Having finally done some reflective thinking regarding last year’s teaching experiences (Part I here and Part II here), I have now turned my thoughts to the year that lies ahead. There will be the usual round of changes and things that stay the same so here’s a quick list of what I’m looking forward to:
Looking up… - Image by @acliltoclimb via eltpics
- A streamlined programme - last year we were somewhat overloaded with teaching materials and things to ‘cover’. Thankfully, my colleagues and I successfully made our case that ‘less is more’ and so we will use the same course book (Cornerstone) but without the activity book and the 100+ page Fun for Flyers has been replaced by a book with four sample tests allowing us to revert to a more unplugged, Lessons of the Fly approach.
- An official exam - no more ‘quizzes’ or mini-tests. We will now have one full-on exam each semester and a corresponding official grade on the report card, all of which we help add a bit of weight to our ‘English Skills’ classes.
- More project work - in addition to the test, there will be assigned project work to do, which will also be used as part of the students’ formative assessment, something I’ve been pushing for for a while.
- Student blogs - these were well-received last year and the programme will be expanded with more classes this year.
- A projection screen that students can see! - The projectors in class have been shifted to point into the middle of the board, viewable by all students, rather than projecting onto a screen in the corner of the class next to the window.
- Online projects - I will be active online a lot this year. As well as expanding the class blogging programme and doing online classes with students in other branches of my school, I have webinars coming up and a new blog project about gaming in ELT. Watch this space!
Bring it on! And be sure to link your students' work! :D
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