I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Marisa Constantinides, straight after the Twitter ELTChat talk on Wednesday 24th November. Marisa is one of the wonderful moderators for ELTChat. The top topic discussed at 4pm (Rome time) on that particular afternoon was " Do ELT lessons need to have a theme or focus, or is it enough just to communicate using English?" It was a bitterly cold day in Abruzzo, and the fire was roaring and crackling away in my living room.
Image above of fireplace found on google search hereYou can read the full transcript for that session by pressing on the link: http://eltchat.com/chat-transcripts/do-lessons-need-a-focus/. It proved to be a lively discussion and I was very happy to join in with my views. The chance to exchange opinions on all manners of topics with teachers from around the globe on a given day and time, every Wednesday at either 3pm or 9pm GMT is really wonderful and is great for one's CPD (Continuing Personal Development).
While it was very cold in Abruzzo, in Athens the temperature that day was 24 degrees!
You can listen to the podcast interview with the background crackle and pop of the blazing fire here.
There is also another interview on the podcast, directly after mine has ended, with Erika Osváth on the subject of "Soft Skills" that teachers need when teaching. You can see the ELTChat transcript of that topic here.
Leahn Stanhope from Early EFL blog has also followed the discussion up with a very interesting and thought-provoking blog post called "Teachers: Born or Made?" Please do add to the comments on her blog. It is a fascinating question.
A seasonal Christmas message from all the wonderful ELTChat team on Twitter can be viewed here.
If you have never joined in the ELTChat discussions, why don't you pop in this Wednesday afternoon at 3pm or Wednesday evening at 9pm GMT? The sessions last approximately one hour.
The topics you can choose for the chat on Wednesday 22nd December are listed here. I have opted for the topic of "How can we overcome teacher burnout?" Please do join in on Wednesday if you can! All you need is a Twitter account, and then follow the hashtag #ELTChat.
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5 comments:
Hi Janet,
Thank you once again for mentioning my post and blog!
I just wanted to say that I really enjoy the eltchats. I feel like I'm part of a worldwide staffroom. Getting to shareideas and opinions with other likeminded teachers is GREAT!
Have a very Merry Christmas in Abruzzio with K and your furry friends
L
Hi Leahn
You are right about it being like an ELT staffroom. It's a great place to mix and share ideas and learn from each other.
Located in the wilds of Abruzzo, surrounded by hundreds of olive trees, vineyards, wildlife and quite far from an F2F staffroom, I appreciate the contact I have with you and all the other teachers I get to meet online.
Thank you for your Christmas wishes! I hope you have a wonderful Christmas time in Fuerteventura as well!
J
Janet, first of all, thank you for clarifying to me how these chats work as well as when they are. I didn't know this. I will try to be there tomorrow.
I have listened to your interview and I find the topic very interesting. I believe that, whether we use a textbook or teach unplugged, we need to be able to improvise on the spot so as to follow our students' needs and interests. An experienced teacher can build in a lot of new vocabulary and grammar and direct the conversation in such a way that new vocabulary and grammar emerges.
Janet this is nothing to do with your post but i wanted to let you know that there is a short video on the Guardian Newspaper site today about the olive harvest in Italy AND i wanted to wish you and all who sail with you a very happychristmasnewyearever.
Thank you very kindly for your seasonal good wishes and the same for you!!
I will look out for the olive harvest article as soon as I can. Thanks for the tip!
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