Learning Twigs

Are ELT Publishers going to make it App'n?

 

There is a tremendous amount of talk about THE cloud, but for some time now there has been a cloud of a different nature hovering over the future of educational publishing. Combine the changing needs, situations and expectations of schools, teachers and learning with publishers' need to come up with some sort of sustainable strategy that allows them to continue to enjoy major profit, and it would fair to say everything is rather cloudy at the moment.

 

ELT (English Language Teaching) authors are certainly experiencing a walk in the fog, as are (no doubt) writers and experts from a range of educational fields.

 

When it comes to expertly designed learning materials, for me the answer has been reasonably clear for some time. As mobile devices become more affordable and ubiquitous, we won't be needing textbooks or even e-books; the future will be in apps.

 

A recent post on the OUP English Language Teaching blog comes closer to convincing me that this publisher, more so than its competitors (at least in terms of what it is publicly inviting conversation and ideas about), is probably the most on track when it comes to making a transition from dead trees to mobile devices, AND still having a business model that can be profitable.

 

Building learning materials in app form creates all of the functionality, flexibility, interactivity and currency that teachers and students are now starting to expect. They can be video and audio-rich, with built-in branching and automatic feedback and tracking. They can be updated on a regular basis. They can integrate with social media tools, and/or work with things like the rapidly developing Tin Can API to send descriptive learning reports to a selected LMS or LRS.

 

It also ensures that there is an app purchase per student (or at least device, or device set), which should make for a sustainable and profitable distribution process.

 

It will require different design methodology, layering and programming, of course - which is why I am rather vehemently against the idea of simply converting existing textbooks into e-books (that would be like putting a T-Model Ford engine inside the shell of a modern car and hoping people feel like they are now driving something state of the art), or chopping them into little parts to become dried up PDF or e-PUB potpourri (alongside ominously polite emails sent out to existing authors informing them that royalties won't be part of the future deal).

 

And while the call for granularity in future resources, with well-tagged small parts capable of being mixed and matched for specific courses, is a genuine one, for ELT in particular I think it would be unwise to dismiss the idea of a well designed integrated course with mapped out stages and progression (the sort of thing many teachers and students continue to like about most coursebook offerings). Yes, we do need the grammar, vocabulary, reading (etc.) skill-specific apps, but I think there is still considerable merit in the well-designed progressive course that integrates all of the relevant skills and facilitates creative iteration within rich contextual frameworks.

 

A clever approach to ELT course apps should allow them to be customised while still providing a core and a map. Selective elective/specialised apps can then be applied alongside or around them to create just the right course for specific groups of learners in specific contexts.

 

Forget the idea of trying to own/control the platform (and, by extension, all of the distribution). The publisher that tries that on will not only inevitably fail, they won't be doing their reputation as The (greedy shareholder-appeasing) Empire any good either.

 

Apps can still work with complete freedom of choice. They will thrive or fail based on the quality and relevance of their content and interactivity, which is exactly how it should be.

 

Probably the most exciting prospect for me as a teacher is the idea that well designed and accessible apps, rich in content, flexibility, feedback and tracking, can do more to flip language learning classrooms, so they can utilise that precious face-to-face time to apply the language more often for genuinely communicative and task-based purposes.

 

I don't think this automatically means that we have to do away with publishers, or professional ELT writers/designers for that matter. We still know a bit or two about how people learn and how to make appealing content and activities. Some of us even know a bit about learning online, mobile devices and apps!

 

We're all ready for change: it's really a matter of getting on with it now and making it App'n.

 

 

;-D

 

 

Getting interactive in PDF: Using text form fields and embedded audio

PDF is a great way to secure your documents, but -- if you have Adobe Acrobat -- there are also a number of ways you can make your materials more interactive and adaptable in PDF format. In turn, this makes PDF a far more versatile format for learning resources to be uploaded into LMS set ups like Moodle - where they can become stand-alone assignments to be downloaded and completed without needing access to the web.

 

The tutorial below demonstrates how to embed text form fields into your PDF document so that learners can submit answers to questions:

 

 

 

You might also like to look at embedding audio help files into your PDF resource so that learners cna get additional instructions, tips or advice on how to do something:

 

 

 

I've also demonstrated in the past how to do this audio file embedding with materials for younger learners as well (and as part of generating a resource that might be presented for the class on a beam projector, for example):

 

 

 

 

Hope these give you some ideas on how to go those extra yards with your PDF documents to help make them more multi-modal resources with more chances of teaching/learning interaction.

 

 

;-)

 

 

English Oz: The Reluctant Patient

 

 

The movie Kenny is, in my opinion, a masterpiece of Australian cinema. It is one of those mockumentaries that is so well done that, unless you knew better, you could be easily forgiven for thinking it is a real documentary. The realism of it also makes it perfect for exposing your ESL learners to everyday Australian conversation in action. Oh, and it might just give them a bit of a laugh as well...

 

I got the idea for the following clip after a recent stay in hospital for an operation. During the pre-op, I had to lie in a bed and listen to an old fella carrying on in rather similar fashion to the way Kenny's dad does here.

 

 

 

Activity sheets for learners and teachers:

3_VPAU502_EL1_The_reluctant_patient

3_VPAU502_EL1_TG_The_reluctant_patient

 

 

Cert III ESL (Access) Documentation:

 

Unit C21 (VPAU502): Engage in casual conversation and straightforward spoken transactions.

Element 1: Interpret a casual conversation on everyday topics

Performance Criteria 1.1: Identify context/situation and relationship between speakers

Performance Criteria 1.2: Outline main topics, and opinions or attitudes expressed

Performance Criteria 1.3: Locate supporting details and implied meanings, where apparent

Performance Criteria 1.4: Identify emotional state/attitude of speakers where apparent

Performance Criteria 1.5: Identify some conversational strategies used 

Performance Criteria 1.6: Identify requests to clarify misunderstandings and ambiguous points 

 

 

After seeing what your learners can glean and learn from the exchange, there are lots of different ways you could generate conversation and discussion with your class (for example, hospital experiences, opinions about hospital costs or doctors, dealing with older people, etc.). For discussion, your learners may benefit from the conversational strategies outlined here.

 

See more English Oz.

 

 

;-)

 

 

English Oz: "I know what my family is worth"

 

 

There would be some teachers out there who would tell me this isn't ideal material for an ESL classroom, citing the need to be sensitive to different cultural values and beliefs, etc.

 

Bollocks to that, I say. Gay marriage IS a big issue not just in Australia right now, but also in the United States and in many other parts of the world. It's an issue all of us need to think about, whether we were born in this country or are recent arrivals.

 

Penny Wong (Australian Federal Senator and Finance Minister) appeared on the popular program QandA on Monday and was caught by surprise at the end of the segment by an unexpected question. Given she is gay and a gay parent but has famously refused to campaign publicly about same-sex issues, her response here is being held up by many as a potential watershed (there's a good word to explain to your ESL students!) moment in the debate about the fundamental rights of gays and lesbians in Australia.

 

 

 

Here are my English Oz activity sheets to go with this discussion input:

3_VPAU502_EL1_I_Know_What_My_Family_is_Worth

3_VPAU502_EL1_TG_I_Know_What_My_Family_is_Worth

 

 

Cert III ESL (Access) Documentation:

 

Unit C21 (VPAU502): Engage in casual conversation and straightforward spoken transactions.

Element 1: Interpret a casual conversation on everyday topics

Performance Criteria 1.1: Identify context/situation and relationship between speakers

Performance Criteria 1.2: Outline main topics, and opinions or attitudes expressed

Performance Criteria 1.3: Locate supporting details and implied meanings, where apparent

Performance Criteria 1.4: Identify emotional state/attitude of speakers where apparent

Performance Criteria 1.5: Identify some conversational strategies used 

Performance Criteria 1.6: Identify requests to clarify misunderstandings and ambiguous points 

 

 

You might like to also support this with the following article from the Sydney Morning Herald, which includes the video footage above and all of the key dialogue as written quotes, but also builds some context and commentary around them:

Wong's affirmation of gay families 'a watershed'

 

I think the following video is also brilliant material, not just for demonstrating that, for all her quiet and firm determination, Ms. Wong is not afraid to stand up to the conservative bully boys in Australia's parliament; there is also the prickly issue of gender equality and attitudes towards women in general in this country:

 

 

 

An amazing lady. I personally reckon she should be the country's Prime Minister, but that's just my opinion. See what your ESL learners make of her!

 

 

;-)

 

 

 

English Oz: Australian Intonation(?)

 

 

Adam Hills makes a very good point? About the way Australians inflect up at the end of many sentences? To make it sound like a question? 'Coz we're kinda insecure? And we need your approval? Or we just like to ask questions that don't actually need answers?

 

 

 

 

I think this is a brilliant resource for ESL learners (though Dutch students may not like the stereotype joke at their expense). Aside from the pronunciation/intonation points, there are nice opportunities to draw on the content for chats about Australian history, particularly the discovery of the continent by Europeans, and to have a bit of a larf along the way...

 

Activity resource sheets for learners and teachers:

3_VPAU503_EL1_Australian_Intonation

3_VPAU503_EL1_TG_Australian_Intonation

 

 

Certificate III ESL (Access) components targeted and tracked through the activities:

 

Unit C22 (VPAU503): Give and respond to a range of straightforward instructions and informational texts.

Element 1: Interpret an informational oral text

Performance Criteria 1.1: Identify the context, topic and purpose of an informational oral text

Performance Criteria 1.2: Outline main ideas, opinions and attitudes expressed

Performance Criteria 1.3: Locate supporting information or details

Performance Criteria 1.4: Identify the tone and register of the text, and any inferred meaning

Performance Criteria 1.5: Express an opinion about the ideas or issues raised

 

 

Brought to you by English Oz.

 

 

;-)

 

 

English Oz: The Rainbow Serpent

 

 

This is a beautifully simple and accessible telling of the Rainbow Serpent story which is so central to so much of Australia's indigenous dreamtime culture.

 

 

 

 

Here are some activity sheets to go with the oral text:

3_VPAU503_EL1_The_Rainbow_Serpent

3_VPAU503_EL1_TG_The_Rainbow_Serpent

 

 

Certificate III ESL (Access) components targeted and tracked through the activities:

 

Unit C22 (VPAU503): Give and respond to a range of straightforward instructions and informational texts.

Element 1: Interpret an informational oral text

Performance Criteria 1.1: Identify the context, topic and purpose of an informational oral text

Performance Criteria 1.2: Outline main ideas, opinions and attitudes expressed

Performance Criteria 1.3: Locate supporting information or details

Performance Criteria 1.4: Identify the tone and register of the text, and any inferred meaning

Performance Criteria 1.5: Express an opinion about the ideas or issues raised

 

 

Just note that there is also a nice written text accompanying the video which gives some interesting background information about the dreamtime notion. It could make for a reading outcome as a natural extension or follow up from the oral text.

 

 

More English Oz stuff here!

 

 

;-)

 

 

English Oz: Smartphones and Parenting

 

 

 

This English Oz reading resource draws on the online article located here.

