28 April 2017 / by Ryan Beaudelaire

Preparing for class, classroom experience!

Oxinity Friday Meeting - Barcelona

Team game - Preparing for class, classroom experience.

Friday greetings Esl teachers!

The objective of our Friday meeting this week was to bring some attention to the way we prepare for class and to share experiences that we have had in the classroom. The good, the bad and the ugly!

We all have our own ideas and experiences so this is a great way to prepare us for all the things that could, can and will happen in our day.

As a group play the game "two truths and a lie"

Get the team together, or play it with a friend.

The game will be split into 3 rounds, we have an extra bonus round of grammar just for good practice!

> Round 1: Preparation - This round is based on how a teacher should prepare for a class to ensure they are ready for anything.

> Round 2: Classroom experiences - This round is connected to any real or imagined experience a teacher has had in the classroom.

> Round 3: Grammar - This round is related to grammar. It should test the other player's grammar knowledge.

Each player receives 1 point when they correctly state which of the 3 sentences is a lie.

The winner is the person with the most points at the end of the game.

Worksheet for you and your team

Capture all your information on this form. Space to write your truths and lies, and some feedback on what each person learns today or is inspired by. Another great chance to share some positivity with each other. You´ll see ours from today below!

Our true stories and tips - Preparing for class

Ashley Curran - ¨Look through and pick the most interesting topics.¨

His lie...? ¨Skip activities on topics I don´t like!¨

Charlotte Snow Harrison - ¨Sometimes activities need to be adapted depending on the group size so be prepared for this.¨

Her lie...? ¨Sometimes I invent meanings to words I´m not sure of!¨

Alex Johnstone - ¨Check for target language and see where it will come in during the activity.¨

His lie...? ¨Don´t prepare activities, it's more exciting to invent it on the spot!¨

Our true stories of classroom experiences - be prepared!

Joel - ¨Once, I had 2 students that started arguing with each other! It was awkward!¨

His lie...? ¨My phone went off in a lesson and I had to answer it!¨

Lewie - ¨I had no wifi, and couldn`t access the class material! I had to try to teach the class from memory!¨

His lie...? ¨A student got mad and stormed out of the class once!¨

Nick - ¨I had 2 teenagers and 1 was too shy to talk to the other one, it was difficult.¨

His lie...? ¨A student split up with her boyfriend and couldn´t stop crying. Could happen!¨

So many experiences, so little time!

This is just a few of our teachers shared ideas and experiences from today but we had plenty more! Joel, Sandra, Sergio, Nick, Ashley, Lewie, Paul, Lottie, Emilie, and Alex all had plenty to share around classroom experiences and some great tips on best practices when preparing classes.

What we learned, what we were inspired by

Alex - ¨Grammar is always changing and evolving, just like us! And I learned that you can use BUT to start a sentence!¨

Paul - ¨Creativity can´t be forced, it has to be natural.¨

Nick - ¨Be more prepared for my classes!¨

Paulina - ¨Be a friend to your student. And, have your material ready!¨

Sandra - ¨Have a backup plan - preparation is key!¨

Joel - ¨There can be MANY different experiences in the classroom!¨

Give it a go!

Why not try this out with your team or colleagues and see what ideas you can share and inspire each other with. It's a fun game working out what the lies could be because sometimes you would not believe the truths!!