Asynchronous learning platforms have given teachers the opportunity to upload and exploit a great deal of interactive tasks they have either created themselves or found on the internet. Greek public school teachers have been encouraged to use either E-class or E-me, in order to provide asynchronous education to their learners. Although all of us, ESL teachers, upload a number of tasks almost on a daily basis for all of the learners of one or even two schools, we actually fail to have easy access to significant statistics of each task, such as how many learners have seen it and who has actually completed it – especially in E-class.
Although there is a variety of web tools at our disposal, only few of them can actually help to this end in their free of charge versions. We have the opportunity to create quizzes and online horse-riding games, memory cards and hangman tasks, crossword puzzles and wheels of fortune, but how do we know how many and which learners have actually dealt with anything we have uploaded in E-class? The two web tools I have been using because they are free, allow me to check homework providing instant feedback and are highly appealing to my learners for their ease to use and variety of activities are LiveWorksheets and LearningApps. If you are looking for fun ways to integrate and check spelling and vocabulary development in asynchronous learning, these are the tools that you will probably select once you familiarize yourselves with them!
Liveworksheets is an exquisite web tool that allows us to transform any pdf file into an interactive worksheet. Once we upload the pdf file, there are very short and clear instructions on how to create a number of activities here and all we have to do is share the link with our learners. If you use E-class, like me, you can upload the links there, give clear instructions to your learners on what to do after they click on “Finish” and receive the corrected version of their worksheet in your app inbox. What is more, your learners get the graded version of their work as soon as they send it to you, so you do not need extra time for feedback, unless you feel you need to further guide your learner!
Although LearningApps is the second tool I am going to present, it comes first in my heart and preference, as it is very easy to use and it can be embedded in eclass in a way that allows us to check our learners’ progress within the eclass, without switching platforms! I am very grateful to the colleagues I met in B2 level ICT training in spring 2020, as they shared with us their justifiable enthusiasm for the potentials of this tool, and Ms. Despoina Mavrovounioti, Education Coordinator for English Language Teachers in Sterea Ellada, for giving me the opportunity to present how I have been using it to my colleagues in December 2020.
The actual presentation of this day can also be accessed here, but there is also a video I have recently made to help anyone interested in embedding LearningApps activities in eclass in a way that allows us to check our learners’ participation! The video is in Greek and it includes step-by-step instructions. Should you need further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me for more details!
Here is a small sample of activities that I have created in either LiveWorksheets or LearningApps and embedded in eclass for spelling and vocabulary development:
EfxeiNewsPoli, Issue 1, Primary School of Efxeinoupoli, Greece
“We’ve got news for you” is the title of the eTwinning project we are involved in this year with the 4th, 5th and 6th learners of the Primary School of Efxeinoupoli, Greece. This project aspires to involve many European learners in the exchange of English school newspapers and the creation of a common newspaper as the end-product of this creative collaboration! Participant learners are invited to write and read English with a real-life purpose and they also have the opportunity to interact via Twinspace, improving thus their communication and ICT along with their writing and reading skills! Practising skills simulates real-life communication in a fun-filled project that helps everyone realize the emergence of English as an international language and expand their horizons. Learners also have the opportunity to feel like citizens of the world, members of a vast community, outside the barriers of their local surroundings. Using English as the vehicle, this project has been designed to provide useful insight on their peers’ daily routine, interests, customs and mentality, allowing everyone thus to become more tolerant with diversity.
The first issue of our newspaper has been completed and posted on the school blog and we are currently in the process of completing the second issue! For each issue we have tried to exploit the written assignments suggested by our coursebooks, in an attempt to make writing more meaningful and address our readers with topics of their interest. Greek learners have submitted their articles asynchronously, via eclass, and the teacher has corrected and edited the issue. Here is our first issue:
Learners participating in this project have done an exceptional job in their first issues and Greek learners are very excited to be involved in this exchange! Please, take some time to read their articles and feel free to share them with your learners! Here are their impressive issues in random order:
Our second issues are on the way and they’re full of surprises! If you liked our first attempt, do not miss the following post with the upcoming European English school newspapers!
Here we are again, dear colleagues, in front of our computer screens for hours, trying to do our best to cope with technology issues, as well as provide the optimum learning benefits in 30-minute synchronous online sessions with our learners. Although most of us have been through the same procedure last spring and are familiar with a variety of webtools and lots of theories regarding distance teaching and learning, most of us seem to feel drained after having racked our brains on how to be creative, present engaging tasks and accomplish our teaching goals in different classes for 15-24 sessions per week.
Networking with colleagues that experience the same situation has been uplifting and encouraging last spring and it proves to be valuable this time, too! Thanks to some online groups, sharing work and experiences has been led to levels that have been unfamiliar to our department – or at least how I experienced it back then! Being a warm supporter of sharing, here is part of a teaching scenario for the 1st and/or 2nd graders that has been applied and supported with positive feedback from learners, parents and myself who actually enjoyed it very much!
Subject:
English as a Second Language with a cross-curricular approach by means of ICT.
Connection with the curriculum:
Topic C4/C5 for the 1st grade / Topic B1 for the 2nd grade
Teaching context:
This scenario has been designed for synchronous online teaching to a class of 24 learners (1st grade) and a class of 24 learners (2nd grade) who are 6-7 years old and attend a rural Greek Primary School that has been shut down due to COVID-19 restrictions. Most of the learners are of Greek origin, come from mixed socio-economic backgrounds and there are no learners with diagnosed learning difficulties. None of the learners has any previous experience with online learning and parents have been advised to assist.
30 minutes of online learning and extra practice through asynchronous learning via e-class.
Transition:
This part of a teaching scenario has been designed for synchronous online learning by means of the webex platform. The particular learners have been taught in class the words “mummy” and “daddy” during the previous lesson and the activities of this part of the scenario have been designed for their first online session. All learners have no previous experience with webex online meetings; however, they have had sessions with their teacher the previous day. All learners have signed in the e-class of the Panhellenic School Network and have been using it since the beginning of the school year. They are not familiar with the web tools employed for this scenario (Thinglink, LearningApps, Video.link), but they are going to be guided into learning how to use them. Learners are supposed to own the necessary technological equipment for the session (internet connection, device, camera, microphone, speakers) and are invited to work as a group in order to complete the tasks.