 

It's an interesting article because of just how true many people will find some of the warnings, as well as a poll that has been conducted and attached to the end of the story.

 

Here are the associated learning activity resource sheets:

3_VPAU505_EL1_Smartphones_and_parenting

3_VPAU505_EL1_TG_Smartphones_and_parenting

 

 

Certificate III in ESL (Access) element/performance criteria:

 

Unit C24 (VPAU505): Read and write a range of straightforward informational, instructional and other texts.

Element 1: Analyse a range of informational texts

Performance Criteria 1.1: Scan informational text and identify the context and topic

Performance Criteria 1.2: Identify the main ideas or issues

Performance Criteria 1.3: Locate supporting information or examples

Performance Criteria 1.4: Identify conventions of informational texts

Performance Criteria 1.5: Analyse the structure and discourse features of the texts

Performance Criteria 1.6: Respond to the text, outlining any opinions expressed, and state own opinion about the topic

 

 

English Oz homepage on this blog.

 

 

;-)

 

 

English Oz: Grandparents bear greater share of childcare duties

 

 

This is a current article in Melbourne's The Age newspaper and I think it could be an interesting one for ESL students to engage with. Aside from the growing number of families having the grandparents mind the children so that both parents can work (more) in Australia, this is very often the traditional way many families operate in many other countries (quite possibly ESL learners' own home countries or here in Australia as well).

There are also some interesting general statistics about childcare and costs in the article - plenty of good discussion points to explore.

 

Here are the activity/resource sheets I've developed to go with the article:

3_VPAU505_EL1_Grandparents_bear_greater_share_of_childcare_duties

3_VPAU505_EL1_TG_Grandparents_bear_greater_share_of_childcare_duties

 

 

Certificate III in ESL (Access) unit/element/performance criteria:

 

Unit C24 (VPAU505): Read and write a range of straightforward informational, instructional and other texts.

Element 1: Analyse a range of informational texts

Performance Criteria 1.1: Scan informational text and identify the context and topic

Performance Criteria 1.2: Identify the main ideas or issues

Performance Criteria 1.3: Locate supporting information or examples

Performance Criteria 1.4: Identify conventions of informational texts

Performance Criteria 1.5: Analyse the structure and discourse features of the texts

Performance Criteria 1.6: Respond to the text, outlining any opinions expressed, and state own opinion about the topic

 

 

You can find more English Oz materials and teaching ideas for ESL here.

 

 

;-)

 

 

English Oz: Beds are Burning

 

 

This was an interesting resource to research and develop. It presents two different versions of the same core song - Beds are Burning; the recent version produced as part of the Tck Tck Tck Campaign to promote awareness of climate change in the lead up to the Copenhagen Summit, and the original version from the band Midnight Oil, which was inspired by the Pintupi tribe and their move in from and then back out to the isolation of Australia's Western Desert.

 

Two very different 'causes', and it is interesting to look at how the lyrics are different for each version according to their purpose. 

 

To best showcase this, I've built a webpage featuring both music videos and the lyrics for each in a scroll box beneath, side by side for easy comparison. In addition, for each version I've added a series of key words and links to graded (or gradable) texts on Google Search that explore a variety of issues or topics relevant to each rendition of the Beds are Burning song.

 

You can access the page here: http://www.englishraven.com/bedsareburning. html

 

For ESL application, just listening to and comparing the lyrics can be a really interesting exercise. The main ideas and 'roots' in each set of lyrics make for clear comparisons, but at phrase level there are also some great opportunities to explore language (for example to take a stand versus to say fair's fair, or  turning back versus give it back).

 

These texts are also well set up for Certificate III in ESL (Access) and the following element/performance criteria:

 

Unit C24 (VPAU505): Read and write a range of straightforward informational, instructional and other texts.

Element 1: Analyse a range of informational texts

Performance Criteria 1.1: Scan informational text and identify the context and topic

Performance Criteria 1.2: Identify the main ideas or issues

Performance Criteria 1.3: Locate supporting information or examples

Performance Criteria 1.4: Identify conventions of informational texts

Performance Criteria 1.5: Analyse the structure and discourse features of the texts

Performance Criteria 1.6: Respond to the text, outlining any opinions expressed, and state own opinion about the topic

 

Learners could be encouraged to tackle both texts as part of this outcome, or the one that interests them most. Alternatively, they could follow the links featured alongside each set of lyrics and source their own reading text on a more specific topic (anything from climate change to The Pintupi Nine). This is a great way to marry extensive reading with some basic tech skills oriented around particular themes.

 

 

Learning resources:

3_VPAU505_EL1_Beds_Are_Burning

3_VPAU505_EL1_TG_Beds_Are_Burning

 

Besides reading, there are plenty of opportunities to have classroom discussions or negotiate writing topics feeding out of the content available on the web page.

 

One or more of the texts available through this resource could also build towards any of a number of ESL Framework Elective Units (for example, Current Issues, Indigenous Australia, Environment of Australia, Australian History, etc.)

 

 

See more of this these sorts of resources over at the English Oz section of this blog.

 

 

;-)

 

 

 

English Oz: Funding spat puts kinder programs in jeopardy

 

 

If you find (as I have done) that many of your adult ESL learners in Australia are also parents to young children, you might find this reading/discussion resource interesting to take into your classroom or offer up as a personal selection for students.

 

It's based on news just in (at the time of posting) about a 'spat' between the Federal and Victorian State governments about public kindergarten programs, how they are to be funded and what they will/should involve in terms of number of hours provided. The source is an article that appeared in today's The Age newspaper:

Funding spat puts kinder program in jeopardy

 

 

Here are the English Oz learning activities to go with it:

 

3_VPAU505_EL1_Funding_spat_puts_kinder_programs_in_jeopardy

3_VPAU505_EL1_TG_Funding_spat_puts_kinder_programs_in_jeopardy

 

It's a good issue to explore and has some great language to showcase.

 

 

Certificate III ESL (Access) components targeted and tracked through the activities:

 

Unit C24 (VPAU505): Read and write a range of straightforward informational, instructional and other texts.

Element 1: Analyse a range of informational texts

Performance Criteria 1.1: Scan informational text and identify the context and topic

Performance Criteria 1.2: Identify the main ideas or issues

Performance Criteria 1.3: Locate supporting information or examples

Performance Criteria 1.4: Identify conventions of informational texts

Performance Criteria 1.5: Analyse the structure and discourse features of the texts

Performance Criteria 1.6: Respond to the text, outlining any opinions expressed, and state own opinion about the topic

 

 

I would also imagine there are plenty of ways to integrate this with some conversation and/or writing elements from the same level.

 

The article and overall issue also provide a nice introduction or extenstion to four of the ESL Elective units, namely:

VPAM544 - Australian Government

VPAM546 - Education in Australia

VPAU557 - Use services in the local community

VPAU560 - Investigate current issues

 

 

;-)

 

 

 

English Oz: Fresh 5 Minutes Makeup

 

 

This is another theme or content area that Mrs. Raven has pointed me to, claiming that many female students like to engage with this sort of material. I must confess, even as a 'bloke' I found it rather interesting, in a "oh, so that's how they do it, is it?" sort of way...

 

In any case, this material is spot on for Element 3: Follow a set of verbal instructions for a familiar process or procedure in the Certificate III in ESL (Access) unit Give and respond to a range of straightforward instructions and informational texts.

 

Here's the video input (also referenced in the learning activity resource below):

 

 

 

Here are the worksheets for learners and teachers:

3_VPAU503_EL3_Fresh_5_Minutes_Makeup

3_VPAU503_EL3_TG_Fresh_5_Minutes_Makeup

 

 

The formal Cert III ESL stuff:

 

Unit C22 (VPAU503): Give and respond to a range of straightforward instructions and informational texts.

Element 3: Follow a set of verbal instructions for a familiar process or procedure

Performance Criteria 3.1: Identify the context and purpose of the instructions

Performance Criteria 3.2: Identify sequence markers and other linguistic cues used to explain the process or procedure

Performance Criteria 3.3: Outline key steps, warnings or advice given by the speaker

Performance Criteria 3.4: Reflect on the effectiveness of the instructions

 

 

For the same unit and element, also check out Buying a Myki Card.

 

And a reminder that all of my Australian ESL Framework content and application ideas are being gathered on the English Oz page.

 

 

;-)

 

 

English Oz Project: In the shadow of the red centre

 

 

The lucky country. Bright weather, bright people, bright future.

Those were the messages that were consistently drummed into me as a young person growing up on this island continent. But as Iva Davies would tell you, it can also be a prisoner island hidden in the summer for a million years.

For all its brightness, this is a country with a shadow; and nowhere is that shadow more evident in the geographical and spiritual red centre of things, in a town called Alice.

 

The English Oz materials and activities on this page represent a collection of learning resources that can hopefully bring this issue to the ESL classroom. You can cherry pick from them as you please, or tie some or all of them together to create a larger ongoing project. Generally speaking the resources are selected and sequenced in a logical way that helps explore what is a very complex issue via a series of interlocked steps.

The first three resources target listening skills and align well with Certificate III in ESL (Access) unit VPAU503 (Give and respond to a range of straightforward instructional and informational texts) - in particular Element 1: Interpret an informational oral text.

The three that follow that are geared towards VPAU505 (Read and write a range of straightforward informational, instructional and other texts), in particular Element 1: Analyse a range of informational texts. 

The astute teacher will also find ways to tie in speaking and writing elements from the various units in a nicely integrated way; the opportunities to do so are there in abundance.

At the very bottom of the page you will find a resource to facilitate the ESL Elective unit VPAU560: Investigate Current Issues, with the preceding materials and activities making for a nice resource list to draw on and (again) useful opportunities to extend out into speaking and writing elements.

All the relevant performance criteria has been built into the resource sheets, and you will find both blank versions for students and a TG version with some notes to help you scaffold the learners through the activities.

 

 

Okay, let's start with a bit of a contrast, shall we? Two very different sides to a red centre coin...  

 

 

 

 

1. Get ceNTred in the Red Centre

 

Nothing like a good tourism advertisement, is there? Present the following video to the learners and apply the activity resource that follows:

 

 

Learning Resources: 

3_VPAU503_EL1_get_ceNTred_in_the_red_centre

3_VPAU503_EL1_TG_get_ceNTred_in_the_red_centre

 

 

2. Alice Springs in Crisis

 

Hang on... What happened to the lovely hot air balloons? And the glasses of bubbly and sparkling stars at night? And the amazing galleries of indigenous art?

Trouble in paradise...

 

 

Learning Resources:

3_VPAU503_EL1_Alice_Springs_in_Crisis 

3_VPAU503_EL1_TG_Alice_Springs_in_Crisis

 

 

 

3. The NT Intervention - Four Years On

 

So, poor old Alice is copping it because indigenous people can't drink out on their home turf and need to head into town... So has the so-called INTERVENTION improved the situation out in the camps, and was it worth the price of applying the equivalent of apartheid? 

