Animating_your_Coursebook1.ppt

Marisa ConstantinidesDip.RSA, M.A. App Ling

Teacher Educator & DOSCELT Athens

@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - [email protected] - ISTEK Schools International Conference 2010

@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - [email protected] - ISTEK Schools International Conference 2010

This presentation is slightly adapted for the benefit of those who were not there when I presented it at ISTEK Schools International Conference 2010 in Istanbul. I have added only very little so that they can make sense of the slides.

For copyright reasons, I have not included any coursebook pages or exercises, as in the ‘live’ presentation and have replaced them with my own examples imitating the style of the original exercises

@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - [email protected] - ISTEK Schools International Conference 2010@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - [email protected] - ISTEK Schools International Conference 2010

There is no one ideal coursebook. Even the one you yourself wrote for last year’s class will probably be not good enough for next year’s class!

Close your eyes & visualise your coursebook; what image would you draw? Close your eyes & visualise your coursebook; what image would you draw? Spend a minute before you click on to next slideSpend a minute before you click on to next slide


Some teachers see their coursebook as a smiley face or a sun or a butterfly (happy Some teachers see their coursebook as a smiley face or a sun or a butterfly (happy images) others as a passport or tool and some even as a crutch or the holy book! images) others as a passport or tool and some even as a crutch or the holy book!

See next slide >>See next slide >>

@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - [email protected] - ISTEK Schools International Conference @Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - [email protected] - ISTEK Schools International Conference 20102010

References Choosing your Coursebook, A.Cunningsworth, 1995, Macmillan ELT

Blogpost Working with Coursebooks - Gathering Intelligence, Making a Choice – Marisa Constantinides blog post November 2009 on TEFL Matters


http://openlibrary.org/b/OL10243965M/Choosing_Your_Coursebook_(Handbooks_for_the_English_Classroom)

Grid adapted from one used in a talk I co-presented with with George Vassilakis 1998

FunFunReality Reality IdeologyIdeologyEducationEducationNeedsNeedsDesign Design



Too much writing on pageToo much writing on page Page too clutteredPage too cluttered Busywork – gapfills, mechanical Busywork – gapfills, mechanical

exercisesexercises Unmemorable – who are the people Unmemorable – who are the people

in these exercises ? in these exercises ? (Try to remember a (Try to remember a sentence from an exercise you did with your students sentence from an exercise you did with your students yesterday!)yesterday!)


No lead ins – or no curiosity or No lead ins – or no curiosity or guessworkguesswork

No fun and games No fun and games Boring, unmemorable contextsBoring, unmemorable contexts Boring, unmemorable charactersBoring, unmemorable characters


◦Close it!!!Close it!!!◦Personalise itPersonalise it◦Make it memorableMake it memorable◦Include a visual elementInclude a visual element◦Be humorous if possibleBe humorous if possible

Ideas from a workshop by Rod Bolitho 1998


Types of adaptationTypes of adaptation

Reordering Reordering use an activity earlier or lateruse an activity earlier or later CombiningCombining use two or three activities togetheruse two or three activities together AddingAdding supplement with VAs, extras supplement with VAs, extras ModifyingModifying use the activity but in a different wayuse the activity but in a different way SkippingSkipping sometimes the only thing you can do sometimes the only thing you can do!!


1. The Jigsaw principle 1. The Jigsaw principle 2. The information Gap principle 2. The information Gap principle 3. The Information Transfer Principle3. The Information Transfer Principle

(1-5 From K. Johnson’s (1-5 From K. Johnson’s Communicative Syllabus Design & MethodologyCommunicative Syllabus Design & Methodology ) )

Plus!Plus!4. The Ego Principle4. The Ego Principle 5. The Desire to Communicate Principle5. The Desire to Communicate Principle

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> see next for implications>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> see next for implications

@Marisa @Marisa ConstantinidesConstantinides CELT Athens - [email protected] - ISTEK Schools International Conference 2010 CELT Athens - [email protected] - ISTEK Schools International Conference 2010

Split up the information (texts, sentences Split up the information (texts, sentences etc)etc)

Share out information to different SsShare out information to different Ss Use charts, tables, graphs for Use charts, tables, graphs for

comprehension and productioncomprehension and production Create reasons for exchanging/ sharing info Create reasons for exchanging/ sharing info


Use tippex, text highlighters,scissors!Use tippex, text highlighters,scissors! Turn boring exercises into games & Turn boring exercises into games &

competitionscompetitions Exploit the paradoxExploit the paradox Allow creativity & improvisationAllow creativity & improvisation Let students change exercisesLet students change exercises Allow students to change dialogues, Allow students to change dialogues,

textstexts



Personalize-Personalize-not new but give it a new angle; not new but give it a new angle; e.g. get Ss to put themselves in dialogues, e.g. get Ss to put themselves in dialogues, stories, exercisesstories, exercises

Create desire to communicate – Create desire to communicate – through through personal investment, curiosity, competitiveness personal investment, curiosity, competitiveness

Be playful – Be playful – most boring exercises could be most boring exercises could be turned into some sort of game; even better, turned into some sort of game; even better, made by the students!made by the students!

filltakeenlarge manicurecutCheckDry cleanpull out washmeasuretestStyleclean permdye

What services can you get at each of the following places? Use the verbs in the box to describe them.

