Monitoring Student Activity.

Challenge – It can be difficult to monitor student activity while in break-out rooms. Moving between break-out rooms is time-consuming. Most students do not have lap-tops which makes the use of shared documents problematic. The solution presented here is to use an online ‘backchannel’ for direct communication with students. Activity Outline This method is intended

Using Whatsapp as a Channel for Sharing Classwork, Homework and Resources

Challenge – At the start of online teaching, one of the challenges was delivering and getting lower level learners who were mostly using mobiles phones to engage in the lesson. Using Whatsapp as a tool for sharing resources has worked especially well with this group. This has not only given learners the chance to take

Class Presentations Using Webquests and Breakout Rooms

Challenge – Giving presentations on subjects which they have researched themselves is helpful for learners, giving them applicable life skills both for future employment and further study. In the physical classroom the teacher might make use of selected printed texts for research, and then enable groupwork and a concluding classroom presentation. In the online classroom

Teaching New Vocabulary By Using Padlet To Move Images and Text.

Challenge – It is easy to get stuck in a rut when teaching vocabulary online. It is difficult to recreate matching activities, or any ‘hands on’ activity, which in the physical classroom would make a more dynamic and engaging atmosphere.  The solution presented here is to use Padlet in order to move images around the

Using Interactive Crosswords For Spelling

Challenge – Most learners find English spelling extremely difficult and it can be hard to find engaging ways to help them retain all the words they learn in lessons.  The solution presented here is to use an interactive crossword which learners can fill in themselves online.  This  gives a memorable and visual way to remember

Webquest (Version 2 – Group Work / Pair Work)

Challenge – Pair activity online seemed somewhat cumbersome at the beginning. One activity which lent itself to teamwork was a webquest used to introduce the lesson topic. The resources available online are perhaps too broad and had copious amounts of information (Wikipedia or Google). It can be difficult to sift through the amount of data

Using Padlet to Facilitate Peer Assessment and Learning

Challenge –It can be challenging to get students to assess and learn from other’s work  in online platforms like Zoom. That’s because it can be difficult for peers to share work in Zoom, especially when students are accessing learning via their phone and cannot share files so easily.   The solution presented here is to use

Using Zoom Chat For Reading Activities

Challenge – It can be challenging to do reading activities online as often learners do not have an access to a printer or computer, meaning they will be viewing the reading materials on a mobile phone. Moreover, if you want learners to do group reading activities in breakout rooms, they will not be able to

Using PDF Files For Online Reading Activities

Challenge – It can be challenging to do reading activities online as often learners do not have an access to a printer or computer, meaning they will be viewing the reading materials on a mobile phone. Moreover, if you want learners to do group reading activities in breakout rooms, they will not be able to