 

 

Learning Resources:

3_VPAU503_EL1_the_NT_Intervention_Four_Years_On

3_VPAU503_EL1_TG_the_NT_Intervention_Four_Years_On

 

 

 

4. Australia restores race discrimination act

 

So let's get closer to the bottom of this whole idea of interventions and race discrimination acts. The BBC are sure to be a nicely reliable outside impartial observer, surely...

 

 

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10374060

Learning Resources:

3_VPAU505_EL1_Australia_restores_race_discrimination_act

3_VPAU505_EL1_TG_Australia_restores_race_discrimination_act

 

 

 

5. Abbott calls for new intervention

 

Evidently once wasn't enough. The leader of Australia's federal opposition party says he has the solutions...

(This resource is excellent because it features a recorded interview and the full written transcript):

 

 

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2011/s3168978.htm 

Learning Resources:

3_VPAU505_EL1_Abbott_calls_for_new_intervention 

3_VPAU505_EL1_TG_Abbott_calls_for_new_intervention

 

 

 

6. The Dead Heart

 

A song by one of Australia's most popular bands of all time, whose lead singer eventually decided to go into politics... Spot the current Federal Minister for Education in the clip, but also look at the lyrics and take a journey into the dying soul of a fiercely proud people.

(Another good one for blending reading and listening, and your students might enjoy a song at this point if they've been wading through the texts and listenings above):

 

 

  

 

 

 

Learning Resources:

3_VPAU505_EL1_The_Dead_Heart

3_VPAU505_EL1_TG_The_Dead_Heart

 

 

 

7. In the shadow of the red centre

 

So, what's the issue exactly? What is the significance? What do your learners make of it all?

Here's where you can tie on an ESL Elective Unit incorporating current issues in Australia, bringing together the 'research' conducted above and coming up with some conclusions. The material can then become a drafting process for a writing element or an oral presentation or discussion of some sort:

 

ESL_Elective_VPAU560_EL1_In_the_shadow_of_the_red_centre

 

 

 

 

As I said at the beginning of the post, lots to choose from or work through here, but there are certainly multiple opportunities to help your learners meet a plethora of their ESL outcomes through this sequence of activities.

 

More importantly, the dialogue about how Australia handles its indigenous people needs to continue. Goodness knows the locals (both newer and older) haven't come up with too many effective answers; perhaps the newest migrants of all might have some better suggestions...

 

 

 

;-)

 

 

 

English Oz: Top 100 apps

 

 

 

This marks the first (of what I hope will be many) reading resource I am putting together for my English Oz collection of learning activity resources for ESL classrooms.

 

Apps are pretty much an everyday thing now, so I think it's a topic likely to resonate well with a wide range of learners. I've sourced an interesting text from the Sydney Morning Herald with the title Top 1oo apps - the definitive guide.

 

The learning resources below are great for Certificate III in ESL (Access) and include both learner activity sheets and a TG version with instructional tips for using in the classroom and directing learners to the sorts of information they can include in each section.

 

 

3_VPAU505_EL1_Top_100_apps

 

3_VPAU505_EL1_TG_Top_100_apps

 

 

Just note for the main ideas and supporting details sections, the idea is for the learners to select portions of the text that interest them rather than the entire article - though there are different ways that overall main ideas could be identified and listed.

 

 

Certificate III ESL (Access) components targeted and tracked through the activities:

 

Unit C24 (VPAU505): Read and write a range of straightforward informational, instructional and other texts.

Element 1: Analyse a range of informational texts

Performance Criteria 1.1: Scan informational text and identify the context and topic

Performance Criteria 1.2: Identify the main ideas or issues

Performance Criteria 1.3: Locate supporting information or examples

Performance Criteria 1.4: Identify conventions of informational texts

Performance Criteria 1.5: Analyse the structure and discourse features of the texts

Performance Criteria 1.6: Respond to the text, outlining any opinions expressed, and state own opinion about the topic

 

Lots of ways this can be introduced or followed up via conversation and writing activities, as well.

 

 

For more ESL content and activity sheets, go to English Oz.

 

 

;-)

 

 

 

 

English Oz: Computer Games Addiction

 

 

Are computer games addictive? Can they be destructive for young people? How can it affect families?

 

My wife pointed me to this issue via some recent discussions we've had about our 6-year-old son and his increasing obsession with the X-Box 360 and Skylanders game in particular. Is he becoming addicted? Does it account for some (at this stage) slightly worrying behaviour we've been having to deal with?

 

You can find an interesting report about this from the Australian Broadcasting Commission's Catalyst program, at this link:

 

http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/3488130.htm

 

The material, with both video and transcript, is great for Certificate III in ESL (Access) and the unit element interpreting an informational oral text.

 

 

English Oz Activity sheet downloads:

 

3_VPAU503_EL1_Computer_Game_Addiction

 

3_VPAU503_EL1_TG_Computer_Game_Addiction

 

 

Given this is a reasonably long presentation (around 10 minutes), I wouldn't be asking learners to analyze every part in detail, but there are certainly sections or stages that students could focus on. Section 1-2 might be used to gather all the general ideas/attitudes/opinions, while section 1-3 could be used to focus on one specific part/section of the report.

 

 

Certificate III ESL (Access) components targeted and tracked through the activities:

 

Unit C22 (VPAU503): Give and respond to a range of straightforward instructions and informational texts.

Element 1: Interpret an informational oral text

Performance Criteria 1.1: Identify the context, topic and purpose of an informational oral text

Performance Criteria 1.2: Outline main ideas, opinions and attitudes expressed

Performance Criteria 1.3: Locate supporting information or details

Performance Criteria 1.4: Identify the tone and register of the text, and any inferred meaning

Performance Criteria 1.5: Express an opinion about the ideas or issues raised

 

This material and issue is, in my opinion, also ideal for extension into other elements, like having a casual conversation about the issue or coming up with a set of recommendations (in writing or as a presentation) on potential strategies to help cope with computer addiction in a family setting.

 

 

For more ESL content and activity sheets, drop by English Oz on this blog!

 

 

;-)

 

 

English Oz: How to Lose your Part-Time Job...

 

 

How does one lose his or her job?

What sorts of conversations happen around the build up to someone being told their services are no longer required?

 

The English Oz resources below target this idea, catering to Certificate III in ESL (Access) and in particular the unit Engage in casual conversations and straightforward spoken transactions and element 1: Interpret a casual conversation on everyday topics.

 

The following input is drawn from the popular Australian television series Packed to the Rafters and incoporates a collection of short scenes that build up to a part-time worker being fired from her job.

 

 

 

 

Here are the student activity sheets and Teacher's Guide documenting options for how to use/apply each section (source video is listed in the materials):

 

3_VPAU502_EL1_How_to_Lose_your_Part_Time_Job

 

3_VPAU502_EL1_TG_How_to_Lose_your_Part_Time_Job

 

 

Note that there are actually a number of scenes in the source material; I would recommend using the whole sequence to generate a full story with main ideas, opinions and attitudes, and then perhaps a single scene to go into more detail about information, conversational strategies, emotional states and attitudes, implied meanings and ambiguities, etc. Students might also be broken up into groups to explore and document different scenes in the overall sequence.

 

The TG version recommends a number of things you might cover, but I wouldn't try to do every point/item in every section. It is, to me, preferable to target 1-2 aspects at a time and make sure there is volume and variety in conversational input to notice different things about spoken discourse in different scenes/situations with different speakers.

 

As with all of my English Oz materials, there are also a range of follow up activities suggested, whether to go deeper, wider or across skill sets.

 

 

Cert III ESL (Access) Documentation:

 

Unit C21 (VPAU502): Engage in casual conversation and straightforward spoken transactions.

Element 1: Interpret a casual conversation on everyday topics

Performance Criteria 1.1: Identify context/situation and relationship between speakers

Performance Criteria 1.2: Outline main topics, and opinions or attitudes expressed

Performance Criteria 1.3: Locate supporting details and implied meanings, where apparent

Performance Criteria 1.4: Identify emotional state/attitude of speakers where apparent

Performance Criteria 1.5: Identify some conversational strategies used 

Performance Criteria 1.6: Identify requests to clarify misunderstandings and ambiguous points 

 

 

 

;-)

 

 

 

English Oz: Buying a Myki Card

 

 

Using Melbourne's Metro system can seem complicated if English isn't your first language, but it isn't really all that hard once you know the drill...

 

This resource is similar in format and broad aims to the one I posted about previously (see the example of interpreting an informational oral text for Certificate III in ESL, plus an overview of what this whole English Oz thing is about), but in this case we are looking at Element 3: Follow a set of verbal instructions for a familiar process or procedure.

 

Here's the input (also referenced on the activity sheets):

 

 

 

And learner activity sheet plus TG version with tips on how to apply each section:

 

3_VPAU503_EL3_Buying_a_Myki_Card

 

3_VPAU503_EL3_TG_Buying_a_Myki_Card

 

 

The formal Cert III ESL stuff, for those interested...

 

Unit C22 (VPAU503): Give and respond to a range of straightforward instructions and informational texts.

Element 3: Follow a set of verbal instructions for a familiar process or procedure

Performance Criteria 3.1: Identify the context and purpose of the instructions

Performance Criteria 3.2: Identify sequence markers and other linguistic cues used to explain the process or procedure

Performance Criteria 3.3: Outline key steps, warnings or advice given by the speaker

Performance Criteria 3.4: Reflect on the effectiveness of the instructions

 

 

More English Oz stuff on the way soon.

 

 

;-)

 

 

English Oz: One for L'Oréal and the ladies...

 

 

A new section of the blog opening up here, new project and all that... English Oz is a gathering of teaching/learning resources catering to units, elements and performance criteria featured in the Australian ESL Framework, and in particular the Victorian Certificates in ESL. No doubt they should cater well to a variety of other formal EFL/ESL programs around the world as well (hopefully without requiring too much in the way of adaptation).

 

The resource featured here in this post is geared at Certificate III in ESL (Access) and interpreting an informational oral text.

 

It features one of Mrs. Raven's hand-chosen topics of interest (L'Oréal and one of Melbourne's fashion festivals), so I am assuming there may be teachers out there with students who have similar fashionable interests!

 

Here's the source video/listening text:

 

 

 

This is the activity sheet that can be downloaded, printed and used in class with learners:

 

VPAU503_EL1_2012_L'Oréal_Melbourne_Fashion_Festival_1

 

 

And here is the TG version with prompts and ideas to help you apply and scaffold each section of the activity sheet in a classroom, small group or even online teaching setting:

 

VPAU503_EL1_TG_2012_L'Oréal_Melbourne_Fashion_Festival_1

 

 

The style of the activity sheets is rather open, to encourage a flexible discussion-based and exploratory style of teaching/learning rather than pre-set questions with closed answer options. There are also some pointers to extension activities to apply the content more vigorously or to connect with other outcomes in reading, writing and speaking.

 

You may notice that the formal aspects of the unit are well signposted. In many ways this resource is set up to facilitate very clear learning outcomes that can be easily audited and/or used for private study/application and in turn become clear evidence for RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) in formal award-based programs.