To answer simple questions in the foreign language (or more complex questions in Greek) concerning the content of a short speech, such as e.g. questions and answers (“Who’s this?” “Mummy”, etc.). (A1/22)
To be able to understand very basic and standard expressions used in everyday interpersonal communication (eg greetings, such as “Hello, mummy!”, etc.). (A1/23)
To be able to understand specific information (personal data of the speaker or information related to their immediate family environment), formulated with simple vocabulary and standard sentence structures. (A1/24)
Speaking skills:
To be able to follow written or oral instructions in Greek to answer simple questions in the foreign language using standard expressions and simple vocabulary. (A1/39)
B) Regarding the use of technology
To develop information and digital literacy through the process of locating, analyzing and, finally, utilizing information found in digital environments.
To become familiar with the use of modules within the Electronic Classroom (e-class).
To become familiar with new digital environments.
To develop a responsible digital behavior through online collaboration with their peers (waiting for their turn, turning on and off their microphone when necessary, etc.).
C) Regarding the learning process and knowledge about the world
To achieve linguistic literacy while receiving and producing in the target language.
To develop visual literacy through digital visual stimuli.
To encourage digital literacy through the navigation in the modules of the Electronic Classroom (e-class) and further familiarization with the use of particular web tools.
Detailed description:
1st activity: Introduction to the topic
Type of activity: Listening comprehension, speaking by means of singing and moving
Duration: 5’
Classroom organization: Working online as a group through webex platform.
Teachers’ role: Supportive, encouraging and coordinating.
Learners’ role (according to the Four Resources Model that was originally developed in 1990 by Peter Freebody and Allan Luke): The learner is invited to work as a text decoder, deciphering the code in written and visual stimuli, and as a text participant, in the sense that s/he attempts to comprehend the input and relate it to his/her previous knowledge.
Teacher’s actions: The teacher welcomes the learners to the new digital environment and introduces a picture in Thinglink, saying that it is going to help them revise what they had done during the previous lesson. The teacher clicks on the first red button at the bottom and starts with a video, in an attempt to link what has been taught with everything that is going to be introduced throughout the session. The learners watch part of a video with the heroes of Disney that refers to “mummy” and “daddy”. Learners are encouraged to sing along and move their hands and body in the way that has been introduced in class (they dance, wave hello at “hello” and shape a heart with their fingers at “I love you”).
Learners’ actions: Learners are welcomed in the new digital environment, watch the video, revise the words “Mummy”, “Daddy”, “I love you” and sing along, while moving their hands and body to the rhythm.
Digital educational content, web tools, resources:
Classroom organization: Working online as a group through webex platform.
Teachers’ role: Supportive, encouraging and coordinating.
Learners’ role (according to the Four Resources Model that was originally developed in 1990 by Peter Freebody and Allan Luke): The learner is invited to work as a text decoder, deciphering the code in audio and visual stimuli, and as a text participant, in the sense that s/he attempts to comprehend the input and relate it to his/her previous knowledge.
Teacher’s actions: The teacher introduces the main picture of Thinglink and explains the use of the plus buttons (they have to click on the plus buttons and listen to how we say in English the members of the family). The teacher clicks on the plus buttons and encourages learners to listen and repeat.
Learners’ actions: Learners watch the picture and understand the content. They are introduced to a new web tool and they try to comprehend how it works. In the meantime, they listen and repeat, developing thus their vocabulary.
Digital educational content, web tools, resources:
Type of activity: Listening and choosing the correct word
Duration: 6’
Classroom organization: Working online as a group through webex platform.
Teachers’ role: Supportive, encouraging and coordinating.
Learners’ role (according to the Four Resources Model that was originally developed in 1990 by Peter Freebody and Allan Luke): The learner is invited to work as a text decoder, deciphering the code in audio and visual stimuli, as a text participant, in the sense that s/he attempts to comprehend the input and relate it to his/her previous knowledge and as a text user, as s/he uses it to complete the task.
Teacher’s actions: The teacher introduces the main picture of Thinglink again and explains the use of the red buttons at the bottom. Clicking on the second button, the teacher explains that, in order to complete the activity, learners have to listen to the words and choose the correct one for each pin on the family members’ faces. Learners are informed that they are going to do the task in turns and are encouraged to repeat the words as they listen.
Learners’ actions: Learners watch the picture with the pins and understand the procedure and target of the activity. They are introduced to a new web tool and they try to understand how it works. In the meantime, they listen and repeat, developing thus their vocabulary.
Digital educational content, web tools, resources:
Type of activity: Matching the sound with the correct picture
Duration: 6’
Classroom organization: Working online as a group through webex platform.
Teachers’ role: Supportive, encouraging and coordinating.
Learners’ role (according to the Four Resources Model that was originally developed in 1990 by Peter Freebody and Allan Luke): The learner is invited to work as a text decoder, deciphering the code in audio and visual stimuli, as a text participant, in the sense that s/he attempts to comprehend the input and relate it to his/her previous knowledge and as a text user, as s/he uses it to complete the task.
Teacher’s actions: The teacher introduces the main picture of Thinglink again and explains the use of the red buttons at the bottom. Clicking on the third button, the teacher explains that, in order to complete the activity, learners have to match the sounds with the correct picture (memory card game). Learners are informed that they are going to do the task in turns and are encouraged to repeat the words as they listen. The teacher uses the annotation in order to number the cards and make it easier for the learners to choose a card (numbers can be introduced in English).
Learners’ actions: Learners watch the game with the memory cards and comprehend the procedure and the aim of the activity. They are introduced to a new web tool and they try to understand how it works. In the meantime, they have fun while trying to remember the images, the sounds and while listening and repeating, developing thus their vocabulary.
Digital educational content, web tools, resources:
Classroom organization: Working online as a group through webex platform.
Teachers’ role: Supportive, encouraging and coordinating.
Learners’ role (according to the Four Resources Model that was originally developed in 1990 by Peter Freebody and Allan Luke): The learner is invited to work as a text decoder, deciphering the code in audio and visual stimuli, as a text participant, in the sense that s/he attempts to comprehend the input and relate it to his/her previous knowledge and as a text user, as s/he uses it to complete the task.
