There are two types of classrooms; the one that I came across as a student and the one that we are all trying to create with our students nowadays. The first classroom was a big classroom with desks in a row and with a chalkboard. There was a noticeboard but most of my teachers used it in order to announce tests, grades and things like that. No posters...
What is it about labeling something, or someone that makes it less than it can be? We all know that words have power, and we have caught ourselves, at least once, believing something to be true, and then finding ourselves in a situation where we are actually making it happen. So how are we to interpret Kierkegaard’s observation? Let us use supplementary...
It’s that time of year again, when teachers meet new students, students meet new teachers and students meet new students. In this article, I wish to focus on the very beginning of this new beginning: the first lesson. It plays such a significant role in helping build the foundation upon which a course’s success depends that its make-up is deserving of...
With crowns I will welcome my students in September! I will explain to them that ''every cloud has a silver lining'' and now it's time we all adjusted to the new norm. Wearing our crowns, doing activities, and having an age-appropriate open talk with them, I will try to elicit how important it is to put the era of change and uncertainty behind us. At the...
An inescapable, inasmuch as an eye-opening part of teaching and learning is error-making. Understanding errors upgrades teaching, timely input and appropriate redress. Errors occur, signifying on appropriacy of selected methods and teaching practice, sometimes even on the effectiveness of the preferred educative materials input, implemented approach...
When we look at all the assumptions that have been overturned in education because of the pandemic and all the needs that have only grown during this time, what becomes clear is that the frameworks that previously worked for education are no longer guaranteed to function. Something new is needed, and flipped learning may be exactly the right model for...
Video games are increasingly starting to become more and more accepted, beyond their entertaining features. They are now used as an art form and as a medium to teach, to influence, or to inform. Video games have also given rise to e-sports, which have become an increasingly popular and lucrative form of sport and entertainment.
In recent years, many...
Teaching is more than teaching kids how to read and write; It is about reaching clear to the heart of another human being and using everything you’ve got to make a difference. It’s calming kids when they’ve had a rough recess, celebrating when they lose their first tooth, absorbing their struggles and their traumas, channeling their joy, and investing the...
Auto spelling correction is so convenient nowadays when we type on our PCs or iPhone or all the other electronic devices at our fingertips. Does this mean that we have to give up on the skill of correct spelling? Indeed some wonder why one should bother. I certainly think there are very clear reasons why we should persevere in...
“The past is always tense, the future perfect.” ― Zadie Smith
It’s parents’ favorite worry. It’s a hot discussion topic at children’s parties. It takes pages and pages in coursebooks. It’s the number one assessment focus of EFL classrooms. It’s teachers’ nightmare or glory. It causes heated debates on social media, among teachers: Grammar. Or...
