2b: non-imposure

Today was a mixed bag, with things that worked, and others that I need to rethink.

It's all been a bit unsettled anyway, as students have come and gone and it's taking a little while for a natural rhythm to develop.

Cinema vocab and passive voice worked well, and I'm happy that these exercises I created myself continue to bear fruit.

On the other hand, I can't keep using the Indiana Jones activity. I want it to work, I think it's great in many ways, but the students just don't connect with it, and there's no real communication from it. Need to come up with something new.

2a: prime fillet

Was satisfying today to finally do some actual teaching, and see my plans start to come together.

Students reacted with some expected confusion about the Canvas platform, as they're not used to thinking critically about how they learn and certainly not being self-directed. I think it'll all fall into place though once they actually start writing their diaries, and they get into the habit of it.

The vocab went over well, and students were enthusiastic about asking questions about the material and seeing how the vocab could be used in practice. It was the first time in quite a while that various students have asked for more time to complete a speaking task.

Part of this was the effect of Classcraft, which students are taking to. It makes it concrete for them when they forget to bring homework, for example, and they're enjoying the benefits of those first few xp points. They've started to ask about getting gp, so I'll have to see what I can sort out...

1C: major plays

Today was quite a crunch day for the class, and I was a bit worried about how it was going to play out. After laying things out on Monday and Wednesday, today meant putting into play two of my main focuses this semester - the use of Classcraft, and the reading project.

The students reacted well to Classcraft, and saw it as an interesting way to use English in class. They read through the rules I'd prewritten, and were given the challenge of thinking up any changes they'd like to make. Will be interesting to see what they come up with! There were a few teething problems in terms of the actual interface and registration process on ss' phones, but I'm hopeful that these can be sorted out over the weekend via some Facebook-driven instruction. Then, we'll see how it plays out in practice on Monday, when it's all enforced. (For future implementation, get ss to sign up at home?)

The reading activity was very well-received. My initial vocab activity was a bit flabby, but gave some useful support when we read the first chapter today. Students were very keen on the actual reading, perhaps because it was very authority-led, listen with teacher. I think that for a number of them though, who've really had little experience of English fiction, it was a fun first try.

Now to set up a few things on FB so that Monday runs smoothly...

1B: the right direction

Today was always going to be a bit tricky, in terms of presenting the autonomy-based part of the course in a way that our authority-based learners will understand and connect with.

While they're not entirely sold on it yet, or entirely sure how to go about it, there seemed a certain amount of interest in being able to do this themselves, and some degree of appreciation that this was the necessary tariff for taking grammar out of the classroom. When this is bolstered through the autonomy video over the weekend and the learner diary next week, I think that things will fall into place. I can forgive my students for not seeing this as a priority right now, as it's primarily for them to be prepared for the end-of-semester PET exam, which is still way off on the horizon.

The sentence auction went well, which showed me that the use of gamification can indeed reap rewards - within the framing device of a game, students were keen to work on grammar, and became competitive players. It'll therefore be interesting to see how they take to Classcraft once it's introduced on Friday.

1A: the starting pistol

Having now taught the first class of the semester, I'm hopeful about how this is going to work. Both classes were very pleasant, and although student reaction was muted in the classes themselves, students were much more enthusiastic when writing me a letter about their aspirations. They were keen on a communicative, rather than a grammar-led, syllabus, and felt that the music I played and my attitude towards the class helped them relax and feel hopeful about the semester.

The only thing that I'm hesitant about is that turnout today was rather low... am apprehensive that there might be some rather less enthusiastic students yet to arrive to class. Shall have to wait and see!

Project Photopia: nearing launch day

The big day is now just around the corner! Last semester I was given many teachers' dream scenario - carte blanche to create my own syllabus, moving away from a textbook-led approach, and aimed at developing a course outline which would actually motivate and inspire students. The result, which I'll start teaching from Monday onwards, is Level 4: Project Photopia. The syllabus is based around various key pillars:

* No textbook. Instead of a prescriptive one-size-fits-all syllabus which tries to work with all students but in practice works for few, the new course can be adaptive both across and within classes.

* Degree-based content. Topics for the semester have been chosen according to the students' degree courses. So, the different topics will connect with students' academic and professional interests, and will be of practical use for their future work: business, cinema, tourism, etc.

* Clear B1 benchmark. Students will take a PET-style exam at the end of the semester to guarantee that they are at level and ready to continue to the last two levels of English.

* Autonomy. Given that this is generally a weak point with our students, there is an opportunity for students to develop this capacity. Students will therefore be required to complete a weekly learners' diary, and will complete a grammar diagnostic test which is then linked to an online grammar bank and self-study throughout the semester.

* Skills-based approach. The course will be grammar- and vocab-light, and instead focus on both receptive and productive skills. There will accordingly be no explicit systemic testing. In line with this, there is also a focus on a task-based approach, with its implicit focus on practicality, authenticity, and project work. In order to encourage extensive reading, half of each Friday's class will be used to focus on this skill. During the first half of the semester, students will read the Picture of Dorian Gray.

The course will also make use of three online tools:

Facebook as a primary form of extra- and intra-class communication and as a cohesive engine.

Virtual classroom sites (for one class, Moodle, and for the other, Canvas) primarily as a medium for students to write and submit their weekly diaries.

Classcraft as a gamification and classroom management platform. I'm particularly interested to see how this works as a carrot and stick to motivate students, modify their behaviour, and solidify and externalise their actions and attitudes throughout the semester.

The classes start on Monday and I'll continue uploading my reflections here: watch this space!