Teacher’s actions: The teacher introduces the main picture of Thinglink again and reminds the use of the red buttons at the bottom. Clicking on the fourth button, the teacher explains that it is time to sing and dance. The teacher introduces the shark family and the movements they do with their mouth. Learners are invited to watch the video, sing and imitate the movements. The teacher plays the video at least twice and reminds the learners that everything they have worked with will be uploaded to their e-class for further practice.
Learners’ actions: Learners learn about the shark family and rehearse the movements sharks do with their mouth. They eventually watch the video, sing and imitate the movements presented. Throughout this activity they have fun while trying to remember the sounds and moving their hands and body.
Digital educational content, web tools, resources:
Normally, scenarios are described in a way that presents all anticipated outcomes of each activity and the presentation of the activities is followed by the evaluation of the scenario and its impact. However, at this point, I wouldn’t like to tire you with the norm and would prefer to share with you my thoughts and feelings, as a teacher!
Prior to evaluating my role throughout the activities, I wish I could share with you the enthusiasm of everyone involved throughout the lesson, the level of participation and the excitement, especially with the song that was presented in the end! We had our lesson on Friday (16:50-17:20) with A class and we actually said our goodbyes and wishes for the weekend at 17:35, as we played the song again and again! As for me, the teacher, all I had to do during the session was to sound encouraging, pay attention to the way I deliver instructions and make sure that microphones were on and off at the right times! It was a lesson I tried with both A and B classes and enjoyed very much and receiving emails and messages through social media from content and satisfied parents was the unexpected feedback that literally made my day!
We, teachers, spend a lot of time designing, creating and delivering in front of a computer screen these days and having a great session with our learners makes it all so worth it! Sharing this part of my teaching scenario with you, I want to contribute to this energetic community of admirable colleagues out there that burn the midnight oil with me these days and express my gratitude for all the support I get from groups of people that share the same experiences with me! I hope this teaching suggestion will be as useful as your contributions and sharing have been to me! Keep it up, dear colleagues and friends, and remember that teaching is our superpower and sharing is our secret weapon!
Physical distancing and long distance teaching have brought forward the best of Greek teachers who seem to have become Web Tool experts in just a few days and struggle to do their best for their learners! In an attempt to create presentable, interactive, educational and entertaining Easter collections for all my classes this year, Thinglink was the web tool that came first to my mind, as it gives teachers the opportunity to integrate links of useful videos and tasks, as well as interactive activities they have probably created themselves using other Web Tools (like LearningApps in my case)! In this post you will find all my Easter Fun collections in one place and you are free to use them in you feel that they meet your learners’ needs!
This school year 6th graders at the Primary School of Efxeinoupoli have been working on an eTwinning project that focuses on sharing their national and local superstitions with their European peers and learning all about theirs. The teachers involved in this project have the opportunity to raise their learners’ awareness of their own and others’ customs and traditions by means of superstitions, to develop their global understanding as citizens of the world, to help them realize the emergence of English as an international language, and to assist them to learn how to work cooperatively while improving their ICT skills. The secondary objectives of the project aim at developring the learners’ reading and writing skills in English, promoting collaborative learning in the classroom as well as through WEB tools, introducing the use of technology in learning (video, email, search engine, word processor, PowerPoint presentation, etc) and providing room for the learners’ artistic expression.
Prior to working on the actual project, our learners have worked on a collaborative presentation in an attempt to present to their European peers their school and their classroom! Here is the completed schools presentation so far:
We have separated the superstitions into categories so as to be able to present them and compare and contrast them! The first category is related to animal superstitions. All European learners have been invited to present this category on a padlet wall, using text, drawings, pictures and/or videos. You can access their completed work here!
The next category invited learners to present the New Year Eve and Day superstitions in the form of a video. The learners have prepared their scripts in English and are the shining starts in the following video:
The following category presents the superstitions related to weddings and funerals. In order to be able to gather the necessary information to present the topic to their European peers, our 6th grade learners have invited father George Giannios from the local church to help them. Father George was kind enough to present the superstitions, explain the role that superstitions should have in our lives and discuss what the Greek Orthodox church believes about superstitions.
After that, our learners went to school computer lab and worked in groups in order to present the superstitions in English. All European learners have typed their national and local superstitions in a collaborative word processing document in order to create a book! This is what their book looks like so far!
So many teachers and so many pupils working on the eTwinning project that is related to “Superstitions Around Europe”! We have met each other through our Twinspace, but what do our schools look like? Learners have worked collaboratively on an online PowerPoint presentation with an eye to showing everyone their second home, their school! Here is the presentation they have created in the form of a video!
As part of the English lessons, the 5th grade learners of the Primary School of Efxeinoupoli are taking part in the European eTwinning project which is called “Green Magicians with Superpowers”. The schools we are currently working with are from Croatia, Spain, Romania and Turkey.
Prior to proceeding with our project which is related to the flora of our area, our 5th grade learners have worked in our school computer lab in order to co-edit with their European partners a cooperative online presentation that includes information regarding their school! This way they have managed to familiarize themselves with the cooperative webtool that allows them to create presentations, they have had the opportunity to present their school to a real audience practicing their English productive skills and they have acquired information regarding the partner schools while reading English with a real-life purpose.
The end-product of this collaborative effort is demonstrated in the following video:
Η Αγγελική Λαδά είναι εκπαιδευτικός Αγγλικής στην πρωτοβάθμια εκπαίδευση και μεταπτυχιακή φοιτήτρια στο ΠΜΣ Γλωσσολογίας του ΤΑΓΦ, ΕΚΠΑ. Η διατριβή της εστιάζει στην χρήση του Ψηφιακού Εκπαιδευτικού Περιεχομένου για τα Αγγλικά της Πρωτοβάθμιας και Δευτεροβάθμιας Εκπαίδευσης, διαθέσιμο στη διεύθυνση http://dschool.edu.gr και συγκεκριμένα στις υπηρεσίες Ανοικτών Εκπαιδευτικών Πόρων (Open Educational Resources-OERs) στο «Φωτόδεντρο» http://photodentro.edu.gr.
