Different methods for english practice

The coursebook is such a useful and handy teaching aid since a lot of specialists worked together to carefully prepare and offer relevant information and practice in all skills while covering the curricula. It has the advantage that a teacher can also change a lesson or the order of them according to the interest of students. In the modern era we live in, using just the coursebook is seen as unproductive or not stimulating enough the engagement of learners in the activities. I also use flip charters and computer-based presentation technology, my favorite being power point presentations and the interactive whiteboard, discussed in the next paragraphs. Translating a part of a text from the coursebook and writing down new vocabulary after reading and translating a text from the coursebook are illustrated in the pictures below:

Considering different types of offering and showing information to learners, the board has been used as well as an interactive whiteboard, but also for flip charts, worksheets, projectors, pictures (small, page size or wall pictures) and so on. As a note pad for words and phrases to remember, the simple whiteboard or board is often the most used, also as an explanation aid, picture frame (for drawing pictures or vocabulary related to the weather as it often happens) or game board. Students are also enthusiastic to use them, as shown in the picture above, in an activity describing free time activities or designing an imaginary company, but the handwriting (of both teacher and students) need to be clear and big enough for the students in the last desks in our huge and numerous classes to be able to see. It is a good starting point for class debates, as well as good for offering pre-reading or pre-writing activities. After certain activities, summarizing, giving feedback or post-reading activities have also been considered.

In the modern era using a smartboard is considered a must. Various vocabulary and grammar activities have been used individually, but also in pairs and in small groups. Students are very motivated to participate, as they consider exercises using technology as gaming, as it can be seen in the pictures below. When working in groups, they are easily engaged in supporting the leader who acts in their behalf as a representative of the group and chooses, matches, writes or draw as the exercise instructs. When students with disabilities come to practice various skills on different simple exercised on the smartboard, it has found that it is less stressful for them to name or let them choose another student, more confident to help him solve the task together. It is also difficult for students who do not have access to a computer or the internet at home to build the confidence needed to approach the board, let alone touch it to solve stuff, but practice makes it easier every time. Such technology however, from the smartboard itself to various software it needs, are very expensive and therefore inaccessible to most schools in the city, let alone the villages. But when smart boards are available, or even computers for the entire classroom connected to the internet are available, teacher can conduct exercises involving students searching the internet on a specific topic, or filling in the blanks with information they are allowed to search the net (they particularly liked finding personal information on various pop stars, singers and bands), use encyclopedias, webquests, online chatting, blogging and so on. All teenagers, especially those with mental disabilities need constant supervision of any online activity, for their own protection, inside and outside the school.

Children with mental disabilities and / or autism often behave as being much younger than their chronological age, thus involving them in games that their peers consider childish is beneficial for their learning. Regardless of age and cognitive development, play is fundamental to communication and therefore teaching. It releases stress, it stimulates creativity while for children is a safe environment for expressing and exploring relationships, confessing wishes and feelings. Children’s language remains behind their cognitive development, and they communicate through play. Thus, toys are perceived as words, and play as language.

Games involving English practice are easy to find, tricky to apply sometimes but fun altogether. Whether they are run in the classroom or outside the classroom, as one might see in the images above, with traditional tools or online, on a smartboard, on a computer or on the desks, games are a powerful learning resource. Teenagers with and without disabilities happily engage in competitions, such as solving puzzles, naming shapes and objects / animals constructed and represented in tangram as in the picture below, wordsearches (found on mes-english. com a variation of wordsearches on many topic, with given names, images or definitions) crosswords etc. Students with disabilities who were interested in Lego were more willing to practice vocabulary related to shapes, color and objects while manipulating pieces of Lego, like in the picture below. Students with low speaking skills proved to practice easily the vocabulary related to shapes and colors while manipulating magnetic pieces of games, as show below. Games involving surveys or word order have also been met with enthusiasm by teenage learners who get to know each other better and these activities are often followed by debates on lifestyle or questions and answers that students discover, to practice integrated skills. Students guessing different food items, people or objects after other students describe cards or show them parts / other objects related to the item that needs guessing was also fun and educational. Competitions with more teams striving to be the first to put words in the correct order to form sentences are among their favorite, too.

Cards were also a favourite means of showing information. The advantages of cards is that teachers can make them with whatever content he needs, but also buy them, in all shapes and sizes. Another important factor is that they may be laminated, therefore used many times again and again, since students may write, draw or fill in on them with whiteboard markers, and at the end of the activity it can be easily erased and ready to be ides again. Cards may be used as shown in the pictures for matching, ordering, sorting, selecting, fill in the gaps, as well as card games. Some also have colourful and funny activities, available to practice any level of English and all aspects of vocabulary or grammar.