Let us give some thought to the following questions: Which were your biggest challenges when you started teaching online? How do you use videoconference tools? And learning apps? How do your students use videoconference tools and other apps? How have you managed to develop other abilities in your students apart from language abilities?
'Because engaging students' imaginations in learning, and teachers' imaginations in teaching, is crucial to making knowledge in the curriculum vivid and meaningful, we call this new approach Imaginative Education (IE).' Kieran Egan
Most people say that living in another country is an experience that opens your mind tremendously and changes your life forever. I understood what people said and thought that it would be interesting and challenging to give it a try! If you never try, you never know…
There is a sense in which the title of this is actually not true. Paradoxically, although teachers by definition spend their lives in the company of others, mostly virtually at present, teaching is in many ways a lonely profession. Most teachers face their classes alone and this professional isolation is ultimately a barrier to professional development.
How do you relax? Do you enjoy doing nothing? What is the most enjoyable thing you can imagine? Which is the most common leisure activity among your friends?
Over the years Cristina Banfi has been a referent for our institution. On this occasion, she kindly shares one of her articles, ‘Teaching Online Has Become Easier Than We Could Ever Dream’*
In this article ‘Teaching and not cheating oneself, the best of arts’ Fabiola Montoni shares her view on teaching and pedagogy.
All of us such as millions of dedicated educators in the world are navigating school closures and sudden shifts to new ways of learning due to this coronavirus outbreak. Read about the experience from a teacher in Mozambique.
Sabina tells us about a class experience which sought to help children acquire language and bring families and children together during lockdown.
Marguerite Annie Johnson, known as Maya Angelou, was an American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist. Do you feel ‘caged’ in these hard times? Read the poem ‘Caged Bird’ by Maya Angelou and explore the extended metaphor. Can you recall any situations from real life this year that remind you of the caged bird?
The TV programme Bake Off has become quite popular among people in Río Grande, especially after one of our own winning the competition. Here is the British recipe: Praline and Chocolate Vol-Au-Vents.
Our Secondary school, Colegio Integral de Educación Río Grande, better known as CIERG, has celebrated its first 27 years last March. The motto that has guided us for years now, is “Education is not preparation for life, education is life itself”, stated by John Dewey, leading philosopher and educator.
For some years now, UTN has tried to keep up with students’ needs for handling English through a Diplomatura. Here we find a short article written by one of the students attending level 6.
Probably most of us would like to have a lot of money – but how do you think you would behave if you were rich? Think of some of the things you would do. Now we invite you to read a poem and compare what you would do with what the speaker in the poem does. Can a light-hearted poem convey a serious message of social criticism?
‘What makes you tick?’ A look into teacher motivation. For the last two years teachers have been feeling the burden of how to keep students motivated in the present circumstances. First, they had a whole year without in person classes. They faced the greatest challenge ever and made the effort to support learners, worried and affected with the issue of inclusion in education. In front of the lack of resources, teachers did amazing things, many inspiring things. How did they keep motivated?
Focusing on the power of drama to promote effective learning in primary education, Suzi Clipson-Boyles demonstrates how reading, writing, speaking and listening skills may be developed in ways that will motivate and engage pupils. On this occasion, we share parts of the first chapter of her book.