Good morning
It occurred to me this week, that the format of my newsletter is often a bit like that old rhyme about what you are supposed to wear for your wedding:
- Something old (I often include something that's already on the site as a helpful reminder)
- Something new (I almost always have a new video offering)
- Something borrowed (a link to a website or a resource on the site that I think you might like)
- Something blue (does using 'Send in Blue' as an email host count?!)
Sorry - that's just the kind of random thing that goes through my head in the mornings...
This week a bit of a theme around learner autonomy - a video about freer speaking activities, a new, low prep communication activity and another great website for you (and your learners) - here we go.
Something old
I made this video over eight years ago, so in internet terms, I guess it counts as 'old' if not 'ancient'! I have to apologise for the fact that it's much longer than the videos I make now, but it's still one of my most watched YouTube offerings. It's about
freer speaking activities and how to make them purposeful and although it’s more based on a face to face model, I think that there are some nice ideas in there that you could adapt if you are online, so give it a go and see how you get on.
Something new
This week, I've made another little addition to the growing number of ideas on the free
Communication Activities resource on the site. This one is a way to introduce snippets of functional language that will help learners become more fluent and encourage them to think about the language outside class. It's called '
It's a Pity!'
Something borrowed
Finally, a another useful website for you. Thinking about the idea of autonomy, this site
https://www.esolcourses.com/ has lots of great lessons to give learners to work on independently and lots of ideas that you could adapt to include in classes, too. It's arranged by level and also types of lesson, so easy to find your way around, and activities are often based on interesting authentic listening and reading material. Have a look around and see what you think.
Right, that's it for now. Let me know what you think of the new subheadings - they're probably not permanent but I'm interested in your views! Have a great week and see you next Sunday.
Best
Jo
