Discovering Grammar through Learner Collaboration

Karen Taylor presented a wonderful way to work with grammar in the classroom called Grammar Dictation. This is a great strategy because students are able to practise the four skills, i.e. listening, writing, reading, and speaking. We can make our students take notes, work in groups, look at the context, work with vocabulary and pronunciation, disscuss, negotiate meaning, etc. The teacher is a kind of mediator and the student is the focus of the activity. This is how it works.

• First, the teacher reads a text aloud.


• Each student creates a "battered" text.


• In groups, students reconstruct the text.

This activity is very useful because

• It integrates skills.
• Fosters language awareness.
• Prompts meaningful interaction.

Put it into practice and see the results! don't let your students miss the opportunity to learn grammar in a differnet way!

Building Syllable and Word Stress Awareness

Today we worked a lot with pronunciation. As yesterday we learnt new techniques and strategies about multiple intelligences, Shirley taught us many activities that we can use in the classroom taking into account multiple intelligences. It was very interesting all we learnt and I am sure we will put them into practice successfully!

Experiencing Accelerated Learning with Multiple Intelligences

Today we had a wonderful lecture by Kathleen D. Carroll, M.Ed. She taught us a lot about accelerated learning with multiple intelligences. The question was how we can reframe learning and make the puzzle complete. She started the lecture by showing us how to prepare the learning environment and doing some activities. For example, making a group circle while listening to music, in order to achieve group connectedness and safety. After that, we listened to a song that was really nice. Next, she presented the Peg System for Memory. We were surprised how well she remembered the order of words! we asked how she did that! so she explained the system. It really works! we said. We had a lot of fun together. Later, we talked about the different intelligences and how we can use them in the classroom. We also roleplayed a story about multiple intelligences. That was fantastic! very funny, too. Finally, we talked about how to use multiple intelligences in the classroom. We mentioned different activies and share them with our partners. It was great everything we learnt from Kathleen! Thank you.

My First Day at MEI

This week will be a success if I learn a lot of new things that improve my teaching.