 

 

For those interested, here are some of the formal Cert III ESL components targeted and tracked through the activities:

 

Unit C22 (VPAU503): Give and respond to a range of straightforward instructions and informational texts.

Element 1: Interpret an informational oral text

Performance Criteria 1.1: Identify the context, topic and purpose of an informational oral text

Performance Criteria 1.2: Outline main ideas, opinions and attitudes expressed

Performance Criteria 1.3: Locate supporting information or details

Performance Criteria 1.4: Identify the tone and register of the text, and any inferred meaning

Performance Criteria 1.5: Express an opinion about the ideas or issues raised

 

 

Enjoy!

 

 

;-)

 

 

Two intriguing questions for teachers of ESL to adults...

 

The advantages of having a materials designer for a husband? :-)

 

 

Today I finished putting together some ESL learning materials for Mrs. Raven, who still strives valiantly to improve her English any chance she gets. She's taking a course at a local institute and seems happy enough with the way things are going except for two things:

 

(A): She's a busy mum and can only attend part-time; and this means it always seems to take forever for her to finish a level (actually, her 'level' seems to fluctuate up and down and across from one term to the next)

(B): She studies dilligently at home, but has no real idea what outcomes she's supposed to be working towards, or whether in fact anything she does independently at home can 'count' towards official criteria in her course

 

Talking around with our wider network of migrant friends and spouses, the situation above appears to be very common. The perception seems to be one of confusion, being constantly in the dark about their learning and levelling, and feeling frustrated about a wealth of learning and experience outside the classroom not being formally recognised. 

 

Before I go any further, I want to point out that classroom teachers can only do so much, and that 'much' gets divided and subdivided in myriad ways as part of the challenge of teaching multiple groups (of often shifting and sliding enrolments) in institutional settings under increasing levels of paperwork bombardment. The fact that many migrants (based on cultural habits or just plain shyness) don't ask questions or remind teachers of their needs doesn't help all that much either.

 

However, what's interesting about the above situation is the fact that, in Australia, ESL is usually handled as a formal training package with various courses adhering to the Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF). Two very important elements in the AQTF are the notions of competence and recognition of prior learning (RPL). While there are guidelines for nominal learning hours, these aren't stipulated as having to occur in a formal classroom environment. In other words: learners have a right to be evaluated based on overall competence, and this evaluation has to cater to potential learning that has happened in a range of different contexts - not just 'at school'.

 

Looking at Mrs. Raven's situation, she has a bit of an advantage when it comes to her ESL 'training': a husband who is (1) a grizzled veteran ESL teacher, (2) an experienced materials designer, and (3) web-wily enough to track down all the official documents outlining levels, modules, elements, performance criteria and evidence requirements applicable to the course she's enrolled in.

 

So basically, I can design learning activities for her to do at home. When I do so, I somehow find it instinctive to document training package information in the learning materials I design for her. Things like official course level, module summary, element and performance criteria details. You can see what I mean in the example material below:

 

VPAU503_EL3_Buying_a_Myki_Card

 

I do the same for my VCAL Literacy course materials for upper high school students in a TAFE context as well.

 

This is part of my conditioning in working in Australia's VET system where documentation and evidence are extremely important and a crucial strategy in supporting educational 'brand quality' (to help differentiate the Real McCoy providers from the dodgy ones, I guess). 

 

Beyond that, I think the provision of succinct but clear and informative course and learning outcome details is just part of treating our adult learners like, well - adults.

 

When adult learners enroll in a course, in many cases they're making a monetary and time investment, and they generally appreciate seeing all of the things they need to achieve and have ongoing notifications of how what they're doing from one day to the next fits into the overall scheme of things and progressively builds towards recognition of achievement.

 

One of the clearest ways of doing this, in my opinion, is to document these details on the actual learning materials and alongside things like syllabuses and learning schedules (whether in advance for pre-planned courses or on an ongoing basis for more emergent approaches). I think this is part of showing a teacher's organisational skills, professionalism and philosophy that this teaching/learning gig is a shared endeavour between two responsible adults.

 

 

So here are my two questions for you...

 

1. Should ESL course providers make more of an effort to formally recognise -- provided, of course, there is sufficient quality evidence -- learning and competence in the language that is demonstrated outside the bounds of the classroom, whether fully self-directed or with the assistance of family members and friends?

 

2. Do you think it is a good idea to feature some of the official 'small print' involved with course objectives on actual learning materials for students? Is this recognising their adult maturity and our willingness to be accountable for what we teach, or does it just unnecessarily clutter things up for everyone concerned?

 

 

I think my own opinion comes through fairly clearly here, but I'm intrigued to hear yours.

 

 

;-)

 

 

 

An embedded point of difference

 

 

 

Thanks to the very useful tutorial here, I learned how to embed YouTube videos directly into Microsoft Word documents. Gosh, what a great tool to have at your disposal.

 

In the example above (an application for a rather prestigious award one of my VCAL students asked me to help him out with), I was able to start his application with two videos covering a major project he accomplished. The first video shows him discussing his CAD drawings and rationalising his design alongside the first couple of planks of wood he'd prepared. The second video, from about six months later, shows his completed project in full action.

 

Given that his application is due to be submitted in Word format electronically, the first thing the judges are going to see is the applicant presenting himself in the flesh and a completed project from initial design to finished (and very functional) product.

 

I'm going to take this a few steps further next year. As we help our VCAL students prepare resume documents for apprenticeship and job applications, we'll be inserting two videos along the same lines as above. I think it's important in a CV (for a young person in particular) to show a bit of a quick journey and demonstrate their capacity to grow, learn and achieve.

 

This adds so much more texture and context to the rather bland document that a CV usually represents. It creates a real 'point of difference'; I mean, out of a stack of 50 electronically submitted resumes, tell me you're not going to remember the one that included quick videos of the applicant actually doing stuff and presenting themselves in person?

 

We can do this with PDF documents as well, but in that case the video file needs to be embedded lock step and barrel and it inevitably adds a huge amount of weight to the original PDF file size. The beauty with the YouTube-in-Word format is that it's basically just an in-built i-frame linking to the hosted video on YouTube.

 

Given I have a lot of teachers reading this blog, I think it's also something to think about adding to your Teaching CV as well. How about a quick self introduction, and/or a screencast of some of your materials and/or a video of you in action in a real classroom setting?

 

Create a point of difference. Be different by showing more of yourself in more of the real world.

 

In any case, I'm looking forward to applying this as a curricular tool with my students next year. I'll update you here later when I get some idea on how well it works in attracting prospective employers!

 

 

;-D

 

 

 

Christmas and New Year gifts from the Raven: free and open access

 

 

 

Worried about having to pay for access to all the Englishraven.com resources for teaching English to young learners and teenagers?

 

Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore."

 

2012 is going to be a year of changes and new directions for English Raven, and pay-for access to the (3000+) resources created and gathered over the past decade isn't part of the plan.

 

So if you teach English to children and/or teenagers, I'd like to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New year, and draw your attention to the new Open Access Downloads Page where a rather large sack of teaching gifts awaits you.

 

The only things I ask in return are:

1. You pass the gifts along to other teachers you know as well!

2. You respect my authorship and rights to the material and don't go uploading it on your site or blog without my permission, and (heaven forbid...) don't go trying to pass it off as your own work.

 

 

Enjoy, and see you about in 2012 for some exciting new adventures!

 

 

;-)

 

 

 

Open (Source) English <-> Mind the Gap

 

 

 

This is the final 'Open Sauce' resource for 2011 -- not sure whether there will be more next year, but even if this is the 'end of the line' just remember that there are another dozen or so templates and themes with a variety of activities and applications demonstrated in the Open English Archive of the blog.

 

This particular template showcases material for a pretty much open unplugged approach to language teaching. It has a lot of crossover with Teaching Materials Design Masterclass 12 ('Summer Unplugged') and represents something of a journey from the first Open Source ('Picket Fence') resource, where a lot of specific applications were suggested.

 

 

Here are the teaching/application suggestions and ideas for Mind the Gap...

 

 

 

And here are the Open Source/'Open Sauce' downloads:

 

Open English - Mind the Gap (PDF)

Open English - Mind the Gap (MS Word)

Open English - Mind the Gap (Compatible)

 

 

 

On behalf of the team here at English Raven (me, myself and I), I hope you've enjoyed the Open Source materials and they've given you some new resources and teaching ideas to consider. I've certainly enjoyed making, exploring and sharing them here on the blog!

 

 

 

;-)

 

 

 

World Adventure Kids: Setting them free...

 

 

 

It's a complicated sort of decision, but in the end it wasn't terribly difficult to make.

 

The full 168-page digital version of World Adventure Kids is now a 100% free download. You can get it now by popping over to the WAK page on English Raven; look for the green bar inviting you to download the book for free. No strings attached.

 

I might blog in the near future about why I've decided to head in this direction, but for now let's just say that:

 

• I designed and wrote this because I wanted to enjoy the whole design and writing process. It was fun. Enormously enjoyable to make.

 

• I'm a truly lousy (and lazy) salesman. I honestly couldn't be bothered putting all the time into advertising and pushing it. I'd rather children just read it, liked it.

 

• It cost thousands to self-publish this sort of work (the illustrations alone put me back close to three thousand US dollars...), but it was bankrolled with part of the royalties from a massively commercial textbook series (and let's just say that, using that equation, I'm still well in front). 

 

 

There is the risk, of course, that offering something up for free means that people will be less disposed towards valuing and respecting it. We'll see, shall we?

 

 

;-)

 

 

 

Open Sauce English: The PARSNIPs Edition (Warning - spicy!)

 

 

 

For those teachers willing (and able) to try out some more controversial topics with their students, I have some templates set up for some of the so-called 'taboo' PARSNIP (Politics, Alcohol, Religion, Sexuality, Narcotics, Isms, Pork) themes. The only one of those not represented here is 'Ism'. 

 

These are all open source (or open sauce, as I've become increasingly fond of calling it) materials, and if you are looking for application ideas to go with them there are dozens presented in various ways throughout the rest of the Open Source English material bank.

 

 

So, here they are, for the daring...

 

 

 

 

Open English - Stars and Sparks (PDF)

Open English - Stars and Sparks (MS Word)

Open English - Stars and Sparks (Compatible)

 

 

 

 

Open English - Cheers (PDF)

Open English - Cheers (MS Word)

Open English - Cheers (Compatible)

 

 

 

 

Open English - Like a Prayer (PDF)

Open English - Like a Prayer (MS Word)

Open English - Like a Prayer (Compatible)

 

 

 

 

Open English - Just a Couple (PDF)

Open English - Just a Couple (MS Word)

Open English - Just a Couple (Compatible)

 

 

 

 

Open English - Bitter Pill (PDF)

Open English - Bitter Pill (MS Word)

Open English - Bitter Pill (Compatible)

 

 

 

 

Open English - Ham it up (PDF)

Open English - Ham it up (MS Word)

Open English - Ham it up (Compatible)

 

 

 

Of course, these templates aren't specifically about just barging into the classroom space with a PARSNIP sledge hammer (bellowing: "Take that, yeah! Got you squirming yet?"); they work for a variety of different (perhaps less controversial) themes from which the PARSNIP element could just be an optional extension.

