Teaching Through Coronavirus: What I learned – Week 3

The outbreak of coronavirus, resulting in temporary closures of many educational institutions, has forced teachers to rely entirely on distance learning or so called   “remote learning” whose roots go back to as early as 1728 when “Caleb Phillips” advertised private correspondence courses in short hand in the Boston Gazette (1). With Read More …

Teaching Through Coronavirus: What I learned – Week 1

In the face of  school closures and the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems we all had to become remote teaching experts overnight. And, even though it is obviously NOT POSSIBLE, and even though some of us will feel helpless or overwhelmed, we need to take a baby-steps approach and start learning Read More …

17 Global Goals in NC4 ESOL for Employability

As part of Global Goals 2020 campaign,  NC4 ESOL for Employability students have been exploring a range of areas such as World Hunger, Food Waste, Ethical Shopping, Mental and Physical health, Climate Crisis or Water Crisis. The final product of a series of lessons are visuals – posters, leaflets and infographics. FOOD Read More …

A collaborative learning design: Four Museums project

The Four Museums project (part of Living in Scotland SQA Unit) Age group and/or curriculum level: A group of 20 NC4 ESOL for Employability students (16 – 21) Intended learning outcomes: To develop reading comprehension skills through reading leaflets and descriptions of the objects exhibited To develop writing – writing short Read More …

Virtual trips with Google Voyager

Although the benefits of real field trips are undeniable, at the same time, they may be costly, challenging logistically and sometimes just not feasible at all. Virtual trips seem to be the answer. A  Google Earth feature – Voyager brings a new dimension to virtual trips. Enjoy visualisation and geospatial Read More …

What is divergent thinking

How many uses of a barrel, paper clip, umbrella or  shoe can you think of? Ask a child. According to Len Brzozowski, an adult can generate 10-12 responses wheres a child can produce up to a 100. . The goal of divergent thinking is to generate many different ideas about a Read More …

Blended or hybrid? 

Blended or hybrid?  As defined by Glossary of Education Reform, “hybrid” or “blended” learning is the practice of using both online and in person learning experiences when teaching students. Students attend face-to-face classes taught by a teacher in a traditional classroom setting, and, at the same time, complete online components Read More …

Principles of blended learning

Three, as discussed in “Three Key Principles for Designing Effective Blended Courses” here? Or four, as suggested by Katrina Schwartz in this article. Or maybe five, as presented by Michelle Pacansky-Brock‘s slide share here. What are the principles of blended larning/teaching? The principle of blended learning depend very much on the Read More …

Can driving question drive you up the wall?

Start your Project Based lessons with a good driving question” – this is what you will find in every resource on PBL.  Hard as it might be to create, the driving question is paramount for project based learning as it provides its purpose and sets its context.  So, ask yourself, what you Read More …