Blog for students and teachers

Today I thought I'd write about another blog that I'm involved in.

Nuestro blog

Self-Access materials for ESL teachers and students

For the past 4 years, I, along with a group of local teachers, have been preparing materials for teachers and instituto students.  We meet once a fortnight and develop materials to upload to the blog.  This year, we have been trying to expand the range of materials available on the blog and have prepared several videos for use in class.

Contenidos

Animals (3) Cinema (4) Communication (7) Crime (2)Culture (36) Curiosities (40) Dates (12)Education (13) Environment (4) Fashion (3) Festivals (2)Food (6) Funny stories (3) Grammar (4) Health (8) Holidays(5) Internet (14) Keys for PAU texts (71)Language (8) LINKS to ESL Activities (1) Listening (4) Money (4)Music (12) Nature (5) News (2) Numbers (2) PAU Texts (72) People (13) Pronunciation (1) Quotations(5) Reading (70) Science (5) Sports (6)Technology (25) Transport (3) Travel (22) Videos(28) Vocabulary (27) Work (2) Writing (6)

As you can see, the biggest section focuses on PAU texts.  (This is the exam that Spanish students have to take on various subjects in order to get into university).

The ones on our blog are specifically written taking the format of the PAU exam here in Cantabria (where I live) into account.  We have been delighted with the number of visits from both teachers and students to this and other sections.

Recently, we have been updating the links we have on the blog. Currently, we have 19 different categories of links.  I've rediscovered old gems and also some new sites worth sharing - future posts will cover some of these.

I hope you will visit the blog and that you appreciate the hard work behind it.  Please feel free to use the material and send us your comments and suggestions!

And if you write or know of any blogs you think should be recommended on the Teaching Together Blog, please send me the details!

New Writing and Speaking Assessment Scales and Handbooks

I'd been waiting for the new Handbooks for the Cambridge ESOL exams to appear on the website.  I'd heard they were coming out.

So when I received my ezine from Teacher Support yesterday with the links to the handbooks, I thought I'd write about them on this blog.

Handbooks for TeachersThis month we have published the new Handbooks for Teachers. These handbooks contain an overview of the exam and its place within Cambridge ESOL. This is followed by a focus on each paper and includes: content, advice on preparation, example papers and speaking and writing assessment scales where appropriate. Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) Handbook  Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) Handbook Cambridge English: First (FCE) Handbook Cambridge English: Preliminary (PET) Handbook Cambridge English: Key (KET) Handbook Cambridge English: Business Certificates (BEC) Handbook Cambridge English: Young Learners (YLE) Handbook The sample materials for the different papers in each exam is the same. So, what's different about the new handbooks? The new Speaking and Writing Scales! Here is some information on the new Writing Scales, taken from the Preliminary Handbook: Assessment scales Examiners mark tasks using assessment scales that were developed with explicit reference to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The scales, which are used across the spectrum of Cambridge ESOL’s General and Business English Writing tests, consist of four subscales: Content, Communicative Achievement, Organisation, and Language: • Content focuses on how well the candidate has fulfilled the task, in other words if they have done what they were asked to do. • Communicative Achievement focuses on how appropriate the writing is for the task and whether the candidate has used the appropriate register. • Organisation focuses on the way the candidate puts together the piece of writing, in other words if it is logical and ordered. • Language focuses on vocabulary and grammar. This includes the range of language as well as how accurate it is. Responses are marked on each subscale from 0 to 5. And the great news is that the same areas are assessed from Cambridge English: Key up to Cambridge English: Proficiency.  A 5 at Key would be awarded a 3 at Preliminary and a 1 at First. Check out the remarked sample writing scripts in the handbooks.  The examples really make the different areas of assessment clear I feel. The same thing happens with the Speaking Scales. I for one approve!

#CambExpBcn Rosie Burke: Songs and Games in the YL classroom

And today, I am delighted to have the chance to chat to Rosie Burke, another member of the Cambridge ESOL Presenters Team, who will be delivering the talk Songs and Games in the YL classroom – Spicing up your classes - without losing control! at The Cambridge Experience Barcelona , on Saturday 17th  March at CasaConvalescència UAB Campus.

Hello Rosie, why did you decide to go into English language Teaching? 

I went into English Language teaching just after training to be a secondary school teacher in 1977. 

I worked on an international summer camp near London and met a lot of students from all over Europe. Some of the teachers I worked with there were moving to Spain and I came with them, thinking that a year abroad would do me good.  And here I am, 35 years later. I started EFL with reel to reel tapes and a banda machine. I used to end every day with broken tapes and hands covered with ink.J  I have seen many changes over the years but I still love my job!!

Now I get the opportunity to travel and compare EFL in different countries and have recently visited Jordan and Brazil for work – methods can be very different but children are children wherever I go.

What is your talk about? 

Using games and songs in the young learner classroom and integrating them into every class as part of skills work while at the same time preparing the children to take a formal exam with ease.

Why do you think teachers should see your talk?

Teachers who come to this talk should go away with the idea that routines are important for primary school children – but there should still be a fun element in the class.  It is important that children use their target language in all aspects of the classroom as well as when  they are on task.  We will be looking at ideas to promote this among teachers as well as young learners.

What's your all-time top tip for English language teachers? 

Use lots of humour and positive motivation at all levels! Smile! :-) and keep up the enthusiasm.

Thanks Rosie! A pleasure... as usual!