子供英会話大津市堅田 MARGIT'S ACADEMY OF CULTURE & COMMUNICATION - Teaching without textbooks

子供英会話大津市堅田 MARGIT'S ACADEMY OF CULTURE & COMMUNICATION

Digital Apps for language learning

1/29/2020

What, when and how to use digital apps

On my Patreon group 'Giraffes and Sunflowers' I got the request to make a list of digital apps and how or when to use them.

I care to have no request without answering.
So here you go:
The apps ALL of my students (parents) have on their gadgets:

a-z reading (raz plus)
Kahoot
flipgrid

Age wise, Flipgrid is the one we use no matter how young.
I have close to 500 videos on my grids so far, the youngest presenter being 3.
Also have a look at my blog and live on this topic here!

Next in line is 'Kahoot'.
I introduce it to my students after they have learned the first 26 sounds of their phonics. I create all the Quizzes on my own, so I can be sure it suits there level and there is nothing they don't understand.

There is no audio function on Kahoot, so if they cannot read yet, it can be a killer of motivation. Of course, in class you can avoid this by just reading the questions out loud, but for me these apps are not 'teaching tools' but tools to use at home.

Last in sequence (age wise) is a-z reading.
Frequency wise, a-z is the app they use most of the three, because we embrace reading and have seen that proficiency comes through reading regularly. So it is a thing they work with regularly.

But obviously, they need to have learned all the phonics sounds, and have a little confidence in reading.
So, I usually create an account for them half a year AFTER they have finished the Phonics program.

All of the apps are free to download and use on multiple gadgets, and easy to use for kids, except for maybe flipgrid. It takes a while to get used to the system.

I hope this all helps, and please do comment for follow up questions.

Happy New Year

1/4/2020

A new year!

A new decade!

New challenges!

Yes, Yes, Yes!

Rainbow parachute

9/7/2019

If you don't have one by now~make sure your get one quickly so you can play in the wonderful autumn breeze.

There are SOOOO many things you can do with a rainbow parachute.
Here just a few.
You can also sing circle songs circle games, like 'drop the kerchief' or even play karuta.

Do you have any more ideas?

September 01st, 2019

9/1/2019

Beanbag warm up

This is one of the ideas that just came to me while watching my students play before class time.
It turned into an amazing warm up.

Trip to England Back in Farmington

8/8/2019

Once upon a time...

What comes to your mind?
Sleeping Beauty? Alice in Wonderland? Hobbit?...

Inspiring for so many stories.

Mirror Mirror on the wall~~~

Rumpelstilzchen...

Definitely it is our story, of a beautiful trip to England 10 days before my 50th birthday.
And of meeting a very dear friend, who had to leave Japan very suddenly 20 years ago. Now I don't need to wonder anymore why she never came back, despite of loving Japan so much. This country is so beautiful, and in many ways, a lot like Japan.

Trip to England, day 1

8/6/2019

After a wonderful sleep, in this cozy little house, we woke up and opening the curtains our eyes were spoiled with a magnificent garden.

Farmington

I usually am not a cat person (not really a dog person either), but these two cats here looked like black panthers, very silent, very strong, very kind. We enjoyed them so much.

Northleach

After a breakfast, tasting like the bread and jam breakfast I used to have home, when I was little, we went out to the church in Farmington, then the one in Northleach.
Wherever we went it felt like Kings and Queens must be walking around and I can well imagine lots of princesses and princes to have their weddings in this beautiful nature.

British Graveyards

Somehow graveyards always impress me. I feel they tell so much about culture. I was very surprised at the sight of these graveyards, were they so different from the ones I know in Germany or Japan. The tombstones almost falling over~I always thought that this was just an image created for Halloween posters. Now I saw they really are looking like this, on the other hand I was pleased how warm and not at all scary these graveyards felt.

Not on purpose, but somehow I happened to play hide and seek in one of the churches.

For lunch Judy took us to an excellent place at the Wheatsheaf. It felt too nice to sit inside, so we stayed in the garden, but it actually got so cold we wrapped up in blankets.
Excellent service here: Look, a basket with sunhats and sunscreen for hot days, and lots of Fine lambswool blankets for chilly days like today.

