| The Situation | | | | you that if your classes aren't regularly enhanced by |
| Think about your learners for a moment. After school, | | | | more aspects the learners are used to, use and |
| what do they do? What occupies them evenings, | | | | experience in their everyday lives outside of the |
| weekends and holidays? Where do they go? What | | | | classroom, how do you think they feel about your |
| activities do they enjoy? How? Are they in a traditional | | | | classes where they might just sit and do "exercises" |
| classroom or receiving home schooling? | | | | or listen to you talk and / or explain? The answer is |
| | | | simple. They'll think, "This class is B-O-R-I-N-G". Their |
| How about movies? Do your learners like and watch | | | | capable young minds will drift and their attention will be |
| movies with any regularity? In most of the developing | | | | lost. In a worst-case-classroom scenario, pandemonium |
| world that's another big time YES. While the kinds of | | | | could ensue. And it's all YOUR fault. |
| movies different learners may watch and like can vary | | | | Some Suggestions |
| widely, surely they'll have preferences that stir their | | | | But hold on there. What might be done to circumvent |
| emotions and get their "juices" flowing. | | | | such a dire scenario? |
| Then there's the telephone. Can you even imagine | | | | There's plenty, that's what. And, NO - it won't cost a |
| how much time your daily charges spend yakking | | | | fortune to upgrade your skills, activities, equipment and |
| away about this or that to their friends, classmates | | | | teaching. Adapt your class tools to include some of the |
| and whoever else? Perhaps where you are your | | | | following high and low tech aids to help boost the |
| learners even have their own cellular phones. Even if | | | | attention, participation and learning that takes place in |
| not, whether it's their family landline or a community | | | | your hallowed classroom. You'll likely note a dramatic |
| telephone, you can just bet that they're on it every | | | | difference in the learners' attitude and class |
| chance they get. | | | | participation almost immediately. Here are some tools |
| Now there's music. Do they use cassette players, CD | | | | you might want to consider. |
| players, MP3 / MP4 devices, DVD's or even a | | | | Some Twenty-First Century Tools |
| phonograph? Almost certainly they do. One or more of | | | | TV / VCR / DVD Player |
| these devices are likely a regular fixture in the daily | | | | You can use these for showing documentaries and |
| lives of your learners. They often live and breathe | | | | relevant video clips either in the classroom or other |
| music whether it's a genre you like, one you can at | | | | common area reserved for this purpose. |
| least "tolerate" or one of those "oh my god, you listen | | | | Audio-cassette / DVD Player |
| to that!" | | | | Here you'll have recorded materials from radio, TV and |
| Your learners (and you too for that matter) are | | | | / or cable as well as commercially available materials |
| constantly bombarded by visuals and graphics in the | | | | from ELT or educational publishing houses. These can |
| form of signs, logos, billboards, notices, photos, pictures | | | | include stories, fairy tales, narratives, news, reviews, |
| and images of virtually every description. From | | | | commentary and even commercials. |
| scratchings in the sand to chalkboard talk to the | | | | Video Beam |
| slickest of online and televised video "infomercials", | | | | Prepared Power Point presentations of your own, |
| visuals too are an integral of your learners everyday | | | | from colleagues or from commercial sources can be |
| life. | | | | incorporated into your lesson planning and classroom |
| And oh yes, there's the culture-pervading PC | | | | repertoire using this now more commonly available |
| computer. Where would you have to be to get away | | | | resource in an auditorium or other common area. |
| from them? At the high end of the spectrum, there are | | | | Over Head Projector (OHP) |
| video games, ipods, e-mail, RSS feeds, blogs, vlogs and | | | | As far as I'm concerned, this is one piece of equipment |
| the multiple facets of the internet. Lower tech | | | | that is a mainstay of the language classroom. It's often |
| applications might include using word processing | | | | available, but grossly under-utilized. Acetate sheet |
| software, spreadsheets or databases for routine | | | | transparencies are quick and inexpensive to produce, |
| applications. Although typewriters still exist, countless | | | | often costing mere pennies a piece. Shadow figures |
| minions use computers to do homework and prepare | | | | and freely available materials from teacher download |
| basic letters, writing and reports. | | | | sites like make using this resource almost "child's play" |
| Some Considerations | | | | as Chucky would say. |
| So where am I going with all of this? Simply to remind | | | | |