Το παρόν ερωτηματολόγιο απευθύνεται σε εκπαιδευτικούς Αγγλικής με σκοπό η ανταπόκρισή σας στην έρευνα να βοηθήσει σημαντικά τον ευρύτερο σχεδιασμό του παιδαγωγικού πλαισίου αξιοποίησης του Ψηφιακού Εκπαιδευτικού Περιεχομένου και των υπηρεσιών OERs για την ξενόγλωσση εκπαίδευση. Η συμμετοχή σας είναι ανώνυμη και εθελοντική και τα δεδομένα που θα συλλεγούν θα χρησιμοποιηθούν μόνο για τους σκοπούς της συγκεκριμένης έρευνας.
Γι’ αυτό το λόγο, παρακαλείστε θερμά να αφιερώσετε 10 λεπτά από τον πολύτιμο χρόνο σας για να απαντήσετε τις ερωτήσεις που ακολουθούν στον ακόλουθο σύνδεσμο:
The course book we use at the 6th Grade in Greek Public Primary Schools invites learners to write a report on their country at the end of the first unit. My 6th graders and I proudly present our electronic (padlet) wall with our reports that have been written with a real-life purpose: to be published on our school blog!
Please, feel free to leave comments under our reports, click on the hearts if you like them and/or invite your learners to read and comment on them, too (if you are a teacher, of course!), so that we know that other people out there can actually access them and read them! Thank you in advance for your time and … enjoy!
What is a day in the life of a Greek fifth-grader like? Here is what some of our fifth-graders at the Primary School of Efxinoupoli have stated (click on the link below):
It is worth noting that the learners themselves have used padlet as a tool to publish their work, either in the school computer lab or from home! They seemed really enthusiastic about the fact that they were doing the project addressing a real-life audience for a change and not just submitting it to get a mark by the teacher! Finally, they claimed that they love the fact that they can read each other’s project and get ideas!
We have started with the intention to shake up things a bit in the English classroom and we did, with the first flipped lesson in an attempt to teach the degrees of adjectives! After the second (and final, as we had initially planned) flipped lesson, all I can tell you is that this experience has to be repeated, primarily for my learners and, definitely, for their English teacher!
The second lesson was delivered at the learners’ home, by means of a video that the learners enjoyed while completing a worksheet. You can see the related school blog post they had to visit here! The video had nothing to do with grammar, this time, so, when the 6th grade learners heard it was a comic based on Shakespeare’s play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, they could not wait to go home and watch it!
When they were given the worksheet with instructions to complete it while watching the video, they were not particularly excited, but when they took the time to see what they were invited to do, they encouraged each other to watch the video and fill in the worksheet, given that they would all want to contribute to their group of work during the next session and they would all go after the award for the best team work in class!
Designed by Andriani Rigoutsou
Coming back in the classroom after watching the video at home, five of my fourteen learners had been absent, owing to this terrible flu that has been torturing many children and adults lately! We tried to postpone the lesson, but three days later, five other learners had been absent, so, unfortunately, we had the lesson without them! They all claimed to have watched the video and, what followed, really proved them honest! Learners were separated into two groups, that very quickly ended up being three, given that some learners thought they would work better if they were in a smaller group! First, they checked their worksheets and negotiated the correct answers with the members of their group! I wish I had that on a video … They were speaking English without realizing it, they were helping each other understand why something was incorrect or misunderstood, they were encouraging and supportive and they were not judging or criticizing others for making mistakes! The teacher was only restricted to monitoring (while actually feeling unbelievably proud of her learners!) and taking pictures of the process.
Designed by Andriani Rigoutsou
When we all checked the video worksheet, learners were given another one that has been designed for in-classroom use. The first task invited them to answer questions related to the play/comic they had watched. Although there was concern that they would not find it very challenging, in reality they seemed very engaged to do it, involving all the group members. It took them a bit more than expected, but the result was really rewarding for everyone! During the second task they were invited to complete sentences related to the play/comic they had watched. Once again, they were really dedicated to finishing the task and passionately negotiating the correct sentences! Unfortunately, we did not manage to finish the task in that teaching session, so we had to finish it on our next lesson.
And we actually did! At the beginning of the following session, the learners came in with excitement, joined their groups without being told to and started working almost immediately! It is worth noting that no one had forgotten their photocopy and some of them had already worked a bit at home, without writing anything on their worksheet, waiting for the approval of the whole group. When they finished this task, we played the “Hot seating” role cards game, but, because of the lack of time, we had to adapt the procedure in order to finish it in time: one learner in each group was sitting on the ‘hot seat’, assuming one of the roles of the play and not telling his classmates which one! They were asked to find out who the person on the ‘hot seat’ was by asking questions! The one who would find the correct answer had to sit on the ‘hot seat’ and continue the game! It was quick, it was engaging and it was fun! Finally, the last writing task was assigned for homework-everybody who attended the lesson actually brought it completed the next day!
I can almost hear you thinking … “Is this for real?” Well, I swear that this one was and I feel so lucky to have tried it! However, it should be noted that no one can guarantee that flipping the classroom will work equally successfully at lower levels, or same level but less competent learners, or more crowded classes! Whatever the challenge, though, a well-designed flipped lesson is more likely to shake things up a bit in class and have your learners begging you for more! We actually finished the second flipped lesson on Monday and today, only two days later, they asked me when we are going to flip it again! I did not give them a straight answer, but I know that we are flipping it again some time after Easter, because I loved the look on my learners’ faces and the frequency of the in-class oral and written production of the target language and appreciated the role of the coordinator, who monitors the whole process in a purely student-centered approach! Once again, thank you Ms Andriani Rigoutsou for this eye-opening experience, congratulations on your exceptional work on the materials and good luck with your dissertation! Looking forward to cooperating with you again!
I wish there were words to describe the look on everybody’s faces today (including mine!) during the in-class activities of our first flipped classroom lesson (you can see here how it all started!)! If the word satisfaction had a picture right next to it in the dictionary, then, that would definitely be one of my learners’ and my expression after our English lesson today! And, although I know that statements of this kind are not academically acceptable or customary, please, dear colleagues, allow me to share my enthusiasm with you as I have been feeling it since a quarter past one today!
