Conducting a ‘Running Dictation’ Online

Challenge – A ‘running dictation’ is a useful way for learners to improve listening skills, memorise text, and speak clearly with correct pronunciation. Whilst it is an easy activity to set up in a physical classroom, it’s harder to recreate in an online setting. This online version achieves most of these criteria by using movement

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

Using the Zoom Chat Box to Communicate

Challenge – A few months into the online model, lower level learners were introduced to the Zoom chat box wherein they could type their answers in lieu of the Whatsapp photos. The main challenge here was the unfamiliarity with the English keyboard, which meant they spent more time searching for the letters and struggled a

Online Webquest (Version 1 – Individual Work)

Challenge – Online lessons sometimes can descend into chaos just because of the noise in the virtual classroom. It helps to have activities such as this to help learners learn a little on their own. This can be used as a warmer or cooler activity also. Tools Used – Zoom , Google, WhatsApp Activity Outline

Using Google Forms to Facilitate a Speaking Activity

Challenge – Speaking activities online have a tendency to be stilted. Students can find it unnatural and awkward to converse. Equally, it is difficult for the teacher to provide prompts as students are in break-out rooms. Tools Used – Zoom Breakout Rooms, Google Forms Activity Outline In this example learners were asked to have a

Using Zoom Breakout Rooms to Facilitate Online Mingling

Challenge – Mingling can be difficult in the online environment.  Sometimes learners have little control over who they speak to, for example when making breakout rooms, the teacher or the computer decides on the groupings.  The solution presented here is to use the ‘Let participants choose room’ function and a speaking exercise.  This will enable

Using Zoom Chat to Facilitate Speaking Activities

Challenge – In a classroom discussion can easily be facilitated by the provision of speaking prompts (e.g., a sheet with questions). When sent into smaller groups online however, students will often forget the focus of the speaking activity and discussion will often run-out-of-steam. An easy way to overcome this is for the teacher to paste

Allowing Learners To Choose Discussion Topic With Zoom Breakout Rooms

Challenge – Some topics can be personally challenging for learners to discuss in the lesson and it can be difficult online to create a situation where learners control discussion choice.  The solution presented here is to rename breakout rooms with topics and use the ‘Let participants choose room’ function so learners can choose what they

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