Using the Internet when teaching Cambridge exams for kids

Using on-line resources when teaching towards Cambridge exams for children and teenagers (KET, PET and FCE)

Tatiana Polovinkina

© BKC-IH Moscow Teacher Training Centre 2012

Aims of the session• To consider the reasons for using online

resources when teaching kids for exams• To address some issues connected with using

technology in the classroom• To familiarize ourselves with some materials

and tools available online and consider their usefulness

• To share ideas and provide references on further information on using online teaching


Outline of the session

•Why use the Internet?What?How?When?•Official Cambridge ESOL site•Other useful resources and

tools•Questions and Answers


Why?

•It is there!•Motivation•Keeping up with our students•Professional development•New opportunities


What? Type of material When you use it

How•e.g. Songs/lyrics - Fun/Listening comprehension

for gist/detail/ in class


Range of types •Factual information (e.g. exam

handbooks)•Teaching resources for exams (e.g. ready-

to-use, free, for purchase)•Useful non-exam teaching materials

(graded: suitable for particular age/level or authentic)

•Resources for students (e.g. i-tests)•Authentic and non-authentic : films,

songs, articles, pod casts etc.© BKC-IH Moscow Teacher Training Centre 2012

How and when?Range of uses/tools available•Traditional handouts in class or as

homework•Video and audio materials in class or as

homework•Working on-line in class or at home (e.g.

synchronously and asynchronously, using VLEs, social networking sites, wikis, discussion groups)

•Individual and group projects with various levels of independence (e.g. using comic makers, shared whiteboards etc.)


Practical outcome for teaching

• Important to know where to find things and how to use them (aim, timing, exam focus)- easy to start with ready-made ones to see how they work – then you will be ready to create your own.


Hardware, software and liveware

•Minimal system requirements•Space for instructions, interaction and

feedback; activity tools•Rules of on-line communication vs. rules

of f2f communication


Liveware

Teaching online is more than tackling the technology. It is still teaching. No matter how smooth your technical delivery, you are still running language courses (Hocky & Clandfield, 2010: p. 27).


www.cambridgeesol.org

• Factual info (dates, handbooks, sample papers, wordlists, information for candidates, etc.)

• Teaching Resources – ready-made, downloadable for free; full coverage including video extract of speaking; teachers’ rating, comments and forum; created both by Cambridge ESOL and teachers

• Teaching tips (e.g. how to give feedback)• Corpora research and its application – link to

English Profile• More updates every day (e.g. webinars,

Cambridge English Teacher)


http://www.cambridgeesol.org/



Other useful sites

www.bbc.co.uk e.g. Learning English (The Teacher, Keep

your English up to date, phrasal verbs, etc.)

http://www.youtube.com/e.g. podcasts, songs, film clips,

instructions, NG


http://www.bbc.co.uk/

http://www.youtube.com/

Other useful tools•Comic creator sites

http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/How-to-Play/Educators/

http://www.pixton.com/•Concordance sites (BNC, Lextutor)http://www.natcorp.ox.ac.uk/http://www.lextutor.ca/•Shared whiteboardshttp://www.dabbleboard.com/




http://www.pixton.com/

http://www.natcorp.ox.ac.uk/

http://www.lextutor.ca/

http://www.dabbleboard.com/

Activities•Show and tell (My Precious)•Things in Common•Reading race•Jigsaw tasks•Your picture, my story•I’d like some information…•What about you?•My favourite podcast•Listen to this!


Activities (cont.)

•Grammar in the clouds•Corpus work•Create your own mindmap

•Feedback and praise!!!



Word clouds

It is important never to lose site of the liveware, and it is unlikely that computers will ever replace the teacher. Good online teaching needs effective human mediation – and this is provided by the teacher, not by automatic ‘drag and drop’ activities.


Useful teacher training resources and references

• Sharma, P., Barret, B. Blended Learning (2007), Macmillan

• Dudeney, G. & Hockly, N. (2007). How to Teach English with Technology. Harlow: Pearson Education Limited

• Hockly, N., Clandfield, L. Teaching Online (2010), Delta Publishing

• Webinars by leading publishers (e.g. CUP, Macmillan)

• Online conferences (e.g. IH)• Online teaching communities © BKC-IH Moscow Teacher Training Centre

2012

BKC-IH Teacher Training Centre

E-mail: [email protected]: (495) 2340314

www.bkc.ru

www.CambridgeESOL.org© BKC-IH Moscow Teacher Training Centre

2012

http://www.bkc.ru/pre_teachers/index