 

Anyway, see what you make of 'em!

 

 

;-)

 

 

 

Open (Source) English <-> Turn the Page

 

 

Open Sauce Downloads:

 

Open English - Turn the Page (PDF)

Open English - Turn the Page (MS Word 2007)

Open English - Turn the Page (Compatible)

 

 

Application ideas:

 

 

 

 

Get some more open sauce to spice up your teaching options in the Open Source English section of the blog!

 

 

;-D

 

 

 

Teaching Materials Design Masterclass 12: Summer unplugged (going 'materials lite')

 

 

 

 

If you're wondering how I managed to jump from Materials Design Masterclass 8 (last week's entry) to 12, take a look at this post from late October where I incorporated Masterclasses 9, 10 and 11 into a Halloween Materials offering (the one I invited you to wrap your pumpkin's laughing gear around).

 

This particular tutorial (and my last in this series for the year, most probably) explores the notion of teaching unplugged alongside materials design. You might be thinking that sounds a bit like taking a vegan smorgasbord to a meat lovers association dinner, but personally I've always seen a role for smart materials design in a 'materials lite' paradigm like Dogme.

 

For those who have been following the Materials Design Masterclasses, I hope you've learned something new and useful along the way. Remember that all 12 tutorials are permanently available on a dedicated portal over on the English Raven main site.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

;-D

 

 

What they win by cheating at THIS game...

 

 

 

Extensive reading...?

Intensive reading...?

VOLUNTARY reading?

 

These are terms you might have seen bandied about a lot of late. We do, of course, want our learners to read extensively, read intensively, and do so based on voluntary interest in what they are doing.

 

It's not always as easy as it sounds, especially for highly reluctant readers and/or those children who are reading (or being 'forced' to read) based on a study schedule where, despite all of our best intentions and slogans, the rewards for reading are more often extrinsically motivated than intrinsically driven.

 

These were the sorts of issues that inspired me, several years ago, to write choose your own adventure style stories that address the reader directly and focus on the idea of having grand adventures, and for it to almost feel like a game.

 

One of the most interesting aspects of this came in the form of 'cheating'...

 

With both the print and digital versions of World Adventure Kids, the narratives are divided up into chunks and spread at random around different page numbers in the book (with directions on which part to go to next, often with a choice to make).

 

A common result, as with the pages illustrated at the top of this post, is that the readers find themselves looking at one part of the story on one page but also get a juicy preview of another stage of either the same or a different adventure thread in the book. The temptation to at least glance over that facing page (knowing that it might inform you about what is coming up later in the your adventures) can be quite irresistable.

 

Hence the reader looks beyond the section of the story to other sections (extending what they read), and does so voluntarily.

 

A similar sort of thing happens when readers are presented with choices. The temptation to do a little cheating and glance over at the results of both choices before selecting one to follow is natural (with more opportunities for voluntary extension outside the bounds of a single narrative).

 

The facilitation of these forms of 'cheating' is deliberate on my part in World Adventure Kids.

 

The readers may be cheating a little when it comes to 'playing' this story as a game, but they are winning (without actually realising it) when we consider the extra reading and critical thinking they engage in quite naturally through this process.

 

So, dear younger readers of World Adventure Kids, cheat to your heart's content. I'm all for it!

 

 

 

;-D

 

 

 

Open (Source) English <-> Think Deeply

 

 

 

Open English - Think Deeply (PDF)

Open English - Think Deeply (MS Word 2007)

Open English - Think Deeply (Compatible)

 

 

 

 

 

More of this sort of stuff in the Open (Source) English section of the blog.

 

 

;-D

 

 

 

Teaching Materials Design Masterclass 8: The Bamboo Mega-Tutorial (making a full top-quality resource)

 

 

 

The eighth instalment in the Teaching Materials Design Masterclass Series really throws the gauntlet down and showcases a rather long list of design skills integrated with content writing and presentation considerations.

 

At close to an hour in length, it is not for the faint-hearted... But for those blog visitors who have been following the Masterclass series so far and have a genuine passion for professional materials design I think there is nice full spread meal to chew on here.

 

Here's the final product of the tutorial in terms of the materials themselves:

Download Bamboo worksheet

 

 

And here are the hows and whys in terms of building and design:

 

 

 

 

If this all feels a bit too much for you at this stage, you might like to check out some of the earlier (and shorter and simpler) tutorials in the series at the link here.

 

 

Oh, and I've just noticed that this year's Edublog Awards have opened for nominations (hint hint, wink wink, nudge nudge).

 

If you've liked the Teaching Materials Design Masterclass series and/or the Open (Source) English materials and video tutorials I've featured this year, or anything else on this blog for that matter, perhaps you'll consider doing me the almighty favour of a nomination for this year's awards :-)))

 

 

Happy teaching (and designing)!

 

 

;-D

 

 

 

Open (Source) English <-> For Rent

 

 

 

The sixth instalment in the Open Source English series goes with the theme of 'For Rent'. While the grid presented here is precisely the same as that featured in instalment five ('Time Flies'), in this case I explain how to use it for a chain story application, one of my favourite collaborative and interactive writing activities.

 

 

 

 

And the open source downloads...

 

Open English - For Rent (PDF)

Open English - For Rent (MS Word 2007)

Open English - For Rent (Compatible)

 

 

There are also other Open Source English resources with accompanying video tutorials/ideas in the Open English section of the blog.

 

 

- JR

 

 

Teaching Materials Design Masterclass 7: Setting up a bricks n' bubble background

 

 

 

 

JUST in case you were getting a bit sick and tired of background and header/footer style used in many of the previous tutorials, this week's Teaching Materials Design Masterclass takes a bit of a turn and looks at a different design concept that might be good for some variety and/or could be a little more attractive to younger learners.

 

The tutorial here shows you how to built a 'textured' header and footer with a curved 'bubble' window covering the main part of the page. Some variations on that are demonstrated a little later in the video as well, hopefully presenting you with even more design options to consider.

 

This is tutorial seven in the series, so if you'd like to learn more I encourage you to check out the full bank of materials design lessons over on the English Raven site here.

 

 

Happy designing!

 

 

;-D

 

 

Exploring the 'values' curriculum

 

 

 

Rilla Roessel is one of those people you meet and work with in publishing who constantly surprises you and -- occasionally -- makes you realise there are people out there who see things you never even guessed at.

 

Rilla was kind enough to look over a very early draft of World Adventure Kids for me (I'd worked with Rilla extensively at Pearson through the whole process of making and then marketing the Boost! Integrated Skills Series) to give me some feedback and provide a few angles I might have missed.

 

She really liked what she saw/read, acknowledged that it ticked a lot of those boxes like CLIL, extensive reading, etc. and then made a comment along the lines of "another thing it really has going for it is that it has such a strong values curriculum embedded in it."

 

Values curriculum?

There was a new term to add to my thinking box...

 

Rilla is right, of course. There are a lot of different values and ethical or moral perspectives presented in World Adventure Kids. In fact, several of the decision pathway options in the reader-directed story deliberately target choices that could be said to embody ethical issues and 'values.'

 

I featured 'values' in this way in World Adventure Kids because it seemed to come naturally to a story for children -- young people still exploring ideas and choices in the world and trying to figure out what is inherently right or wrong about what they choose to do and why.

 

However, having identified (thanks to Rilla's astute observation) that my work definitely did have a 'values' orientation, I must admit that I started to feel a little uneasy...

 

Was I preaching at and attempting to moralize children in this story? In embedding a strong 'values curriculum' was I in actual fact falling prey to something more along the lines of the 'hidden curriculum'?

 

I looked back through the stories and choices again, eventually realising I was comfortable with the ethical choices presented. From the very start, World Adventure Kids are presented as having a very specific mission: to protect the world's environment, animals, people and cultural treasures. If you want to be a World Adventure Kid, lead a mission and use all the cool resources this mysterious movement has at its disposal, your actions and decisions need to reflect the values identified as being synonymous with WAK. 

 

Hence I feel quite comfortable with choices presented to young readers along these lines (warning: may contain some plot spoilers!):

 

 

Free the anaconda?

You've found an anaconda trapped in a cage in the depths of the Amazon Rainforest. Do you let it loose (which could obviously present some danger to yourself) or leave it right where it is (a course of action very enthusiastically supported by that member of your team who is absolutely petrified of snakes)? Should the fact that anacondas are illegally caught and sold as pets in other countries really matter?

 

Be the first to meet the Hi-Merima?

You accidentally stumble upon the village of the Hi-Merima tribe, an uncontacted people secreted away in the Amazon (this one is based on actual fact). Be the first modern humans to meet them and get your name in all the newspapers and research journals, or leave them alone? Does the fact the tribe is hostile to outsiders and at serious health risk based on lack of immunities (from things like the common cold) warrant consideration? What about their right to continue living their lives the way they always have, not bothering the outside world?

 

Touch the treasure?

After a perilous underground journey, you've finally discovered Pharaoh Sety's hidden treasure and it is truly SPECTACULAR! Haven't you earned the right to be the first to touch and examine it all, even if there is a bit of a risk that your inexpert hands might break something? And does the notion of the treasure rightfully belonging to the people of Egypt (first and foremost) really carry any water? Why is Tootenhootin in the British Museum, anyway?

 

Worth the risk?

This one is presented in World Adventure Kids in various guises in the face of different dangerous situations where a specific item of equipment hasn't been chosen by the adventurers and is necessary for safe navigation through the danger. Swim across a river full of Black Caimans? Sprint along a corridor despite a specific warning it needs to be walked in complete silence? What about your responsibility as team captain to ensure the safety of your team members and not take any unnecessary risks?

 

 

I'm not sure about other people's feelings on these issues, but I don't personally think these dilemmas represent ethical consideration that is inappropriate for children to tackle.

 

Yes, they do make an attempt at a set of values to be thought about and exhibited, and to that extent they perhaps do comprise a 'values curriculum.' But given World Adventure Kids are up front about what they expect from their team members, I would hardly say they form any kind of 'hidden curriculum.'

 

And in any case, the 'values' stuff isn't the only criteria for challenges and choices. Most of the other pathways depend more on critical thinking skills, which is something I will blog about in the near future.

 

Then again, isn't a values curriculum yet another way to encourage and facilitate critical thinking?

 

 

Mmmmm...

 

 

;-D

 

 

 

Mantano Reader for Android: Great for reading World Adventure Kids!

 

 

 

When I designed and formatted World Adventure Kids, I saw it mainly as an e-reading text ideal for desktop computers, laptops, notebooks and tablet devices.

 

Trying it out on my Galaxy S smartphone confirmed my suspicion it wouldn't work that well on a mobile phone. The screen still feels too small for comfortable reading, and the Adobe Reader for Android (for some baffling reason) rendered out the interactive functions that make World Adventure Kids a fluid and pleasant touch/click experience.

