According to Helen Bell, poetry is not always given the prominence it deserves in English lessons. In fact, she argues, thinking about poetry provides significant learning opportunities for students of all ages. Here are her “top five” skills that poetry can develop.
Children and students retain more information, and also gain greater understanding, when they hear someone read to them, argues Stephen Murgatroyd, Head of Libraries at Bangkok Patana School.
Proofreading is generally considered the last part of the editing process during which students check for errors in grammar, punctuation and spelling. Chris Jay believes it can be so much more.
International schools in China, especially Preschools or Kindergartens, have, over the past couple of years, began to rethink their approach to delivering their curriculum. Stephen Walshe emphasises the importance of a school structure in which school leaders and teachers are visible models of cross-cultural understanding, cooperation and communication.
Language curricula in international education place increasing significance on student ability to produce and analyse a range of text types. The Language Acquisition and Language B Courses of the International Baccalaureate Middle Years and Diploma Programmes are good examples of this trend. Chris Jay reports how the “Field-Tenor-Mode” anayltical approach can build understanding of English texts.
EAL students need to concentrate extra hard in class to understand what is going on in school. During the vacations, they have less guidance. Anita Bamberger has some ideas to make holiday homework fun and rewarding.
Kate Shepherd reviews three novels with stories that will engage and challenge young adults. The Family with Two Front Doors is based on the author’s real family while The Big Bazoohley is written in the zany style reminiscent of Roald Dahl. Words in Deep Blue is centred around a bookshop where we are drawn into the lives of the two main characters.
Kate Shepherd reviews three new novels – one for lower primary, one for middle school and one for secondary.
Frank Thompson, who teaches ESL at a busy language centre in Thailand has found one (free) online resource particularly effective for generating engagement in learning. Here’s what he has to say about kahoot!
According to Leah Davies, good communication depends as much as on actively receiving messages (listening; reading) as on giving messages (talking; writing). Good teachers and schools get both parts of the formula right – and work hard to keep improving.