Posted in Atomic Classroom Habits, Teacher Development

Atomic Classroom Habits: Retrieval Placemat

This is hopefully the first in a series of posts that accompany my recent talk, “Atomic Classroom Habits”, that I gave at Innovate ELT. Follow this link to access the slides from my talk.

One of the ideas I talked about was a using a retrieval placemat that students find on their desks when they enter the class. The aim is to stimulate retrieval of content from the previous class. They should work in pairs to answer the various questions on the mat without looking at their notes. The idea is to push them to retrieve the information from their long-term memory.

I got the idea from Kate Jones’s wonderful book “Retrieval Practice”, which you can find by following this link. Most of her retrieval activities are aimed at teachers of other subjects such as history or politics, so I’ve tweaked her idea for the ESL classroom.

You can download the mat by right-clicking on the image in the post, or by following this link. If you want to edit the placemat, I made it using a simple template on Canva. Follow this link to use my version as an editable template.

Simply print out the placemat in nice bright colours and put it on your students’ desks for when they arrive. Alternatively, you could just project it onto the board at the beginning of each class. Let me know how you get on!

Posted in Exam Preparation Class, Phrase of the Day, Proficiency, Vocabulary Classes

Proficiency Phrase of the Day #25: A Bitter Pill to Swallow

Today’s expression is…

“A bitter pill to swallow…”

Introduce it with some examples:

Losing the cup final to a goal in the last minute was a bitter pill to swallow for the Tottenham fans.

The terrible sales figures for the final quarter of the year were a bitter pill to swallow for the company’s directors.

Lead students to the meaning: a difficult fact to accept

Discussion:

Think of some difficult facts you’ve had to accept recently:

  • Your sports team
  • Your school/uni results
  • Something at work
  • Something in your personal life

Here’s the Quizlet set of all the previous phrases of the day.

Posted in Advanced C1, Exam Preparation Class, Phrase of the Day, Proficiency

Proficiency Phrase of the Day #24: To give a lease of life

Today’s phrase is…

To give a new lease of/on life

Introduce it with some examples:

The successful operation on his bad foot gave my dog a new lease of life.

The council gave the old theatre a new lease of life by converting it into a youth centre for local teenagers.

Lead students to the meaning: “Give a new lease of life” means to revitalize or rejuvenate something or someone, providing a fresh start or renewed energy after a period of decline or stagnation.

Discussion:

  • Can you think of a change that really helped someone you know feel better or discover a new energy?
  • Are there any areas of your city that renovated or rejuvenated recently?
  • Think of an old, run-down building or area in your city. Think of a proposal to transform or rejuvenate it. What would is be used for? How much work would be needed to give it a new lease of life?

Here’s the Quizlet set of all the previous phrases of the day.

Posted in Teacher Training

Atomic Classroom Habits: Conference Slides

Image credit: Oxford House Barcelona

I had the pleasure of speaking at the Innovate ELT conference at Oxford House Barcelona this past weekend. It was great to connect with so many other ELT professionals and see so many inspiring talks.

My talk was entitled “Atomic Classroom Habits” and its aim was to try to adapt the framework for habit formation outlined in James Clear’s Atomic Habits to language learning.

Below you will find a PDF of my slides from the talk. Over the next few days I will be posting more of the materials I mentioned during the session.

As I mentioned during the talk, I feel like I’m only just beginning to explore the potential for applying habit formation techniques to the world of ELT and I’m keen to receive feedback or collaborate with likeminded people. So feel free to get in touch either through the comments or via Linkedin.

Posted in Advanced C1, Exam Preparation Class, Phrase of the Day, Proficiency

Proficiency Phrase of the Day #23: To give your word

Today’s phrase is…

To give one’s word

Here are some examples:

He gave her his word that he wouldn’t tell anyone her secret.

I give you my word that everything I’ve told you is the truth.

Lead students to the meaning: to make a solemn promise.

Discussion:

  • How often do you make promises to your friends?
  • Do you always keep your promises?
  • How good are you at keeping secrets?
  • Which of your friends do you feel you can trust with your secrets?
  • Are you good at telling if someone is lying or being insincere when they make a promise?

Here’s the Quizlet set of all the previous phrases of the day.

Posted in Teacher Training

Innovate ELT 2023 – May 20th & 21st

Come to Innovate ELT at Oxford House in Barcelona! It’s always one of the best ELT conferences because of the combination of inspiring talks, a beautiful setting and a commitment to fostering a welcoming and supportive atmosphere for networking.

I’ll be giving a talk on Saturday May 20th from 18:30-19:15 entitled “Atomic Classroom Habits”. The aim of the talk is to examine how we can apply theories of habit formation from James Clear’s bestselling book “Atomic Habits” to the ESL classroom.

There are loads of other great talks by a range of inspiring speakers such as Scott Thornbury, Teresa Bestwick, Geoff Jordan and many more!