•hairdresser’s•dentist’s•optician’s•photographer’s•dry cleaner’s

Begin your examples like this:

You can have your ___________ at the hairdresser’s.

Very worthy but not easy to remember; teenagers might like writing crazy sentences like this:

You can have your feet enlarged at the hairdresser’sYou can have your feet enlarged at the hairdresser’s


Improvisation, Curiosity, Investment

Prrrrrrrrrr. Ring ring… Hello? Bzzzzzz!!!! Ouch!!


Look at the pictures & Look at the pictures & cluesclues

Guess the story by asking Guess the story by asking Questions; the Teacher Questions; the Teacher can only answer with a can only answer with a YES or NO! YES or NO!

YOU HAVE 4 MINUTES YOU HAVE 4 MINUTES ONLY! ONLY!

Use the answers to WRITE Use the answers to WRITE or TELL story or TELL story

Read story on next page & Read story on next page & vote for one closest to vote for one closest to original! original!


It was my birthday and at 8 o’clock I started getting ready for my birthday party. I had already laid the table and put out all the food and drinks. Then, I got in the bathtub and relaxed. I was singing happily when the phone rang. I stepped out of the tub quickly to run to the phone but unfortunately I slipped on a water puddle and fell down. Ouch! That hurt! I got up and picked up the phone, but by the time I had picked it up it was dead. I was going back to the bathroom, when the doorbell rang. I went to the door and opened it. A young man from the flower shop was there with a beautiful bunch of roses. I read the note. My friends at school had remembered my birthday! How wonderful! I ran back inside to put them in a vase but as I was unwrapping the flowers my cat got in the way, I tripped over it, fell down again and then a bee flew out of the flowers and stang me on the nose! By the time my friends arrived, I had already left for hospital, so there was no birthday party!

Note: For copyright reasons I have used one of my stories, but this is a great technique for any narrative or process/sequential text

Made with http://www.drawanywhere.com/launch.aspx

Information transferInformation transferFill in the boxes with the actions in chronological order


Instead of regular reading comprehension questions:

Read this story and write 3 Read this story and write 3 questions that the text DOES questions that the text DOES NOT answer.NOT answer.

Present your questions & see Present your questions & see which ones are funniest! which ones are funniest!

e.g. e.g.

How many roses were there in the How many roses were there in the bouquet?bouquet?

What was the name of the cat?What was the name of the cat?

Which hospital did she go to?Which hospital did she go to?

How long did she have to stay in hospital?How long did she have to stay in hospital?

etc. etc.

◦ Be creative; think outside the box! Be creative; think outside the box! ◦ Engage all the senses; VAK!Engage all the senses; VAK!◦ Think of mixed levels of ability; mix & match Think of mixed levels of ability; mix & match

Ss, tasks, materials! Ss, tasks, materials! ◦ Use technology to help you: storymakers, Use technology to help you: storymakers,

animation tools, voice recording toolsanimation tools, voice recording tools◦ Connect with other teachers using the same Connect with other teachers using the same

materials* materials* ◦ Create projects, wikis and blogs!Create projects, wikis and blogs!

*see last page for contact points! *see last page for contact points!



Go to http://voicethread.com/#e673560 – listen to the message and record your story!


An example of a story/dialogue animation tool; this one created by a student of Karenne Sylvester’s

Teachers can create similar for presentation or consolodation activities

N.B, Xtranormal cannot be shown in a powerpoint presentation as a video, so please visit the site and watch examples – you can watch this animation on line at http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/6272529/

I don’t think you are very interesting

I don’t think you’re very interested!

The problem with you is that you are bored!

The problem with you is that you are

boring!

Well, it’s not so amusing, you know.

You don’t seem amused at all with my story.

You don’t look very convinced to me.

Well, you do not sound very convincing!

You look so depressed! But your story is so depressing!

Improvisation, holistic practice, Improvisation, holistic practice, creativitycreativity


These phrases have been lifted from an exercise; students invent context, roles, relationships, improvise conversations; rest of class guesses context, roles etc

Improvisation & Curiosity


Animating your CoursebookAnimating your Coursebook

@@MarisaMarisa Constantinides CELT Athens - [email protected] - ISTEK Schools International Conference 2010 Constantinides CELT Athens - [email protected] - ISTEK Schools International Conference 2010

Crazy Captions

Show the students a copy of a photo in their book and ask them to write a crazy caption

Funniest one wins

To see an example please read relevant blog post here

Final WordsFinal Words


In a workshop it is normal that you should now have In a workshop it is normal that you should now have some hands on practice.some hands on practice.

I hope you will take these ideas and make your I hope you will take these ideas and make your coursebook a much better piece of material than coursebook a much better piece of material than even its author(s) even dreamed it could ever be! even its author(s) even dreamed it could ever be!

Best of luck with your animating Best of luck with your animating efforts and do please share your efforts and do please share your good ideas as a comment! good ideas as a comment!


Animating_your_Coursebook1.ppt

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