Yes, it was the last teaching session of the day and, yes, it had to be with the 6th graders! Yes, they had all watched the videos and, yes, they had all tried the recommended interactive tasks included at their school blog post(or at least they said they had!). Yes, we started working in three teams and, yes, none of us knew at the time how the pre-designed in-class activities would work either individually, or in terms of groups!
Tasks designed by Andriani Rigoutsou
After separating the learners in three groups and promising to award the one that will demonstrate the most exceptional team work, we started with the first task that involved learners in grouping the adjectives based on the way they form their comparative and superlative degree. This task seemed to be an appropriate warm-up and an initial opportunity for the teacher to monitor and evaluate the level of comprehension of the new grammatical structure the learners had learnt about through the videos they watched at home! The specific task appeared to be easy for everyone, we checked the answers and moved straight to sentence-making in the second task! In approximately five to six minutes, learners managed to complete this task, involving everyone in the group and negotiating the correct sentences in an admirably cooperative manner! After that, task three and underlining the comparative and superlative forms of adjectives seemed like a treat, especially for those who normally show unwillingness or hesitation to participate while checking the correct answers! Everybody seems to be clear on how to form the degrees of adjectives and everyone appears to be capable of making sentences using them meaningfully. And, when I say everyone, I really mean everyone!
Later on, it was games time! Task four and “Plip” and “Plop” sentences really took everybody off to the level of learning while having fun! Groups agreed on the sentences they would say and the fun began right after that, trying to find out what “Plip” and “Plop” were! Finally, “The Broken Sentences” game will be the task we will all remember for a long, long time! As we were moving towards the end of the lesson and there had to be some time left for homework assignment (and explanation!), I gave them a challenge, saying that the fastest team to get the sentences right would earn extra points for the best team work award! The level of engagement, the constant reminding among group members of the grammatical rules to be followed, the unprecedented level of cooperation, support and encouragement are, unfortunately, for us to know and appreciate and you to imagine!
So, was the inverted lesson a big success? No, it was huge, I’d say, and learners commented so possitively on that as soon as the bell rang and they started packing their things for home! They all participated, they all got involved, they all raised their hands to contribute, they all appreciated the work of their team members and, what is more, they all stated that they did not realize that time went by so quickly and that they want a flipped lesson again some time soon! As for the teacher, she was only restrained to monitoring and coordinating groups, while evaluating the level of perception of the new grammar by the learners (given that the materials had already been designed, photocopied and cut for the tasks and games!)! Although it seemed very easy and discrete to intervene and help a learner in need, that was at no point necessary, as team members would step up and support their peers.
It is worth noting, however, that the particular class had also been taught the degrees of adjectives in the 5th grade and most of them have had a lot of practice in them in their afternoon English lessons in private language schools, so they were quite comfortable with the form and use. This allowed us to move from task to task relatively quickly and the time/award challenge seems to have ‘spiced’ a lot the procedure! Had the video lessons been confusing or incomprehensible for some learners, the pre-designed in-class activities would more likely last for at least two teaching sessions.
Award for the best team work!
All in all, my learners and I cannot wait for the next flipped lesson, as it was a unique learning and teaching experience! A million thanks to Ms Andriani Rigoutsou for doing all this hard, time-consuming and demanding work that had always been dragging me away from trying the flipped classroom (meaning collecting the videos and online interactive games, as well as designing and preparing the in-class activities/worksheets), but, most of all, thank you for inspiring us and making us part of a a very supportive and cooperative group of colleagues and classes that share with us the same concerns and interests in new teaching approaches!
If you are a teacher, you have probably heard or read about the flipped classroom as a new instructional strategy, during which you may record the lesson and deliver it online for your learners to watch at home, you may allow learners to collaborate in online discussions and try to understand the content of the video and, while in class, you, the teacher, can exploit class time to engage learners in activities related to the content they have watched at home! If you are an EFL teacher in Magnesia, Greece, you have had the opportunity to learn about this method via in-service training by our school advisor and you have watched how it has been exploited in a secondary school in Volos!
On a personal note, flipping the classroom sounds so exciting! I’ve always meant to try it, but lack of time strikes as a flashing neon sign on a threatening dark cloud surrounded by thunders and lightnings above my head! I am sure my learners would welcome the idea of watching the lesson on a video at home and would be thrilled to have the opportunity to discuss it online with their peers, without any written assignment as homework, but how can I organize and deliver a lesson like that without devoting an unimaginable amount of valuable hours planning, designing, editing and recording?
Well, in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, we can shake things up a little bit in our class without spending many hours in front of a computer screen and devoiding (again!) our loved ones of our company, love and attention! Ms Andriani Rigoutsou has at our disposal 4 pre-designed, ready-to-use lesson plans with all the necessary video-recorded and printable materials and invites us to use them in our 6th grade classes … once, twice or for four teaching sessions …for free … with her help and support … allowing us to adapt them … or not … and helping her with her dissertation! How perfectly convenient is that? I know I am saying ‘yes’ to the challenge and inviting more public Primary School EFL educators to shake things a bit in their class as well and in our teaching methods and approaches, while helping a colleague complete the last and most demanding part of her academic pursuit at a time she mostly needs us (by the way, wishing you a safe delivery, Andriani, and nothing but precious and joyous times with your new baby!).
Here is her message with all the necessary information and related materials! If you are also replying positively to her invitation, please, send her an email and join us in this unknown, innovative, challenging and developing field:
Αγαπητές-οι συναδέλφισσες/-οι,
Oνομάζομαι Ανδριανή-Χριστίνα Ρηγούτσου, είμαι καθηγήτρια Αγγλικών στην Πρωτοβάθμια εκπαίδευση και φέτος ασχολούμαι με τη συγγραφή της Διπλωματικής μου εργασίας στο πρόγραμμα Μεταπτυχιακού του Τμήματος Ειδίκευσης Καθηγητών Αγγλικής στο Ελληνικό Ανοιχτό Πανεπιστήμιο. Tο θέμα της εργασίας μου είναι: “Implementing Flipped Classroom Approach in the 6th grade of Greek State Primary Schools: Effect on Teachers’ Professional Development and Students’ Active Learning”( «H εφαρμογή του μοντέλου της «Αντεστραμμένης Τάξης» σε μαθητές Στ’ Δημοτικού Ελληνικών Δημόσιων Σχολείων: επίδραση στην Επαγγελματική Εξέλιξη των Εκπαιδευτικών και την Ενεργό Μάθηση των Μαθητών».)
