

More on CLIL

Keith is a well-known expert on CLIL and the teaching of content through the medium of foreign languages, and this webinar looks at ways of teaching language within specific subjects such as science and geography.

Webinar_Archive_6 via kwout

For more resources on CLIL teaching, visit Onestopclil - Macmillan's comprehensive resource bank for CLIL teachers. You can start by getting familiar with what CLIL is>, and learning about its methodology and activities through the CLIL Teacher Magazine>. The CLIL Young Learners section> has plenty of engaging, flexible resources for children and teenagers, and the Image Gallery> and Animations> sections are rich with fantastic ways to make vocabulary and grammar learning more fun. CLIL extra> will help you navigate through all these new features.

Enjoy!
Gladys