Пeρί ζωῆς κaὶ θaνάtου, or on Life in Britain

     Half a century ago England was a Christian country (albeit of the Anglican variety, mostly). It was at one time taken for granted that people were Christians there. Not only that, but it was understood - because it did not have to be stated -- that this was a country whose culture, morals and outlook had been formed by the Christian faith.

    This country bent over backwards to be welcoming and tolerant towards those who came here from the 1960s onwards who were not Christian, and, indeed, for the most part, Moslem. At the same time, we saw a growth in secularism, materialism, modernism, and the dilution of the Christian foundations of the British society. Only recently has it become apparent that the Christian faith here needs defending, but such has been the progress of those elements in society which oppose it that views which were the norm only thirty or forty years ago are now condemned as rabidly reactionary.

     In Christ
     Oleg A.

Bringing digital technology into the classroom

This webinar was held at Oxford on Wed, 24th August 10.00 – 11.30, presenter James Styring, an experts in ELT.

Synopsis

     It's time to bring the digital element into the classroom and teachers shouldn't bang phones. Even more, rely on students with smartphones in the classroom; tech will bring class alive. 

     At the beginning of the lesson ask students to set their devices to air-plane mode. Consider using 'digital breaks' allowing pupils to use their devices.  As a warmer, find kids who have the same apps as you have, or ask them 'What does you avatar look like?', 'Is it a picture or a photo, a meme or selfy?' And don’t forget to tell you phone to be in UK English, of course.

Conclusion

     All in all, it is the sense of at-homeness  among widgets which digital technology gradually brings about. But,  more and more we come to feel really isolated from direct communication, don’t we? Food for thought.

Teaching English With Interactive Fiction

Computer-based interactive fiction offers teachers and students fresh and exciting ways to improve their thinking and reading. I hope that http://ifdb.tads.org/ will encourage teachers and kids to use this remarkable but largely ignored resource. New works of interactive fiction appear almost weekly, and many are suitable for use with students aged eleven through eighteen.
     
        I suggest you start with "The Sleeping Princess". 

     It is a very interesting game with unfailing good humour. This is actually the first IF game I wanted to complete. Though puzzles are simple they, in fact, motivate players to play. Your input commands are clear and sensible and without arrogance, and you have a great enthusiasm for everything you do.
     Also of note, this game adds to the joy of life and optimism. Some games may indeed be more pleasant to play, just as some seem more exciting and others nastier.
     All this game lacks is a romantic description for the last episode like kissing the beauty on the head. Will you be able to kiss the Sleeping Beauty?

 

A few insights into lesson planning for young learners.

    Successful teaching comes from having a sound plan but also comes from being prepared to adapt that plan. The plan should be learners focused rather than material focused. It seems that one simple task for a lesson is enough, so keep and develop simple activity. It is always better to stretch the material rather than add different tasks; try to think sideways rather than vertically.

   

     1. Prepare a simple task.

    2. Divide your lesson into three separate blocks which shouldn't be longer that 10 minutes: A. Preparation; B. Main Task; C. Post Task. Be more focused on the sensory channels (sight, sound, touch, action). The main task should be a single activity. If you got difficult language keep the task easy, if the language is easy create a more challenging task.

    3. Leave kinaesthetic part to the end of the lesson otherwise you won't be able to bring kids' energy level down to complete the task.

    My last piece of advice would be... keep it simple!

Webinar “Listening: Issues and Debates”

was held at Oxford on 3rd August 10.00 – 11.30, presenter Mark Bartram, an expert in ELT.

Brief Summery

     Sharing experience, giving task examples. Current theory and best practices don't always coincide. Interesting point: try grade the task not the test, short tests may come helpful. Also of note, give a quiz (where listening gives answers), ask questions pre-emptive what characters will say. Another important point, think while you're listening. After listening ask students how they arrived at this or that conclusion. The slide presentation was simple but effective.

     Don't be discouraged! Even native speakers make mistakes: 'as a pose to' = as opposed to, and remember the word Thames does not rhyme with the word 'fame'.

The British National Corpus (BNC)

The British National Corpus (BNC) was originally created by Oxford University press in the 1980s - early 1990s, and it contains 100 million words of text texts from a wide range of genres (e.g. spoken, fiction, magazines, newspapers, and academic). Simply Sign up for their service!