The pre-season seminar/workshop was held on Saturday 4th July 2009 at IELS, Sliema and attracted a large number of existing members as well as many new members. The following workshops were available and all were well attended and received very positive feedback.
First session - 9.30 - 11.00
Alan Marsh: Fun things to do with summer classes! Photocopier broken down? Teachers sick and you have to put classes together? Students are getting bored with more grammar lessons and want to do something fun and different? Here's a hotch-potch of ideas and activities to shake off summer lethargy. Jean Sciberras: Writing is not just a boring homework activity* For many teachers and students, writing lessons have an aura of difficulty, of seriousness. In her session, Jean will be looking at some writing activities which can turn writing lessons into enjoyable and satisfying learning experiences. Daniel Xerri: Let's Make Them Speak: Increasing Students' Talk Time After briefly presenting the theoretical background to the teaching of speaking skills in the EFL classroom we shall overview a number of techniques that teachers may employ in order to maximise student talk time during lessons. This workshop explores the different strategies that may be used in order to teach speaking skills and boost students’ confidence while using English for communicative purposes. By the end of the workshop participants will have refreshed their knowledge of teaching speaking skills and mastered practical methods of improving students’ oral proficiency in English. Steffi Micallef: Speaking Faster!
How many times have your students asked you 'How can I speak faster?' This session could help you answer the question by way of an in depth look at fluency and how it can be achieved. Second session - 11.30 - 13.15 Alan Marsh: Bring Back Teacher Talk ...Telling Stories* Teachers on teacher training courses are often urged to cut down their TTT - their Teacher Talking Time. However, TTT can be turned into a powerful classroom teaching/learning technique when it comes to telling stories, jokes and anecdotes. In this session Alan will tell a few, and give you a few tips for doing it in your own classrooms. Jean Theuma: Teaching Mixed Ability Teens
Do these sound familiar?: "These students are not all the same level. How on earth can I teach them and keep them all happy?", OR "Their grammar level is the same but, when it comes to speaking, some are pretty fluent but others can barely string a sentence together". Jean's session will look at dealing with these problems and more. She will offer solutions to working on different levels of grammar and vocabulary, reading and listening, and speaking and writing. There will also be worksheets to take away and use. Margaret Naudi Griffiths: Dealing with Dyslexia* Come along to this interactive session with all your concerns and questions about how to deal with dyslexic students, which Margaret will answer in as much depth as possible providing us with tips and appropriate strategies. She will also look at recognising dyslexia, as although some students will know they are dyslexic and tell us, others may not want to say and others may not even be aware themselves. Jean Sciberras: Fairytales and Younger Learners TEFL learners are getting younger and younger. You might be teaching adults now but have you ever thought of Teaching Young Learners? In this session, Jean will look at ways of exploiting a popular fairy tale with tasks and activities sufficient for several sessions, with the possibility of choosing or omitting according to the age of the young learners. It’s fun, it’s motivating, it’s incredible how much you can exploit a simple, single fairy tale.