Job Discussion Forums

[Knedliki]

I unconditionally like fluffy's lesson plan.

It looks like Hod has struck an iceberg and could sink if he doesn't act quickly!

[Hod]

As you're dying for a response...but it will have to be quick.

It's not bad if you have talkative students. I see a lot of TTT explaining the Titanic and ghosts in elevators. These two topics also wouldn't work in Thailand, for example, as they wouldn't know the Titanic (I kid ye not) and they actually believe in ghosts.

To be very picky, "if he'd got back on that ship", isn't the greatest verb choice this grammar. In British English, we have "get, got, got", so it's not clear which tense is used in that model.

Also, as you pulled me up on waffley, which is how I spell it, maybe you could check how you "broke" the car on the way to the judo lesson. Was it an o-soto-gari or an o-goshi?

But these are small points. I'm off for my lunch brake.

[fluffyhamster]

I don't mind the hole-picking, because it doesn't too take much to think on one's feet and fix the small problems you've raised, Hod. And fair do's, I didn't really want to deny you your chance to be OFSTED for a day. And nobody really expects OFSTED to ever be anything less than begrudging nowadays, do they? Strange how Spiral has fallen silent though, I guess my more authentic and considered TTT wasn't authentic or considered enough, and that the notion that classrooms be wrested from the baleful and retarding influence of trainers, and given back to the native speaker for the actual purpose of communicating (with the given forms, I mean), far too radical and crazy!

I think if Japanese students can do it then anyone can. And I don't discern much less TTT in "approved" lessons (if anything, there might even be more!), and yet again, how much of it is engaging and reasonably high-value in terms of functionally contextualizing the forms to be studied?

With weaker students you pair them up and get them working on back-up stories like the ghost one (the pics help provide context and prompt some focus, obviously), or indeed on the original priest/Titanic story. It doesn't matter (in fact, I think it helps) to have a bit of task repetition of similar or identical texts, and whether different students relate the same story twice in a row (making the similarities clearer) or you come back to the second person's telling later (thus providing a bit of variety for the listeners) is ultimately a matter of taste.

I didn't say the ghost story would be inappropriate for cultures that more strongly believe in ghosts (though whether they'll have ever actually seen one and can provide evidence of it is obviously another matter). At least I flagged it as more edutainment for (implicitly) westerners. The reason I chose to include reasonably detailed descriptions of the proposed pictures for readers of the plan (the descriptions aren't meant to be actual TTT, and are thus bracketed) is that even after finding the two illustrations and accompanying story online, I thought I should make clear that more than two pictures might be required (especially a second one showing fear at the prospect of entering, and a final third one showing the outcome for the poor people who did enter unaware of their impending doom). I'd draw such pictures myself as I'm not a bad artist (well, doodler) when I put my mind to it. (If you want me to upload some pics somewhere I can maybe see about that). The context doesn't necessarily have to be a lift, transport accidents or building fires would do LOL. Obviously sensitivity will be needed however if there have been recent tragedies, especially locally.

I note in your 'If Bob had brought his umbrella, he wouldn't have got wet' that you used the same form that you're now criticizing here. I'm British too FWIW. There are plenty of other verbs where students will hear the difference even if we overlook (forget to change?!) this British "exception".

Titanic was only the biggest movie on the planet not so long ago (1997) so I don't think the choice of topic would be too much of a problem for anyone approaching 30, but sure, if you have that many students much below the age of 25 (2015 back to 1997=18 years, plus a further 7 years back to say a birthdate of around 1990, for the child to have been old enough to appreciate and remember watching it), the film won't be that familiar (unless they have parents who are devoted fans and thus make the kids suffer it on DVD every year or so). But it wouldn't take that much (T)TT to quickly explain what the Titanic was (a large passenger ship that on the second leg of its maiden voyage hit an iceberg and sank in the Atlantic in April 1912, killing around 1,500 people (there weren't enough lifeboats and only about 700 people made it into them)). The topic exerts a slightly grim fascination, but sure, it may not be to everybody's interest or liking (whatever is though?). Only an individual teacher can gauge this, and I used it somewhat as a long-running joke with myself, but the example of the priest who survived thanks to (with hindsight) the eerily-worded telegram order are IMHO interesting enough and worth the possibly slightly increased explanation.

[Hod]

I thought my response was quite positive.

[fluffyhamster]

Yes, I was being a bit ironic. That is, I was trying to say that at least I now know how you might've felt with all my nitpicking. Friends?

[Hod]

Don't push it.

[fluffyhamster]

Fine, I'll just push my lesson plans instead.

[Hod]

Take a brake.

[fluffyhamster]

Is it my imagination, or are you actually a really sore loser, Hod?

Regardless, and sincerely, thanks for your feedback, nothing's ever perfect eh and can always be improved.

[Hod]

There's only one loser here: grahamb's cat.

[grahamb]

The aforementioned feline is a contender for the most spoilt cat on the planet. She eats the best of food, including (and I kid you not), tuna chunks in spring water - no brine for her!

If there's a loser in the equation it's my wallet.

[Hod]

No no no, stop editing that lesson plan, fluffy. You'll make one change too many and spoil things.

[fluffyhamster]

[Hod]

Now then.

You've edited it ten times now.

My next lesson plan: Future Perfect

By this time tomorrow, fluffy will have edited his post ___ times.

[fluffyhamster]

With the implication being that your lesson plan can stand towering and untoppled over mine simply because you haven't given yours a second glance? Puh-lease! And how long did it take you to write, 5 minutes, 10 max? Why not go back and rewrite it incorporating some of my suggestions (like some of my edits were done to take into account some of your suggestions)? That alone would immediately get yours up to a number of edits, and help show that you give a hoot about improving your teaching.