 

As it turns out, it wasn't the smartphone (or its size) that was the problem; it was the e-reader app itself.

 

I uploaded a different e-reading app for Android by a company called Mantano (easy to find in the Android store connected to the phone) and I was blown away by what this reader did for an interactive text like World Adventure Kids. Not only could I now read and interact with the story on a smartphone, it was really clear and easy and... fun!

 

Mantano features excellent display properties (as well as customisation options for viewing the text) and I found WAK 2-1 beautifully clear and easy to read by turning the phone for 'landscape' mode. Scrolling down was easy, the interactive links to different 'next stages' in the story worked flawlessly on the touch screen, most illustrations fit perfectly on the landscape screen (and those that were more of the full-page format in size could easily be seen by simply turning for vertical portrait mode, before returning to landscape to continue reading text) and the colour and detail in the pics were wonderful!

 

There's also an excellent and beautifully simple bookmark function which allows you to save your current page, and unlike the crippled Adobe Reader app, Mantano automatically opens to your last viewed page if you happen to be returning to the text after a break of some sort.

 

But the Mantano Reader comes with a lot more than just a clear, clean and easy interface.

 

 

 

 

With a simple touch to the screen, the extra Mantano features pop up around your text. You get a convenient 'slider' to move back and forth across the entire book, navigation and display options, as well as really easy to use annotation and highlight functions.

 

One function I particularly enjoyed, however, was the TTS (Text to Speech) option, which when activated basically reads the text to you out loud. It does have that flat, somewhat expressionless monotone you expect from a computer-generated TTS function, but it was much better than I thought it would be and for the reader who enjoys the aural supplement I think it does a wonderful job.

 

Despite the fact that I actually wrote World Adventure Kids and must have read over the story a million times, viewing and reading it on my Galaxy S with the Mantano Reader app became almost an addictive experience! With a single thumb I was able to scroll through and navigate to next sections of the adventure, activating Text-to-Speech here and there to have my adventure story read out loud to me, and enjoying the full colour illustrations.

 

It felt much more like playing a game than reading a book...

 

I couldn't help envisaging kids in the car on a family trip, enjoying an interactive adventure on their parent's smartphone. A tablet device would probably make for an even more enjoyable reading experience, but knowing that WAK 2-1 really can work on a smarphone is music to my ears.

 

Just make sure you have a good e-Reader App, and Mantano Reader comes top of the list as far as I am concerned!

 

 

;-D

 

 

Open (Source) English <-> Time Flies

 

 

 

Here is the fifth installment in the Open (Source) English series of materials I've been presenting on this blog. Open Source (I also like to think of it at time as 'open sauce'!) is a very apt name for this sort of material, because you can adapt it at will for your own classroom use but it also works very much from the idea that we are opening the learners (and the learning space itself) as rich sources of potential communicative content and language.

 

Here's a quick look at the Time Flies edition, why it was made this way and how you might use it.

 

 

 

 

 

Here are those open source downloads:

 

Open English - Time Flies (PDF)

Open English - Time Flies (MS Word 2007)

Open English - Time Flies (Compatible)

 

 

Remember there is a variety of other Open Source English resources with accompanying video tutorials/ideas in the Open English section of the blog.

 

Whether or not time is on your side, hope this helps... :-)

 

 

- JR

 

 

 

Teaching Materials Design Masterclass 6: 1:3 design principle for flexible teaching methodology

 

 

 

 

Here is the sixth tutorial in the Teaching Materials Design Masterclass series, and here we look at how 1:3 design (see last week's tutorial for more information on that, or use the link above to access all the previous tutorials) creates a simple template for you to experiment with different sorts of teaching methodology and a variety of different practice or extension applications.

 

This tutorial isn't so much about technical aspects of building or designing something; it looks more at the interesting interface between your teaching methods and the materials used to express or facilitate those methods.

 

Next week's tutorial will introduce a new kind of background option, one that might be more appropriate for younger learners or just as an alternative way of presenting your material.

 

Hope you're enjoying and getting something out of the materials design series so far -- see you same time next week!

 

 

;-D

 

 

Mourning the missing makers

 

Image: Todd Lappin

 

 

 

Following my Halloween Materials Design Challenge in October, I have a small confession to make.

 

In addition to hopefully generating some nice materials with interesting variations on a central theme across the broader 'PLN', I was actually watching to see what would happen and whether it would confirm an impression that has been slowly building up for me over a matter of years.

 

The impression was basically confirmed, and that is: Across an extensive 'PLN' that features literally dozens and dozens of learning materials writers--and I'm referring here to the 'famous' ones, the ones many of you line up to see strut their stuff at conferences and the like--it's remarkable how very few of them appear to enjoy making and sharing stuff simply for the sake of it.

 

Okay, there was one enigmatic exception (in the case of Patrick Jackson -- who in all fairness has always been the sporting sort willing to get involved and do stuff), but generally speaking the silence when it came to acknowledged experts throwing in 10-20 minutes to generate some material was deafening.

 

Of course, the stuff that WAS generated, from at-the-chalkface teachers, was excellent. And that WAS the point.

 

And we could of course put this down to me not really having anywhere near as prominent a role or influence in certain materials design and ELT author circles as I might have erroneously and naively presumed (read here: they don't bother to read this blog!--and who could blame them?).

 

But before anyone dares mention the idea: don't for a second claim these folks are too busy. They're certainly no busier than your average language teacher, several of whom managed over a period of 4 weeks to throw something together and share it with the wider blogosphere.

 

And anyway, let's face it: for an expert writer who knows his/her stuff, it would have taken less than 15 minutes to make something.

 

Let's get away from the idea of the Halloween once-off, however... I look around at blogs and what happens on Facebook and Twitter, and you know what? Most of the so-called expert and famous ELT writers out there share very little of anything directly to do with their 'craft.'

 

I think it was Jeremy Harmer who recently wrote on his blog that some people just write (or create) because they have to. It's a burning in them that can't be held down or in. It rewards itself for the person who loves doing it. It must out. 

 

Based on the fact I see very few ELT authors writing, designing and sharing materials for the sheer enjoyment of it (as in, outside the bounds of commercial publications and author appearances), I'm beginning to wonder how many of them do in fact love what they do.

 

Is it a passion, or just a job?

 

And I'll confess that I don't really get it. Part of being a great materials writer is experimenting and connecting with the sorts of people who want to use new materials. Experimenting in an established publishing house can be rather like being in a lemming reserve and finding more creative ways to encourage the poor little blighters to run for the cliffs, so I've often wondered why I don't see the so-called experts doing more public and shared experimentation with materials writing and design.

 

If good materials writers genuinely love what they do and want to be better at it, why do they apparently do so little of it (outside the bounds of a protective but otherwise muffling contract where almost everything about the material is predetermined to start with)?

 

I'm known to have an opinion from time to time (!), but I've lit this potential fire and I might as well follow through with it: in this day and interconnected age of professional community, if you are presenting/announcing/claiming yourself to be a professional and passionate author of learning materials and you aren't regularly experimenting with your craft in a way that shares it and invites participation across the broader teaching/learning community, you are at serious risk of retarding both your development and relevance in an emerging brave new world of educational resources.

 

 

 

;-D

 

 

Getting Word Wise with World Adventure Kids

 

 

 

One of the most important parts of reading, from a skills and foundation point of view, is building vocabulary. This is particularly true for young readers engaging with texts in their second language, but is generally relevant to first language learners as well.

 

How robust the approach to building vocabulary is can depend on a variety of factors. Some readers can sort of 'absorb' new words just through the process of guessing from context and doing a wide range of extensive reading. Others can get by reasonably well enough by occasionally referring to a dictionary or asking an adult for explanation and elaboration when it seems called for. Some readers benefit from writing up word lists with basic definitions.

 

Working with learners of all ages in a context where English was a foreign language and a major priority of reading in English was to develop vocabulary, some years ago I developed a workbook approach to supplement reading texts called 'Word Hoard' (and later: 'Word Wise'). It worked so well that I thought it would be a good idea to apply it as an optional resource for the World Adventure Kids stories as well.

 

What follows is an overview of how to use the World Adventure Kids Word Wise resource (available as a free PDF download here) and what it covers and why. I've also included an introductory/instructional video specially made for the children-users themselves (though I'm sure teachers and parents could benefit from it as well!).

 

 

Basically, Word Wise WAK 2-1 is a 69-page workbook designed to be used in conjunction with the World Adventure Kids reading sets. It can be printed out and added to progressively as learners encounter and explore new words in the story texts. It caters to 8 'units' of 20 words each (hence 160 words altogether), but these numbers can be easily adjusted upwards or downwards based on reader and classroom preferences.

 

 

 

The first step involves the Master Wordlist at the start of the book. As learners read through and experience World Adventure Kids, the idea is that they look for words that feel new or that they would like to explore more. When a word has been chosen, it is entered first in the Master Wordlist at the front of the book (to create an initial reference point) -- the example used here is the word 'adventure'.

 

 

 

 

Each word is then placed into a special work grid, presented in the workbook as above, with three word grids per page and twenty per 'unit'.  This is where the word is going to be really worked with and explored in a much more robust fashion, and the video below explains and demonstrates how it all works (this was specifically made for young readers to understand the process, by the way!):

 

 

 

 

So, in essence, a word grid features the following exploration:

A. Listing the word

B. Translating it into a learner's first language (or writing a definition for it)

C. Writing the word out three times neatly

D. Identifying the word's part of speech

E. Finding words that represent related ideas (building 'convocation' and lexical sets)

F. Writing the word in context using the full example sentence initially encountered in the World Adventure Kids text

G. Writing the word in a new sentence of the learner's own creation, using it accurately in a new context and/or personalising its use

H. Drawing a sketch or diagram (or pasting on a picture) to help visually conceptualise the word

 

 

Having experimented with vocabulary development for children over many years, I've found this has been one of the most comprehensive when it comes to really exploring the notion and use of a word.

Note that the grid doesn't necessarily need to be filled out in that order, and I have in fact seen children complete the grid in all sorts of different sequences. Great! Let them find what works for them. I've also found that a basic dictionary, physical or online, is a great help for filling out some of these sections.

 

 

 

When a word grid has been completed (or completed to the best of the learner's ability), it can be checked by a parent or teacher (you'll probably find it easier to check several at a time) and have 'stars' allocated for each complete 'row' on the grid. There are six star rows in each grid, and many of them represent 'easy points' (for example, writing the word out, finding its part of speech, copying the sentence it comes from in the main text, etc.). This star point allocation is meant to be reasonably flexible; I have, for example, been willing to circle a complete star in cases where most of the row was successfully completed. 

 

 

The star points can be tallied on each page of the workbook (there is a space at the bottom of each page to do this) and then a points tally can be made for an entire 'unit' of 20 words. There are basically 120 star points per unit up for grabs, and I've divided them into grade rankings (not very scientific or statistical, mind; I've just found that this allocation tends to reward learners willing to put in the hard yards without slapping an unnecessarily shocking grade on those who aren't quite as dedicated!). 

