Marmara Elt Resources

Learning any language can often become quite a tedious affair. There are endless grammar rules to memorize, and thousands of vocabulary words to try to hold in mind until they are needed. One of the primary enemies in learning English is boredom. English learning games can provide a bit fun in the long process of learning a language. Here are a few ideas for English learning games that can be used in classrooms or among friends.

Game #1: Fill in the blanks. How many times is an English student left searching for just the right word? This game can help students learn different ways of saying something and making it fun. Simply take an easy to understand paragraph (song lyrics are often good for this game) and take out several words. For instance:

Johnny was walking home one fine _______ and happened to notice a ______ lying on the ground. He stopped to pick it up and found that it was glued onto a piece of _____.

English students can find different words that will work in each sentence. If the students want ot make a competition out of it, they can award points for who can come up with the most alternative words for the blanks. On the other hand, points can be awarded in each round for the student who can think up the longest word that would fit in the sentence. Read the rest of this entry »

Visual Brainstorming
When traditional thinking has become stale or dried up, visual brainstorming using graphic ideation may be a useful alternative
Idea Generation Phase, set a high target: e.g. to generate 20-30 basic idea-sketches on a specific problem in 1hr. If in groups you could begin with private sketches which you then pool, perhaps a round robin. Quick, impulsive ideas put into sketch can help to avoid undeveloped ‘lost’ thoughts/ideas. Rapid response to an idea with an immediate sketch creates momentum, preventing any critical thought processes to intervene.

Evaluation Phase, With a collection of sketched ideas, they can now be evaluated.

1. Present your idea-sketches, trying to observe them with as much imagination as possible
2. Think of yourself as a critic, so looking at them from another perspective
3. Rotate the sketches, place images on images, cover top of bottom half, these varying tactics may inspire yet another idea
4. Comparison. Clustering all the sketches together, place complex ones with simplistic ones, make comparisons, more ideas could be generated at this stage.
5. Log all the ideas that come to mind throughout the session, using different coloured pens to denote initial ideas, continuing ideas and then final more paramount ideas.

Teaching Culture: A Variation On Jigsaw Reading
Key Words: Reading, Culture
Learner English Level: High Intermediate to Advanced Learner
Learner Maturity Level: College or University
Preparation Time: Varies — time needed to locate appropriate readings
Activity Time: About ninety minutes
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One of the challenges of developing a content-based English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course is how exactly to exploit authentic, academic text so that students improve reading and other language skills in a communicative, meaningful context. Although there has been some debate about the usefulness of authentic materials for the language learner, an EAP program that is training its students to eventually attain the necessary skills to function in a foreign (British, American, etc.) university has no choice but to expose students to authentic materials as early and as much as possible. What teachers do with this sometimes very difficult material in order to address skills such as speed, skimming, guessing at meaning, developing vocabulary, critical evaluation, and other competencies needed at higher education levels, is a critical factor both in course development and in day-to-day teaching methods. Read the rest of this entry »

A Simple, Guided-Discovery Learning Activity
Ichiyama Yoko 
 QUICK GUIDE

Key Words:Guided-discovery learning activity, grammar
Learner English Level: Adaptable
Learner Maturity Level: Adaptable
Preparation Time: 30 minutes or less
Activity Time: 20 minutes
Materials: A reading passage and some example sentences

As a junior high school teacher, I have often found students to be passive and unmotivated in grammar lessons where teachers rely heavily on a deductive approach. However, on one occasion I found that students not only acquired the grammar rules more easily, but also actively participated in the process of acquiring target grammar rules when they were asked to work out the rules for themselves.

In order to encourage students to be involved in the process of discovering the rules of the target grammar items, I decided to introduce a simple guided-discovery learning activity to my class. As a result of the incorporation of guided-discovery learning into the classroom, students’ attitudes towards grammar learning have greatly improved. Read the rest of this entry »