We’ve been studying the local shops and businesses.
The other day, students used (digital) cameras to photograph some of the shops. We brainstormed a huge list of all the shops in the area. Then people wrote short descriptive pieces about some of the shops. They could work in ms publisher, powerpoint or on paper.
As a group, we created texts on the big screen in powerpoint, and then added audio to the powerpoint slides. Most of the learners were not game to put their voice on record, so i recorded some of the screens.
Today i used all the software .. and students worked on paper.
i found that XnView, my favourite image application, can print a page full of selected images direct from the (image) browser.
i used WorksheetGenius and AtoZteacherStuff to create some worksheets for learners who prefer word games to writing. (Anagrams, wordsearch, jumbled sentences..)
i used ms word to make flashcards
(using the menu: “Table > Convert text to table”)
.. and also to draft some suggested writing activities.
We played games with the flashcards and the images .. people give clues about the word / shop they have, and others have to guess. Then to match word and image across the table.
After the break i put all the worksheets up front, and said people could choose what to do. It worked so much better than before when i would dole out sheets one by one.
Some teachers say that worksheets are just “Busy Work”, ie keeping students busy but teaching them very little. i often agree, but then find that students are sometimes more comfortable with what they perceive as “proper classroom learning” (ie worksheets), than they are with other activities (eg small-group collaborative problem-solving, or creative work).
So i aim for balance .. and sometimes find it