Follow this link to find out more information about the conference and this one to buy your tickets!

You can also follow Oxford House and the Innovate ELT conference on all the socials. Have a click around to check out lots of videos about the theme of the conference and the various speakers:

InnovateELT Facebook

InnovateELT Instagram

InnovateELT Twitter

Oxford TEFL Facebook

Oxford TEFL Instagram

OxfordTEFL Twitter

Oxford TEFL LinkedIn

Hopefully see you in the beautiful Oxford House garden!

Posted in Advanced C1, Exam Preparation Class, Phrase of the Day, Proficiency, Vocabulary Classes

Proficiency Phrase of the Day #22: All of a sudden…

Today’s phrase is…

All of a sudden

Introduce it with some examples:

All of a sudden, the power went out and we were left in complete darkness.

We were driving along the highway when all of a sudden a deer ran out in front of us.

Lead students to the meaning: suddenly/unexpectedly.

Discussion:

  • Have you ever had a near miss while travelling in a car/bus/other vehicle? What happened?
  • Have you ever been shocked, scared or surprised by a sudden unexpected event? What happened?
  • Are you a fan of horror films? Can you remember any particularly good jump scares?
  • Invent the perfect jump scare from a horror film. The ingredients are: a spooky situation, tension building, a distraction or misdirect, the sudden appearance of something horrifying.

Here’s the Quizlet set of all the previous phrases of the day.

Posted in Advanced C1, Exam Preparation Class, Phrase of the Day, Proficiency, Vocabulary Classes

Proficiency Phrase of the Day #21 – Go to waste…

Today’s phrase is….

go to waste

Introduce it with some examples:

When I go out for dinner I often overeat because I hate to see good food go to waste.

He was a great guitarist but all that talent went to waste when he decided to become an accountant instead.

Meaning: fail to be used or taken advantage of

Discussion

Put students in pairs or small groups and have them answer the following questions:

Which of these statements are true for you?

  • I often buy food from the supermarket and end up throwing it away.
  • I always overorder at restaurants.
  • Wasting food/water makes me feel guilty.
  • I eat food that is past its best before date.
  • I would consider eating fruit and vegetables that supermarkets have thrown away.
  • I’ve worked hard on projects that have ended up failing or not going anywhere.
  • I can think of sportspeople, musicians or other celebrities who have wasted their talent.

Here’s the Quizlet set of all the previous phrases of the day.

Posted in Exam Preparation Class, Proficiency, Reading Classes

Proficiency Reading Part 6: Gapped Text Training

This is a training lesson plan to help students preparing for the C2 Cambridge Proficiency exam tackle part 6 of the reading and use of English paper. Students tend to struggle with this part of the exam and need a lot of guidance.

I’ve based this lesson plan around an example task from the CUP Proficiency Testbook 1 on the topic of expedition rafting. Download the PowerPoint, student handout and a scanned annotated copy of the text below:

Procedure

First have students activate their schemata on the topic of rafting with the 3 conversation questions in the first slide.

In slide 3 students will look for the ways in which paragraph B fits into the first gap. By giving them the answer to the first gap, we can provide them with an opportunity to analyse the text and find the vocabulary, grammar and story connections that link the paragraph to text on either side. Reveal the answers on slide 4.

Go through the exam strategy on slide 5, then have students complete the clue hunt on slide 6. Reveal the answers to them and remind them to bear the clues in mind while they complete the task.

Negotiate a time limit for the students to complete the rest of the task individually. In the official exam they should dedicate 20 minutes to this part of the exam, however, as you’ve already done some prep work on this text, negotiate a time between 10 and 15 minutes.

Once they’ve completed the task, have them compare their answers in pairs. Make sure they refer back to the clue hunt and explain how each of the clues connect the paragraphs to the text.

Use the final few slides to reveal the answers and annotations.

Set them another part 6 task for homework and share the PowerPoint with them to refer to at home.

Posted in Advanced C1, Exam Preparation Class, Phrase of the Day, Proficiency, Vocabulary Classes

Proficiency Phrase of the Day #20: To be in one’s element

Today’s phrase is…

To be in one’s element

Introduce it to your students with some examples:

I had a dinner party last week with loads of old friends from university, I love telling jokes and old anecdotes about our uni days I was in my element.

There was a lot to get done before the wedding but my uncle was in his element; he was giving out orders, making phone calls and making sure everyone was involved.

Lead students to the meaning: to be in a situation where you feel comfortable and perform well.

Put students in pairs or small groups and have them discuss the following questions:

  • When are you in your element?
  • How do you feel in the following situations?:
  • When people are looking to you to make decisions.
  • In a group of people cracking jokes and making fun of each other.
  • In a large crowd at a concert or festival with loud music.
  • In the sales in a busy shopping centre hunting for bargains.
  • Planning a social event.
  • Working on a creative project on your own.
  • Leading a team of people.

Here’s the Quizlet set of all the previous phrases of the day.