Παίρνω την πρωτοβουλία να ζητήσω την πολύτιμη βοήθειά σας και, συγκεκριμένα, των συναδέλφων που διδάσκουν στην 6η τάξη του Δημοτικού σχολείου, εξαιτίας του γεγονότος ότι φέτος απέχω από τα διδακτικά μου καθήκοντα λόγω εγκυμοσύνης/τοκετού και αδυνατώ να υλοποιήσω τα μαθήματα Flipped Classroom (Αντεστραμμένης Τάξης) που έχω σχεδιάσει για τις ανάγκες της διπλωματικής.
Συγκεκριμένα, οι ενδιαφερόμενοι εκπαιδευτικοί μπορούν να χρησιμοποιήσουν το σχεδιασμένο από μένα υποστηρικτικό υλικό που θα βρουν αναρτημένο εδώ για να διδάξουν από 1 έως και 4 μαθήματα ακολουθώντας τη μέθοδο της Αντεστραμμένης Τάξης (Flipped Classroom).
Σημειώνεται ότι μπορείτε να διδάξετε από 1 έως και 4 από τα προτεινόμενα μαθήματα, καθώς και ότι μπορείτε να τροποποιήσετε το υλικό ή να δημιουργήσετε ένα δικό σας μάθημα αντεστραμμένης τάξης. Για καθένα από τα μαθήματα, θα χρειαστείτε από τα επισυναπτόμενα έγγραφα: 1) Lesson Plan 2) Video Tasksheet 3) In-Class Taskheet
Συνοδευτικά, θα βρείτε συνημμένα:
-μία παρουσίαση σε αρχείο Powerpoint για τη δική σας ενημέρωση καθώς και
-ένα ενημερωτικό έντυπο που απευθύνεται στους γονείς των μαθητών σας.
Συνολικός αριθμός συνημμένων αρχείων:16
Επίσης, επειδή συμμερίζομαι το γεγονός ότι υπάρχει φόρτος εργασίας ήδη στα σχολεία και πολλοί παράγοντες που επηρεάζουν την πορεία των μαθημάτων, θα είμαι στη διάθεσή σας για περαιτέρω πληροφορίες και υποστήριξη.
Σας ευχαριστώ και πάλι για τον χρόνο σας. Όσον αφορά στην προθεσμία για τη διδασκαλία των μαθημάτων, καλό θα ήταν να έχει ολοκληρωθεί η διαδικασία έως τα τέλη Απριλίου.
Κατόπιν, οι συμμετέχοντες εκπαιδευτικοί θα συμπληρώσετε ένα ερωτηματολόγιο σχετικά με την εμπειρία σας από τη διδασκαλία αυτή δίνοντας έμφαση σε θέματα Επαγγελματικής Εξέλιξης και προώθησης της Ενεργής Μάθησης στους μαθητές.
Θα χαρώ ιδιαίτερα να έχω την ανταπόκρισή σας και σας ευχαριστώ εκ των προτέρων. Αρχικά, μπορείτε να επικοινωνήσετε μαζί μου στο email μου: arigoutsou@gmail.com
Πώς θα σας φαινόταν η δωρεάν απόκτηση βιβλίων γραμμένων σε διάφορες Ευρωπαϊκές γλώσσες; Φαντάζομαι πως … μοιάζει πολύ καλό για να είναι αληθινό! Κι όμως, υπάρχει ένα βιβλιοπωλείο που δίνει σ’ εσάς και τα παιδιά σας αυτή τη δυνατότητα! Πρόκειται για ένα online βιβλιοπωλείο της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης όπου μπορείτε να βρείτε βιβλία και κόμικς στα Αγγλικά (και σε άλλες γλώσσες) και να τα παραλάβετε δωρεάν! Θα σας σταλούν ταχυδρομικά και μπορείτε να τα διαβάζετε στον ελεύθερο χρόνο σας, να τα κάνετε δώρο στα παιδιά και τους μαθητές σας για εξάσκηση, να εμπλουτίσετε τη σχολική δανειστική βιβλιοθήκη, ή ακόμα να εκμεταλλευτείτε αποσπάσματά τους στην εκπαιδευτική διαδικασία!
Οι μαθητές της Στ΄ Τάξης του Δημοτικού Σχολείου Σούρπης παρήγγειλαν τα δικά τους βιβλία τελειώνοντας το δεύτερο κεφάλαιο του βιβλίου τους, που τους ζητά να εξοικειωθούν με τις αγορές προϊόντων μέσω διαδικτυακών καταστημάτων. Το υποθετικό σενάριο της παραγγελίας έγινε πραγματικό, και σήμερα οι μαθητές κρατάν με πολύ χαρά τα πρώτα βιβλία στα χέρια τους, αφού ακολούθησαν τις οδηγίες που τους δόθηκαν μέσω του σχολικού blog και παρατίθενται παρακάτω:
Βρες το “Log in” στη δεξιά πλευρά της σελίδας και κάνε κλικ στο “Register”
– Γράψε ένα Username (Όνομα Χρήστη)
– Γράψε ένα Password (κωδικός, τουλάχιστον 5 χαρακτήρες θα σου ζητηθεί δύο φορές)
– Διάλεξε μία από τις ερωτήσεις ασφαλείας και γράψε και την απάντησή σου (πχ. η πρώτη ερώτηση αφορά το πατρικό όνομα της μητέρας σου)
– Γράψε το μικρό σου όνομα (First name)
– Γράψε το επίθετό σου (Last name)
– Διάλεξε τα Αγγλικά (English)
– MHN γράψεις το τηλέφωνό σου
– Γράψε το email σου (ή των γονιών σου)
– Διάλεξε τη χώρα σου
– Γράψε διεύθυνση, ταχ. κώδικα, πόλη ( Address, Postcode and City) (στον ταχυδρομικό κώδικα μπορείς να βάλεις το GR μπροστά από το 37008 σε περίπτωση που σου βγάζει ότι είναι λάθος, ή να αφήσεις ένα κενό: 370 08!)
– ΜΗΝ συμπληρώσεις την κατηγορία State
– Κάνε κλικ στο “Register” στο τέλος της αίτησης.