 

There is also a chart at the end of the workbook that allows learners and teachers/parents to track how well they performed across all of the units.

 

 

 

 

The final part of a unit features an integration/use activity encouraging learners to write 'a report, article, short essay or story using at least 15 of the vocabulary items from the unit'. This is strictly optional of course, and one of the great things about this printable resource is that, if you feel this is going just that little bit too much overboard, you can always not include it!

 

The basic idea here is for the learners to do some extended writing of their own, using the words they've explored for a targeted writing purpose.

 

Here are just some of the ways this section could be used for readers of World Adventure Kids:

 

1. Write a quick report about what has happened in your adventure so far.

2. Write about some of the new things you've learned so far (World Adventure Kids is rich in subject-based learning, so this ought to be a relatively rich area to choose from).

3. Rewrite key parts of your adventure so far, using past tense (the adventure itself is written in the present tense, so this can be an interesting way to highlight differences between the two tenses).

4. Create a spin-off story (take one or more parts of the adventure and add new narrative to change or extend it in some way).

5. Rewrite the key points of the adventure so far from the perspective of one of the other characters (for example, pretend to be a different team member or even Golden Sky or a Jump Jet/Heliporter pilot observing the adventure from a distance).

6. Create a timeline or map with labels summarising the adventure so far (good for learners who aren't confident with extensive writing but may like more visual activities).

 

 

Generally speaking, I've found this section to be a great way to encourage reviewing and rethinking over what one has read so far, with the new vocabulary integrated into the process. There is a second listing in the summary at the back of the workbook which allows a score to be allocated for this writing section alongside the actual word building grid work.

 

 

 

So there is Word Wise for World Adventure Kids!

 

I've gone into quite a lot of detail here, which I hope hasn't been off-putting, but I would remind you that this sort of word work isn't a necessity when it comes to engaging with World Adventure Kids. For those who want to squeeze a bit more out of it, however, this can be a particularly rich resource.

 

Funnily enough, and despite the work involved, I've found that most children actually like the Word Wise approach and get into a nice rhythm with it. Many of them are very proud of the end result and get a real sense of having learned a lot of new things. And the pictures/conceptualisations... my goodness, kids are brilliant with that part and make us adults look very one dimensional indeed!

 

 

If you're interested in using the Word Wise approach in other sorts of language learning contexts, you might like to also check out my post here:

A Word Wise approach to vocabulary building and application

 

There is a more extensive instructional video there for teachers as well as adaptable open source versions of the Word Wise resource for you to download and use as you will.

 

 

 

;-D

 

 

 

Materials design & teaching methodology: Wrap your pumpkin's laughing gear around this!

 

 

 

Waaaay back on October 2nd, I launched a Halloween lesson materials design challenge here on the blog. I offered up some initial materials and sound files in open source format (for those who wanted a starting point) and challenged teachers to finish, adapt or replace it according to their preferences.

 

There are some excellent contributions there from teachers, and if you're looking for some great materials for Halloween I suggest you check them out in the comments thread for that post.

 

Just to follow up from that challenge, I did of course complete the templates myself and create a full Halloween lesson resource, and here are the open source files for it if you are interested in checking it out:

 

 

Halloween 1 worksheet JR (PDF Version with embedded sound files)

Halloween 1 worksheet JR (MS Word 2007 version)

Halloween 1 worksheet JR (Open/compatible version)

 

 

Note that the PDF version has the sound files embedded in the actual document; if you want to use the sound files for either the MS Word or open/compatible versions, they are available for download back on the original Halloween materials challenge post here.

 

 

Blog visitors may be satisfied with just that if they are simply looking for free, ready-to-use stuff to download and use for Halloween...

 

For those of you interested in the actual design process and the underlying teaching methodology principles, however, you're in for a bit of a treat (and tricks--hopefully of the more helpful sort!).

 

 

I'm bringing forward three of my teaching materials design video tutorials (I'm up to tutorial number 5 in the weekly release schedule here on the blog, but what you see below constitutes tutorials 9, 10 and 11 in the series) to show you not only how I made these Halloween materials, but why I've made them the way they are. So basically there is a blend of practical design techniques and teaching methodology principles.

 

 

Tutorial 9 (below) shows how I set up the basic template (using a design made earlier) and developed the first page of the handout, focussing on the Halloween notice and follow up prompts. The last third of the tutorial explains in detail why I've left so many gaps on the page...

 

 

 

Tutorial 10 demonstrates how I developed the second page of the handout, featuring a listening text to complement the Halloween invitation notice on the first page. Again, the design stuff is followed up with my teaching methodology rationale(s), for those who find such detail of interest...

 

 

 

Tutorial 11 is shorter and more targeted, demonstrating basically how I've managed to embed sound files into the PDF version of the Halloween materials using Adobe Acrobat. Having embedded sound files can be great when you want to send materials to students electronically and/or don't have an actual Internet connection working at the time of access.

 

 

 

 

There is more than an hour of materials design demonstrations and tips just on this individual post; and given that (apparently) blog readers aren't interested in anything that can't be absorbed in less than 3 minutes, I'm not sure how much of an audience it will have! If you do watch these tutorials and get something from them, then thank you and I hope they prove useful in improving your materials design skill set.

 

 

P.S. If you are/were wondering what the heck 'Wrap your pumpkin's laughing gear around this' implies... The pumpkin simply refers to the theme of Halloween, but the rest of the line comes from Australian 'ocker' slang meaning 'try (eating) this: it's good!'

('Laughing gear' = mouth)

('Wrap your laughing gear around ___' = try/eat ___)

 

 

 

;-D

 

 

 

Creating a collaborative classroom adventure

 

 

 

World Adventure Kids 2-1, like any reading text available out there, can be used in a variety of ways as part of a reading program. Aside from possibly the most obvious application (independent reading from individual children), I have been getting questions and suggestions from teachers of classes about how to best utilise WAK 2-1 for whole-class reading.

 

I am happy to say that the interactive, reader-directed format of World Adventure Kids actually makes it an excellent resource to use with a whole class for those contexts or situations whereby a teacher would like to apply it in a way that all the learners progress through it at the same pace. In fact, the role of decision making in the progress of the overall narrative really enhances opportunities for classroom discussion and debate (more so even than with a standard linear narrative).

 

 

To use WAK 2-1 with a whole class of learners aged 8-11, I would be inclined to apply it in the following way:

 

- Print out one copy of the whole book.

- Beginning at the start, take in one section of the story at a time, photocopying just that particular section so that each student in the class has a copy.

- Have the students read the section silently on their own (or out loud in turns if that is your context's preferred approach to 'reading').

- Elicit summaries of the section and explore key or difficult vocabulary as a class.

- (Optional:) Further explore any of the cross-curricular elements in more detail (for example, photosynthesis, an historical note, the effects of poisonous venom, etc.)

- If the section ends in a range of decision options, invite individual students to make suggestions and explain why they have chosen that option (alternatively: get the students into pairs or small groups and have them debate the choice together and then report back to the whole class). Then have the class debate and vote for the pathway the story will take next.

- If the section ends with a single link to the next part of the story, invite students to make predictions about what comes next and why, or to summarize their feelings about the narrative up to this point.

- (Optional:) Have students add an entry to an ongoing 'adventure journal' summarising what happened in that part of the adventure, how they feel about it and the decisions made as a group, and what they think might happen next.

- Based on the voted on decision or single pathway link, the teacher knows which adventure entry number to prepare and photocopy for the students for the next class. In this way, students add to their adventure narrative from one class to the next, perhaps filing the text (in order) in a folder of some sort.

 

 

 

 

Teachers may also be able to apply the same sort of process with digital versions of the material, by editing the main download and breaking it into discrete sections (the open source format in PDF facilitates this) which are mailed to or downloaded for students one bit at a time. The actual reading could even take place outside the classroom at home, with the checking, discussion and decision making happening in class before the teacher mails out the next part of the adventure.

 

Admittedly, an approach like this one really slows down the overall speed of the adventure experience, but it certainly does facilitate a lot more discussion, collaboration and analysis at each step along the way. It could also lend itself well to a syllabus whereby WAK 2-1 follows up other classroom learning in the first part of the lesson (or earlier part of the week), with 'adventure reading' being the reward at the end of the class or end of the week!

 

 

So, would World Adventure Kids 2-1 lend itself well to a whole-class approach to reading?

 

I certainly believe so!

 

 

And... another thing you might like to consider is the potential for you to create an ongoing reader-directed adventure for your students using the same basic principles. And from there, adventures written and shared by the students themselves! For some useful guidelines and even software applications on this front (as well as numerous other existing story resources), I encourage you to check out Larry Ferlazzo's outstanding The Best Places to Read & Write "Choose Your Own Adventure" Stories.

 

 

;-D

 

                                    

Open (Source) English <-> On the Money

 

 

 

Well, hope this is reasonably on the money for someone out there looking for some fresh new 'open' ideas and materials!

 

Here are some of my ideas and suggestions on how you might use this resource:

 

 

 

 

And here are those open source downloads for those who want them!

 

Open English - On the Money (PDF)

Open English - On the Money (MS Word 2007)

Open English - On the Money (Compatible)

 

 

Remember there is a variety of other Open Source English resources with accompanying video tutorials/ideas in the Open English section of the blog.

 

Hope you feel a little richer...

 

 

- JR

 

 

 

Teaching Materials Design Masterclass 5: The Cappuccino Chat (1:3 design with dialogue content)

 

 

 

If you've been following the materials design masterclass videos patiently and learning new things, then I thank you and congratulate you... and now you've got a little reward: a tutorial that works with actual learning content!

 

See full size version of The Cappuccino Chat lesson material

 

Tutorial 5 here follows on from all the skills built up over tutorials 1-4 and shows you how to plan some content oriented around a short dialogue ('The Cappuccino Chat') and apply it in a professional format using the '1:3 design principle.'

 

 

 

 

 

Tutorial 6 will be along soon enough, but for now remember that all of these tutorials are available over in the English Raven Materials Design section of my main site for your viewing pleasure/torture.

 

 

;-D

 

 

You've read the blurbs, but consider letting your kids start with the trailer!

 

 

 

 

 

Given that World Adventure Kids 2-1 is so rich in illustrations (one of a few reasons I am unlikely to ever make any profit from it--not for a very long time, anyway!), I thought I'd have some fun and make a bit of a movie trailer for it.

 

It turned out pretty well, considering my amateurish skills in this area...

 

But this also got me to thinking... In this day and age, I think children's books could really benefit from this sort of initial marketing. It's also a fantastic pre-reading resource that can help the children get an overview and start to make some predictions about what they are going to experience in text.

 

I did my best not to give too many plot secrets away, but I wonder how children will react to this. Only one way to find out!

 

 

;-D

 

 

Let 'em READ, dammit!

 

 

 

I thought this might be worth getting out of the way from the outset... World Adventure Kids is NOT a coursebook.

 

I state this only as an interesting reaction to some feedback from a very respected friend (and abundantly able ELT writer) who took a look over the new version of World Adventure Kids for me yesterday. He expressed some mild surprise that the release seemed to have shed all of its supplementary comprehension and language building elements.

