Novinky z Oxfordu - readers.sk

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Blog or not to Blog? Scratch the surface of any new invention and you’ll fi nd an old one lying beneath. The same is true for blogs, a blog is just a diary, but it is published online so anyone can see and share. The beauty about blogs is their interactivity. People can read and post comments, join the debate. Here are a few entries from our blog oupcz.blogspot.com. If you like what you see, drop by online and join in. Idioms – Friend of Foe? Do idioms amuse you or annoy you? Are they tired, cliched language or part of the rich culture of English? A typical native speaker of English never fi nishes an idiom. They usually just say then fi rst half and with a knowing smile leave it hanging, too many cooks, as they say. But maybe more annoying is the way idioms are used to prove a point; as if quoting an old saying brings authority to an argument. But that is nonsense because so many English idioms have a counterpart that means the exact opposite. Take the example above too many cooks spoil the broth, it means that if too many people are involved, it’s likely to end in chaos, but then again there is an idiom many hands make light work, meaning the exact opposite. There are many other examples, great minds think alike but fools seldom differ, save a little for a rainy day but you can’t take it with you. So the next time you hear someone use an idiom to support their argument try to think if there is another English idiom with the opposite In 2010 I was lucky enough to go on a course for teacher trainers in Lisbon. On the course were 20 other OUP teacher trainers. During the week we discussed different approaches to training sessions, the main debate was the role of the trainer; should the trainer be a traditional teacher imparting his or her knowledge to the audience or should the trainer be more a facilitator, asking questions that can be discussed by the audience who share their knowledge and experience with their fellow teachers. 10 NOVINKY Z OXFORDU meaning and whatever you do take what they say with a pinch of salt. Do you know any pairs of idioms with opposite meanings? Post examples on the blog. Gareth Davies, Freelance Teacher, Teacher Trainer and Materials Developer http://oupcz.blogspot.com/ What is teacher training? Of course as with so many issues there are no clear cut answers, the type of training depends on amongst other things the audience, size, learning preferences, etc, the type of room and the aim of the talk. I think I run about 4 different types of session; ■ t h e t a l k , trainer led session with the trainer passing on information or knowledge to the audience, there will be some audience interaction but not as much as in the workshops. Why I blog? When I came back to the Czech Republic I started a blog for Czech teachers. I wanted a place where I could share my thoughts, post useful links, answer questions, and generally discuss teaching ideas and English. It means I can continue to provide teacher training and professional de- ■ the practical workshop, demonstrating practical activities – the aim of this is to suggest new or rediscover old activities to use in the classroom. ■ the methodological workshop, discussing problems and solutions of teaching issues. The aim of this is to share our experiences and realise that other teachers have similar issues. ■ the seminar, demonstrating ideas from a course book, this is a chance to fi nd out about how course books velopment even if I don’t see teachers regularly face to face. The reason I chose a blog was because it I wanted to be interactive. I can post enteries that other people can leave comments on, and start discussions and debates. So far I have achieved some of my aim. I hope over the next year to get the blog more interactive, to encourage more comments from you and to invite more people to post guest blogs. I hope you find the blogs useful but please let me know what you would like more of so the blog fulfi ls your needs. Gareth Davies, Freelance Teacher, Teacher Trainer and Materials Developer http://oupcz.blogspot.com/ work and how we can use them effectively in the classroom. Of course they are not always that clear cut, a talk can have aspects of the seminar or workshop and vice-versa but this is the model I use when I start planning a session. I’d love to know which one you prefer, leave a note on my blog. Gareth Davies, Freelance Teacher, Teacher Trainer and Materials Developer http://oupcz.blogspot.com/
The magic formula for getting students to talk Make discussions easy and enjoyable for students with Bookworms Club. These carefully graded short stories have been specially selected for reading in small groups. With Bookworms Club you will give students a reason to communicate, which is what many teachers are looking for. Reading Circles If you are looking for a way to increase the amount your learners read, and encourage natural, enjoyable discussion in the classroom, why not try experimenting with Reading Circles. For those unfamiliar with the simple concept, a Reading Circle is a group of up to six learners who meet in the classroom to discuss the text they are all reading. Each learner has a “role” within the Circle, for example “discussion leader”, “word master”, or “summariser”, and each role is supported by a series of questions on a worksheet which the learner has to complete whilst reading. The questions provided on the worksheets help to structure the learners’ reading and provide prompts for discussion when the Circle meets. Reading Circles encourage reading in manageable amounts outside the classroom of texts chosen by you and your learners, provide an environment where each learner’s opinion counts and each learner gets a chance to speak. And all within 35–40 minutes at intervals of your choice. Very simple, yet very effective. For more information on Reading Circles, the Bookworm series of graded readers, and a sample of the “role” worksheets visit OUP’s webpage at http://www.oup-bookworms.com/ reading-circles.cfm Happy reading, Nikki Fořtová, B.A., Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University in Brno Reading for/with pleasure in ELT What does pleasure from reading mean in general? It is everything that drives us to read and read again, all the reasons why we say ‘I like reading books,’ everything that helps us immerse ourselves in the content. Reading for/ with pleasure in ELT proves invaluable for developing communicative competence. When reading for pleasure we focus more on content than vocabulary or structures. In that case students think in English, which is necessary for successful communication. Furthermore, students build a positive attitude towards language and develop their critical thinking and creativity skills. My idea of how to incorporate this into the school syllabus is to establish a readers club. What can students do in a reading club? Cocktail reading: various illustrations, segmented text, reading aloud, silent reading, glossary in the margin, key words in bold, fully dramatized audio recording – all these features help the reader to grasp the content of the text. Students can get different input cocktails – e.g. students read and listen to the audio with sound effects or read and watch the pictures at the same time – it turns their attention to the content. Graded readers eliminate the barriers, enable reading with pleasure and provide high quality language input. Chain game: What is… the most interesting information you have read today?/the nicest thing XX did in this story?/What have you learned from this book?/What do you think about …? and many other questions asking for personal opinion capitalize on students’engagement and impression after reading. As it is a chain game, everyone is involved and practices expressing an opinion. Quiz exchange: two groups read different chapters of a book and prepare a quiz about the content. Then they swap the chapters, read the text and both groups complete the quiz. Students always learn something new and get practice in teamwork. Real projects: Students make projects using surveys, searching for information, evaluating collected data, etc. The message or information gained from the text is being transformed. This is good practice in interpreting the text. It is clear that pleasure is not the only outcome of ELT reading programme. With the proper material it also improves students’ speaking and writing skills, social skills, cognitive and pragmatic skills, and much more. Have you set up a reading club at your school? If so, how did you do it? How do you keep it interesting? What reading materials do you use? Let us know. Eva Balážová, ELT Consultant, Oxford University Press Slovakia NOVINKY Z OXFORDU 11
Page 1 and 2: VYCHÁZÍ 1x ROČNĚ 20. ČÍSLO
Page 3 and 4: V hravé školce - zábavná angli
Page 5 and 6: Nové iTools k Projectu? Úkol spln
Page 7 and 8: Čtení na základní škole očima
Page 9: English Plus works! After the first
Page 13 and 14: iTools - nástroje zaneprázdněné
Page 15 and 16: Prověřená jistota - Headway! Ví
Page 17 and 18: Znáte oxfordenglishtesting.com? On
Page 19 and 20: E earmark 252 develop t ještě je

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