3. Πρόσθεσε βιβλία στο καλάθι σου:
– Στα αριστερά της αρχικής σελίδας βρες τις κατηγορίες “Comics” και “Kids’ corner”.
EU BOOKSHOP
– Κάνε κλικ σε κάθε βιβλίο, έλεγξε αν έχει PAPER version που να είναι διαθέσιμη (available) στα Αγγλικά και πρόσθεσέ το στο καλάθι:
EU BOOKSHOP
Αν δεν υπάρχει το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο, δίπλα στο Paper version θα λέει Unavailable. Αφού προσθέσεις ένα βιβλίο στο καλάθι σου, μπορείς να πας πίσω για να παραγγείλεις κι άλλα κάνοντας κλικ στο “EU Bookshop” στο πάνω μέρος.
4. Ολοκλήρωσε την παραγγελία σου
Κάνε κλικ στο “My basket” όπου θα δεις όλα όσα έχεις επιλέξει. Κάνε κλικ στο πορτοκαλί κουμπί “Next”:
Θα εμφανιστεί μια νέα σελίδα με τη διεύθυνσή σου. Κάνε πάλι κλικ στο “Next”.
Τέλος, βάλε √ στο “I accept the General conditions of sale” και κάνε κλικ στο “Order now”.
ΥΓ: Μπορείς να παραγγείλεις 1 δωρεάν αντίτυπο από κάθε βιβλίο και μέχρι 20 βιβλία κάθε φορά που κάνεις παραγγελία. Αν κάποια βιβλία δεν είναι διαθέσιμα τη στιγμή που κάνεις την παραγγελία σου, έλεγξε ξανά μετά από 1-2 μήνες. Κάθε χρόνο εκδίδονται νέα βιβλία!!
(Το κείμενο μας δόθηκε αρχικά στα αγγλικά από τη Σχολική μας Σύμβουλο Αγγλικής Γλώσσας, κα Βασιλική Παπαϊωάννου. Συντάχθηκε στα ελληνικά από την εξαίρετη συνάδελφο κα Μαρία Καμμένου, η οποία είχε την καλοσύνη να μοιραστεί με όλους εμάς, τους συναδέλφους της Μαγνησίας, τις οδηγίες που απέδωσε στα ελληνικά, προκειμένου να βοηθήσει τους μαθητές της να παραγγείλουν δωρεάν βιβλία από το βιβλιοπωλείο της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης. Την ευχαριστούμε θερμά για την ιδέα, τις τόσο κατατοπιστικές κατευθύνσεις και την άδεια δημοσίευσης!)
Συνεχίζοντας την αναζήτησή μας στις προκαταλήψεις του τόπου μας, προκειμένου να τις μοιραστούμε με τους Ευρωπαίους συμμαθητές μας, κατηγοριοποιήσαμε τις υπάρχουσες προκειμένου να μπορέσουμε να τις παρουσιάσουμε καλύτερα. Αυτό τον καιρό δουλεύουμε με τις προκαταλήψεις που σχετίζονται με ζώα! Δουλεύοντας συνεργατικά με τους Ευρωπαίους συμμαθητές μας, ‘κρεμάμε’ στον ακόλουθο ηλεκτρονικό τοίχο τις προκαταλήψεις που σχετίζονται με ζώα, προκειμένου να παρουσιάσουμε τις δικές μας, αλλά και να μάθουμε τις δικές τους!
Με πολύ όρεξη και μεράκι, ολοκληρώθηκε το 5ο τεύχος της σχολικής μας εφημερίδας στα Αγγλικά! Μαζί με τους Ευρωπαίους φίλους μας, παρουσιάσαμε τη χώρα μας, σε μια προσπάθεια να γνωριστούμε ακόμη καλύτερα, να διευρύνουμε τους ορίζοντές μας και να εξασκηθούμε στα Αγγλικά! Δείτε εδώ τις σελίδες του πέμπτου τεύχους της εφημερίδας μας «The European Schools Newspaper», όπου παρουσιάζουμε τη Θεσσαλία και τη Στερεά Ελλάδα (τα υπόλοιπα συνεργαζόμενα ελληνικά διαμερίσματα ανέλαβαν άλλα διαμερίσματα για να μην επαναλαμβανόμαστε στους Ευρωπαίους φίλους μας!):
Για αυτή τη σχολική χρονιά, οι Ευρωπαίοι μαθητές εργάζονται συνεργατικά πληκτρολογώντας τα άρθρα της εφημερίδας τους ταυτόχρονα σε ένα κοινό αρχείο googledocs (διαδικτυακός συνεργατικός κειμενογράφος) ή πληκτρολογώντας τα άρθρα τους σε Word Processor και επικολλώντας τα στο συνεργατικό εργαλείο googledocs!
Προκατάληψη είναι η πεποίθηση εκείνη που δεν στηρίζεται σε λογική επιχειρηματολογία και υποστηρίζεται συνήθως από τις παραδόσεις, περνώντας από γενιά σε γενιά. Υπολαμβάνεται ως μια γνώμη ή ένα σύνολο γνωμών ή ακόμα και ως ολόκληρη θεωρία η οποία έχει σχηματισθεί κατά έναν μη επιστημονικό τρόπο κοινώς αποδεκτό, αλλά και μια τοποθέτηση που περιλαμβάνει συναισθήματα (φόβο, περιφρόνηση, απέχθεια κ.α.). Πολλές Ευρωπαϊκές χώρες έχουν προκαταλήψεις, οι οποίες κατά ένα μεγάλο μέρος πηγάζουν από τις θρησκευτικές πεποιθήσεις.
Φέτος, οι μαθητές των τριών τελευταίων τάξεων του σχολείου μας μαζί με την καθηγήτρια Αγγλικών, κα Παρασκευή Χαμηλού, αποφάσισαν να ασχοληθούν με την παρουσίαση των Ελληνικών και τοπικών προκαταλήψεων και να γνωρίσουν τις αντίστοιχες των Ευρωπαίων συμμαθητών τους. Το έργο αυτό εντάσσεται στο Ευρωπαϊκό πρόγραμμα ηλεκτρονικής αδελφοποίησης eTwinning και φιλοδοξεί να εμπλέξει τους Ευρωπαίους μαθητές στην καταγραφή και τον διαμοιρασμό των εθνικών τους προκαταλήψεων, αποσκοπώντας στη βελτίωση της παραγωγής γραπτού λόγου και κατανόησης γραπτού κειμένου στα Αγγλικά, στην εξοικείωση με την τεχνολογία και τους άλλους πολιτισμούς και στην καλλιέργεια της ανοχής στη διαφορετικότητα.
