Teaching Listening

             Listening is receptive language skill besides reading. The goal of teaching listening is to help students maximize their strategies in listening to improve their comprehension. This skill becomes one of ability which is tested in some international English test, such as TOEFL, IELTS, etc. if teachers only teach listening intensively in the class, I’m sure it will spend much time as each students has different capability in applying the strategies. Therefore, teachers need to motivate students to learn listening extensively. They can listen news, songs, tips or many things from media, such as radio, podcast, sound cloud, etc.

But if we let them too free to choose their extensive listening, I’m worry that they will be not serious here. Teachers need to be creative in recording some important things that students need to achieve. Don’t be worry to make them bored as teachers can have a vote to decide what topic they want to listen and make them interest. Teachers can record it using mobile phone or anther recording software, such as Audacity. This software provides not only to record our voice in good quality but also to edit it perfectly. Here, I will give you a Tutorial how to use Audacity.Audacity Tutorial

Teachers’ recording can be uploaded in Podcast.com or Soundcloud.com as they are one of the easiest voice link that can be accessed.Souncloud Tutorial Therefore, students can listen what the teachers upload whenever they want. Don’t forget to give students’ task to evaluate their progress in listening. 

Here is the example of soundcloud Culture Shock

Teaching Reading

            Reading is one of language skill that include as receptive skill. It means that this skill is students’ ability to absorb knowledge by using their eyes from a text. Teaching reading seems so bored since the students only sit down and read a text then the teacher will evaluate their understanding by giving questions, etc. Even if technology has given to us some ideas to improve teachers’ creativity to teach reading, the teachers cannot move from this traditional method.

Comic is one of alternative way to make reading class be more interesting. It is not just about text but it includes some pictures so that the students will be not bored to read even if the story is so long. We know that comic has many fanatic fans today. So that in this chance, I want share some websites that allow you to make your personal comic that can adjust the topic that you will teach. This is the example of my own comic.

Do not feel confuse how to make this amazing comic. Here I will give you a tutorial to make your own wonderful comic using Pixton.com. "Comic Pixton Tutorial" You can use another websites such as Toondoo.com, etc.

Teaching Writing

                Writing is one of productive language skill that must be learned by students competently. For me, it may be one of the toughest jobs a teacher faces, especially for teachers in EFL classroom. Effective teaching writing takes so much time: time to practice, time to share writing, time to revise writing, and time to respond and evaluate all of that writing. Many teachers try to avoid teaching writing as it takes a lot of time. In addition, they need to reach all target materials in the curriculum in just a short time. I’m sure in this part, teachers will be frustrated.

                But now, technology can save us. We just need to be aware with technology so it can facilitate us everything that we need with its’ application. Google, as we know, is the most popular search engine. But beside that function, Google provides many things which is very helpful for teachers. One of them is Google Drive. Teachers can use Google Drive for teaching writing media. They can ask students to do collaborative writing by evaluating each others, adding information, etc. This activity will not need to spend much time in the class as students can do it outside the class with Wi-Fi connection. Just give them a deadline to produce a specific theme writing and teachers can evaluate it online. Click this link "Google Drive Tutorial" to know how to start the collaborative writing using Google Drive.

Fill-in-the-Gap Exercises

Fill the Blank or we can say Fill in the Gap is one of exercises that can be chosen to examine students’ understanding. Some teachers use it to evaluate grammar or vocabulary. In traditional method, sometimes the teachers make it by giving the answer choice directly beside the blank. I think it is less challenging as the students’ thinking limits on those choices. It will not make different with multiple-choice question.

Especially for computer-based class, the teachers can use Hot Potatoes (JCloze) to make this evaluation be more challenging. You can include clues, not other answer choices, to improve your students’ thinking skills. In addition, you can give limitation time so that your students will do this with high concentration because when the time is end, the students will have no more time to finish it.

This is the example of JCloze (ready to use)

This is the example of JCloze (process)

This is tutorial how to make this exercise using JCloze Hot Potatoes.

JCloze Hot Potatoes Tutorial

Teaching Integrated Skills in EFL/ESL Classroom

            Very often we find EFL/ESL class in Junior or Senior High School is taught by the teacher in separation skill. In making lesson plan, the teacher only focus on a skill in each meeting. Moreover, they always use teaching media which include another skill to understand it. For example, the teacher asks students to watch video or read some articles to be told in front of the class. We know that the teacher wants to focus on students’ speaking skill but they forget that watching video need students’ listening skill and read some articles needs their reading skill. In this part, the teachers need to be aware of teaching integrated skill so that all students’ language skills will be cared.

            In this occasion, I will give an idea about teaching and learning media that can be used for teachers to improve students interest and pay big attention to students’ integrated skill indirectly. We can use “Videoscribe”. Videoscribe is one of application to make an interesting “board” video. We can include voices to support the written in the board explanation. This is a tutorial how to use Videoscribe. (Sparkol Videoscribe Tutorial)

If you want to know more the video, just check Facebook for Teaching Media

Timeline

         Timeline is an actual picture of event that happened in history. There are many benefits that we can take from using this as learning media. It can make shorter the history of important knowledge that can improve our students' interest as it can be made from many colours, shapes, pictures, etc. In addition, it only contains some spesific sentences which is chriterias of an event. Therefore, our students will be easy to remember all important events easily. Besides, internet has given us many websites and software to create timeline creatively and quickly, such as timetoast.com, tiki-toki.com, dipity.com or timeglider.com. 

         I think timeglider.com is the most easiest website to create a timeline. Here I will give you a video how to make timeline using timeglider.com Tutorial of Creating Timeline

This is an example of timeline about History of CALL.

Mind-Map

Mind-mapping can be used in different learning and thinking process. People make use of various colors, images, symbols and errors, etc. In education sector, mind maps are commonly used for note making, creative thinking, report writing and decision making (Li, Yang & Chen, 2010). As stated by Wen (2006), graphic learning helps to promote learning motivation and develop self-learning abilities. In short, mind-map can be one of interesting media for teacher, especially English teacher, in their teaching process. COOGLE, one of mind-mapping websites, can help teacher to make a graphic learning easier. This site is very easy to use and also provide many line colors that can make it more interesting. You can see one of the example of mind map by clicking Online Resources for Learning English .

Here, I will provide the tutorial of making coogle by watching this video Coogle Tutorial