 

He was referring to one of the very first drafts of WAK which I showed to him more than two years ago. That draft featured a page of vocabulary building and comprehension/grammar questions for every page of reading text. It was, essentially, something along the lines of a reading-coursebook; and I was doing it that way because the major ELT publishers I was approaching with the idea at the time had made it abundantly clear that that was what they were hoping for: something that could be marketed and applied as a coursebook.

 

This IS rather interesting to me, because as soon as I stopped trying to please major publishers and looking for something that could sell in the squillions, a good hard look at the original notion and feel of 'adventure reading' reminded me that exercises and language tasks were the last things I really wanted jammed into World Adventure Kids narratives. 

 

Admittedly, I am finishing up post-reading comprehension quizzes for each of the two adventures, mainly emphasizing the content/subject elements like science, geography and history. I also have language-oriented quizzes in the pipeline. The key difference, however, is that I want them to be optional extras to the main stories, and if they are to be applied I would encourage that they happen after a full uninterrupted reading of the texts. This to me is more of a revisiting and reviewing process; I don't want that stuff to be compulsory and I certainly don't want it jammed alongside the main story content.

 

Personally, I want the adventures and stories in World Adventure Kids to be experienced and enjoyed basically as they are: straight up stories. Sure, learners might like to use a dictionary to look up the meanings associated with new words or turns of phrase (and/or invite teachers and peers to help them in this process), but this should be about helping them to continue reading (not stopping and in many ways 'leaving' the story to do other stuff).

 

The best follow up to the stories would be discussion and small or large scale project work, further exploring a theme or task based on what they read about across entire (short) stories.

 

I'm not going to be so arrogant as to tell you how to use any resource in sort of black and white terms. However, I would reiterate that WAK is about stories, and I hope you find the best way to help learners experience them as stories.

 

That could well mean (gasp!) letting them engage with it on their own and on their own terms, helping or assisting them if and when they ask you to.

 

Really, when was the last time you just let your learners READ... without reading it out loud, without dissecting and analysing all the language the moment it pops up on the page?

 

Sure, go ahead and do content/comprehension/language work later through a second or review reading stage, but first (and this is just my personal take and preference):

 

Let 'em just READ, dammit! 

 

 

 

:-D

 

 

World Adventure Kids: They're here!

 

 

 

It's taken a while, but very pleased to announce that World Adventure Kids has finally arrived and is now available through my site.

 

Initial feedback has been very positive, including this from my 10-year-old niece:

 

Hey Uncle Jase,

One word: AMAZING! I can't wait to do the worksheets when Mum gets some more paper!

 

Given that this young lady is a pretty 'discerning' reader for her age and is never backwards in coming forwards to tell you what she's really thinking, hopefully I can interpret her analysis as being reasonably free of bias!

 

Here's a quick intro to the new book:

 

 

 

 

 

You can find out more about this 'adventure reading' approach and how to get your hands on it over on the main English Raven site here.

 

And... given there are several layers to the approach and design, I hope you won't mind me blogging from time to time about some of the things I'm trying to achieve via 'adventure reading'.

 

Oh, and thank you so much for all the very heartening well wishes and encouragement I've had today via Facebook. It took three years to build this boat, so it's wonderful to finally have it in the water... 

 

 

;-D

 

 

Open (Source) English <-> Turn Right

 

 

 

 

It's Thursday, which on the English Raven blog means Open (Source) English time... This is the third set of materials, and hopefully the video below explains all you need to know about it:

 

 

 

 

 

Downloads, anybody?

Open English: Turn Right (PDF)

Open English: Turn Right (MS Word 2007)

Open English: Turn Right (Compatible)

 

 

If you like this at all, remember there are other resources similar to this in the Open English section of the blog.

 

Happy driving!

 

 

- Mr. Raven

 

                                    

Teaching Materials Design Masterclass 4: The 1:3 design principle (content/input + 3 applications)

 

 

 

 

The teaching materials design masterclass continues here on English Raven!

 

Tutorial 4 (here) looks at one of my basic design principles for teaching materials: the 1:3 design principle. In essence, that means (1) major space for content/input and the rest of the space divided into (3) sections each with a different learning application or extension.

 

In addition to demonstrating and explaining the 1:3 principle, this tutorial includes a quick application and review of the skills showcased in tutorials 1-3. Remember you can head over to the materials design section of English Raven if you want to watch any of the previous or future tutorials.

 

Next week: Tutorial 5 continues the concept of the 1:3 design principle, but showcases how to start producing actual content and how it can slot into the 1:3 design (and why...). Watch what is possible with a simple conversation oriented around ordering a cappuccino...!

 

 

;-D

 

 

 

Open (Source) English <-> Take a Seat

 

 

 

Time now for the second addition to the Open (Source) English collection and apologies in advance if it does come across as being somewhat clinical...

 

Here's the Raven take on what this material could be about and how you might use it in a classroom:

 

 

 

 

 

And here are the downloads:

 

Open English: Take a Seat (PDF)

Open English: Take a Seat (MS Word 2007)

Open English: Take a Seat (Compatible)

 

 

Be sure to let me know how the materials work (or don't work!) for you and your learners, remembering of course that it is up to you (and them) to make them work...

 

This, previous and all future Open English materials can be found in the Open English section/category of the blog. Be sure to share!

 

 

- Raven Out

 

                            

Teaching Materials Design Masterclass 3: Pretty as a button (making activity sequence markers)

 

 

 

 

It's Wednesday, and that means teaching materials design tutorial here on English Raven... Here is the third lesson in my series, showcasing how you can make those pretty buttons ('activity sequence markers' -- think A, B, C, or 1, 2, 3, etc.) for the different parts of your material. 

 

Tutorial 4 will appear this time next week, and it looks at my basic '1:3 design' principle (basically, the idea of (1) content/input plus (3) applications or extensions of that content/input).

 

Remember that all of the tutorials are available over on the English Raven site in the special materials design/development section, so if you want to see previous or upcoming tutorials that's the place to head!

 

 

;-D

 

 

Do multiple choice questions epitomise the industrialisation of education?

 

Image: COCOEN

 

 

There is, of course, a solid rationale behind using multiple choice questions in educational materials designed to 'measure' what students 'know'. Actually, the description that accompanies the image above on Flickr is a reasonably good summary of some of the most important issues multiple choice questions address.

 

Over many years in education as a teacher and materials writer, I've used more than my fair share of multiple choice questions. It's what many teachers expect. My Boost! series has thousands of them (especially in the reading and grammar strands). I have folders with hundreds of tests I've designed for schools over the years, and multiple choice is a mainstay of the overall approach in many of them. An online reading program I acted as consultant to specifically asked me to format comprehension questions predominantly in mutliple choice format. The relationship with that company petered out when I refused to make the so-called writing section of their program all pre-set and multiple choice...

 

However, looking over some recent projects I've been involved in, I am seeing a huge demise in multiple choice questions. My online Trade-Lit program uses them very sparingly indeed, and mostly as a way to mix up the task work a little. I've been working on an online reading program for the English Raven site, and looking over the initial design I realised there are almost no multiple choice applications at all.

 

I've come to the realisation that they are just a very second rate means of facilitating and checking comprehension and critical thinking, no matter how scientifically you look at and apply them. They can never compare to short answer and open-ended questions, and reliance on them seriously blinds a teacher to what is really going on in students' heads and how to best address their cognitive and learning needs.

 

Admittedly, there is an exception to this rule: when students create their own multiple choice questions in response to a task or text. This can be a wonderful way for them to really think their way through content, analyse it and learn at a deeper level. But clearly this is a very different application we are talking about.

 

I also don't entirely subscribe to the view that pre-provided multiple choice questions save time for teachers. Sure, it can be much quicker to mark a test or task using multiple choice. But is that our job? Just marking tests? Allocating scores? I'm under the impression (and feel free to correct me if you disagree) that our job is to educate and really get to know what our students need in the way of strategies and tasks. Multiple choice is a dangerously enticing shortcut across a corner of a forest for a park ranger whose job it (technically) is to know the overall forest rather more comprehensively.

 

And anyway, these days I find myself reading and marking those short answer and open-ended questions at a speed not all that much slower than the time needed to sort through multiple choice answers. The difference is that the former inform me a lot more and in the longer run I think this enhances my understanding of learners and my ability to help them progress. Compared to the multiple choice application, overall I think this is saving me time.

 

Those arguments of mine all might sound fine, but we all know multiple choice will remain with us. The reason for that is very simple. Multiple choice removes the time required for analysis and thinking. It speeds things up and makes it all more convenient. Time is money. Multiple choice saves time and therefore ensures certain stakeholders make more money.

 

Personally, I believe multiple choice questions epitomise the extent to which education has become industrialised in the pursuit of monetary profit. I also believe the extent to which teachers become addicted to it embodies--to some extent--how much we are losing out as well-rounded, receptive and generally aware educators.

 

Avoiding the multiple choice temptation for Trade-Lit is fine, because it is a small program made for a small group of teachers. However, I feel a little grim when I contemplate the English Raven online reading program prospect. Just what percentage of schools and teachers am I potentially missing out on by refusing to use multiple choice and auto-correct options (that is, by making a program that requires teachers to actually check and think about the students' responses)? Such a program still represents the opportunity for profit, in my opinion. Profit more of the learning and not monetary kind, perhaps. But still: mouths need to be fed (and not just in my kitchen) and it can be a hard ask to stick to your principles.

 

 

So what's your take on the multiple choice questions issue?

 

 

;-D

 

 

 

Open (Source) English <-> Picket Fence

 

 
 

 

Here is the first of the Raven Open (Source) English materials... and below you can get a bit of an introduction to the idea as well as some suggestions on ways to use it.

 

 

 

 

Here are the free downloads for this material:

Open English: Picket Fence (PDF)

Open English: Picket Fence (MS Word 2007)

Open English: Picket Fence (Compatible)

 

 

Remember that it's all open source material ('share alike'), though if you do change and/or add stuff, I'd love to hear from you and learn from what you did.

 

 

Enjoy your open sauce (more on the way next Thursday...)!

 

 

- Mr. Raven

 

 

 

Teaching Materials Design Masterclass 2: Making a practical background

 

 

 

 

Here is the second installment of the English Raven Teaching Materials Design Masterclass (if you can forgive the pomposity...), continuing on from the first tutorial about designing basic headers and footers.

 

This tutorial shows what can be done for basic backgrounds with a little playing around, remembering of course that an unadorned white background is perfectly okay for most materials! However, the point here is to show you how some things can be done, which in turn will prove useful for later tutorials more to do with your content layout (for example, my '1:3 design' principle).

 

The next tutorial demonstrates how to make those neat little 'activity sequence markers' (or 'buttons') you can see in professional materials... so drop by same time next week to see that, or if you're too thirsty to wait, pop over to the materials design section of English Raven and see it now (tutorials 1 through 12 are all available there at the time of writing this post).

 

 

;-D