Ο τίτλος του εν λόγω eTwinning έργου είναι Superstitions in Europe. Τα μέχρι τώρα συνεργαζόμενα σχολεία είναι τα ακόλουθα: Szkoła Podstawowa z Oddziałami Integracyjnymi Nr 40 im. Mieszka I w Poznaniu (Poznań, Πολωνία), Hasan – Şükran Saruhan Ortaokulu (Etimesgut, Τουρκία) και Yavuz Selim İlkokulu (Yomra, Τουρκία). Ο ρόλος του σχολείου μας και του Πολωνικού είναι συντονιστικός.
Superstition is the belief in supernatural causality—that one event causes another without any natural process linking the two events! Many – if not all – European countries have superstitions and most of them are usually related to religion. This project aspires to involve European learners in the recording of and sharing their national superstitions, while improving their writing and reading skills in English, familiarizing themselves with technology and other cultures and becoming more tolerant with diversity.
Main aims: 1. To improve the learners’ writing and reading skills in the target language 2. To familiarize the learners with technology (emails, forums, chats, educational web tools, search engines, etc) 3. To develop the learners’ tolerance with diversity
Secondary objectives: 1. To develop cooperative learning – while working in groups and cooperating with their European peers 2. To introduce strategies that help to improve the learners’ writing and reading skills 3. To promote learning with a real-life purpose (mainly writing for a real audience and reading authentic texts) 4. To make the learners realize the emergence of English as an international language
5. To reinforce the learners’ self-confidence and self-esteem 6. To practice note-taking 7. To exchange teaching strategies, methods and approaches in English Language Teaching (among partner teachers)
Superstitions will primarily be divided into categories that will be agreed upon among partner teachers via emails and Twinspace. For instance: Category 1: Superstitions related to home routines Category 2: Superstitions related to animals Category 3: Superstitions related to weddings Category 4: Superstitions related to the dead / funerals , etc
Once categorization has been finalized, learners start working on each category on agreed-upon tools. For instance, we create a coopearative padlet for superstitions included in Category 1. Then, we create a cooperative presentation in googledocs for the superstitions included in Category 2, and so on. The cooperative, educational tools will be discussed and agreed-upon among partner teachers. The end products of each category will be uploaded on Twinspace and school blogs. The learners will be introduced and registered as members in the project Twinspace, in an attempt to promote communication with their European peers.
The expected outcomes involve the attainment of the afore-mentioned pursued main and secondary aims and objectives and the publication of the categorized European superstitions. The format of publication will be discussed and determined among partner teachers (school blogs and/or project blog and/or public Twinspace, etc). By publishing our end-products, we aspire not only to create a register of the European superstitions and develop our learners’ self-esteem and self-confidence, but also to promote good teaching and learning practices.
Στο πλαίσιο των δράσεων του Δημοτικού Σχολείου Σούρπης για την πρόληψη κατά της ενδοσχολικής βίας, οι μαθητές της Στ΄ Δημοτικού εμπνεύστηκαν και αποτύπωσαν σε βίντεο τα μηνύματα και τα συνθήματά τους! Η λήψη των εικόνων πραγματοποιήθηκε εντός του Δημοτικού Σχολείου Σούρπης με υπεύθυνη την εκπαιδευτικό Αγγλικής Γλώσσας Παρασκευή Χαμηλού, τα συνθήματα προτάθηκαν από όλους τους μαθητές της Στ΄ Τάξης, ενώ στο βίντεο εμφανίζονται οι μαθητές και οι μαθήτριες που έχουν γονική συναίνεση για τη δημοσίευση φωτογραφιών τους στο διαδίκτυο. Απολαύστε το!
Με πολύ όρεξη και μεράκι, ολοκληρώθηκε το 2ο τεύχος της σχολικής μας εφημερίδας στα Αγγλικά! Μαζί με τους Ευρωπαίους φίλους μας, παρουσιάσαμε με κείμενα, ζωγραφιές και φωτογραφίες τα σχολεία μας, σε μια προσπάθεια να γνωριστούμε ακόμη καλύτερα, να διευρύνουμε τους ορίζοντές μας και να εξασκηθούμε στα Αγγλικά! Δείτε εδώ το δεύτερο τεύχος της εφημερίδας μας “The European Schools Newspaper”.
Συνεχίζοντας την περσινή παράδοση της δημιουργίας σχολικής εφημερίδας στα αγγλικά, οι μαθητές των τριών τελευταίων τάξεων του σχολείου μας ένωσαν τις δυνάμεις τους για το πρώτο τεύχος που είναι ήδη έτοιμο! Φέτος, το κάθε τεύχος ολοκληρώνεται σε συνεργασία με άλλα Ευρωπαϊκά σχολεία και είναι θεματικό. Στα πλαίσια του Ευρωπαϊκού προγράμματος eTwinning, υποβάλαμε και συμμετέχουμε στο project που ονομάζεται The European Schools Newspaper και, σε συνεργασία με άλλα σχολεία της Ευρώπης, δημιουργούμε το κάθε τεύχος που, κάθε φορά, θα επικεντρώνεται σε ένα θέμα!
Our eTwinning label!
Το θέμα του πρώτου τεύχους είναι All about me! Οι μαθητές της Ευρώπης συστήνονται μεταξύ τους και παρουσιάζουν τον εαυτό τους με λόγια, ζωγραφιές ή/και φωτογραφίες! Δείτε παρακάτω το απόσπασμα του πρώτου τεύχους που συνεισέφεραν οι μαθητές του σχολείου μας:
Κι επειδή 5 σελίδες δεν είναι αρκετές να χωρέσουν όλα τα άρθρα των παιδιών που συνεισέφεραν, δείτε παρακάτω τα άρθρα όλων των παιδιών, όπως αυτά παραδόθηκαν σε μας:
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