Job Discussion Forums

Sashadroogie · Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 9:47 am Post subject: The new Apple iElts

Hands up if you think this is uncomfortably close to the truth...

https://sites.google.com/site/englishdroid2/school-life/ielts-1

johnslat · Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 1:33 pm Post subject:

Dear Sasha,

Great site - I especially liked this piece:

"The basic principle is Games, Games and more Games. Of course, you do not call them games. They are communicative activities.
Beware of books with titles like Fun With Grammar. You might as well call a book Fun With Cancer. These games are usually designed to practise a structure like the present perfect. As practice they may be passable, but as games per se they are usually crap. Often you have to cut up hundreds of tiny pieces of paper first. Students then mill around the class, wondering what the point is, showing each other what is written on their bit of paper, avoiding the target structure and speaking in their native language.

No, the trick is to find a time-proven game that works, then devise a plausible ELTish reason for using it.

An example is Monopoly. Guaranteed to keep them amused for an hour, but what do you tell the DOS when he sticks his interfering head round the door?

The best bet is to adapt the game in some way. So if you are doing the present perfect, every time a student lands on a square they have to say, �I have landed on The Angel, Islington.� Another student can then say, �I have already built a hotel there, so you must pay me �50.� You can probably think of something more creative, but that is the general idea. The students will find it mildly irritating, but it will not spoil the game.

Besides games, role plays and tasks keep the students entertained and your DOS happy�and do not involve too much work for the teacher.

Dream up a task like a class newspaper or a website and you can keep the students busy for weeks."

I teach the highest level of ESL at the local community college. Students who have gone through the lower levels before coming to my class often give me a blank stare when I mention Present Simple, Parts of Speech. Punctuation, etc. Curious, I've asked them just what they were taught at the lower levels. Generally, the reply has been a variation of this: "We play lots of games."

Alas, a good number of my fellow teachers aren't even ESL trained; they're "semi-retired" elementary school teachers. It shows.

Regards,
John

Sashadroogie · Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2012 1:36 pm Post subject:

Dear Johnslat

Yes, a great, great site. Sadly, it is more truthful than I feel comfortable with.

Sasha

Tudor · Joined: 21 Aug 2009 Posts: 339

Agreed, it's very funny although I know a couple of individuals who would huff 'n' puff pretty loudly if they clapped eyes on it!

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

This website has been around for some years now. I had forgotten about it since someone linked me to the Satanic Units. I did love the iElts page and like all of this site... often unnervingly close to reality. Laughing

And a reminder that we have some creative, truly funny, people in our field.

VS

Sashadroogie · Posted: Fri Jan 27, 2012 5:49 am Post subject:

It is indeed an old website, but one that disappeared for quite a long spell. Has undergone some changes, but I am happy to see it back in any form.

spanglish · Joined: 21 May 2009 Posts: 742 Location: working on that

It's a fair bit 'harder' but I prefer the stuff from 'teacher x.'

NWBen

Sashadroogie · Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 7:12 am Post subject:

If it was a British programme, then it was possibly 'Mind Your Language'.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_Your_Language

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGv2AqiSOwQ

Denim-Maniac · Joined: 31 Jan 2012 Posts: 1238

I like that site....so thanks for posting the link. I have wasted an hour or two already chuckling to myself at some of the postings.

LongShiKong · Joined: 28 May 2007 Posts: 1082 Location: China

[quote="NWBen"]