The only surprise I had not been prepared for:
My first half pint of ale~it was luke warm! And came with no foam. That is hard for a German Beer Fan. But, as it was not a hot day, and the taste of the beer was good, I enjoyed even this.

Our first trip ever to England

8/6/2019

On the airplane from Duesseldorf to London, I started reading a new book:
A thriller, plot in Great Britain, by Charlotte Link.
I hadn't started it on purpose, now, that I was going to England; for the first time in my life, by the way.

Off to Cirencester

My daughter and I arrived at a very windy and slightly rainy Heathrow, and made it to our coach heading for Cirencester, just in time. PERFECT~ one minute later, and we would have had to wait another hour on a rather boring airport.

We double checked our route with the driver and got on the bus~in 2.5 hours, I would finally meet my friend Judy, first time in 20 years. She was my first colleague, she was my pal learning Japanese style weaving, dying and other textile arts, and she was my oldest son's Baby Sitter. So so exciting.

After 2 hours bus ride, the driver changed, and we got a very funny guy on the wheel. He was making jokes, that it was his first bus to drive and warned us to fasten our seatbelts tight, and also he played around with our destinations.
The names of places he threw at us were names I had never heard, but never mind, non of the other passengers did so either, it seemed, so I was still confident we were getting there.

How ever, the first thing I found weird was the rain getting stronger and stronger...The weather forecast was saying that the rain should have stopped in the area of Cotswold around the time we had arrived, and from there the rain should be pushing north!

We were definitely driving, with the rain getting stronger and uglier.

How good to have google map

Also, on my map I had seen that we should be passing some beautiful sceneries, nothing of those so far. So, 25 minutes before our scheduled goal, I turned off my flight modus and checked my navigation app.

WHAT???

Estimated arrival 21h45??? We were supposed to arrive 20h5 and there had been no traffic jam.

How weird.

I checked the route and the blue path went ahead to Cirencester, however a bit weird, via Oxford. OK, Let's wait it should take a curve around Oxford then.

5 minutes pass, but HEY the rout bypassed Oxford, and we are heading further North.

THIS is where I finally get it: Something is completely wrong.

The thriller comes to my mind again: A woman at Heathrow gets stuck at the airport because of horrible weather, at the same time in all kinds of places around London people go missing~~~I kind of wish I would have read a different book.LOL

Well, I give up on the ticket my i phone displays and instead search my bag for the printed version. I read it 3 times, and the third time I go finger by finger into the small printed detail:

I was supposed to change the coach in the next terminal at Heathrow. This coach was NOT going to Cirencester.

We are going to Northampton

I consulted the driver, still silent and thinking it won't be too bad:
'This coach is going to Northampton. I do not know where Cirencester or Cotswold is"
Oh? That unpopular?????
I got kind of desperate when he told me what to do:
'I will set you off at the next station, which is 30 minutes from now, Leicester. From here you will wait for the next bus going back to Heathrow. And in Heathrow you can get a new bus to Cirencester"

I didn't even wonder about the double price to pay, BUT this would mean that I would probably not be at my friend's house before early morning, and we were both still Jet lagged from coming to Germany from Japan.

But fortunately my friend called in between and arranged that she could come the way up to Leicester to pick us up. (It would take her 2 hours one way)

I can't remember when in my life I have felt so embarrassed and sorry and bad and a trouble maker at once.
I kept apologizing and saying 'thank you' .

Well, we arrived in Leicester (interestingly non of the people in England I talked to knew this place, but my husband knew it right away, because apparently it won the English Soccer Championship last year)

It was a lonely, rather dark station in cold windy rain, and because we both were so hungry we couldn't avoid getting chicken and chips at a pizza take out, which had a sign saying 'hygienic standards 0' (out of 6)

We arrived nice and neat only thanks to my wonderful friend, at 0h30, and from the adventures I have had on my journeys this is for sure one I won't ever forget.

My daughter was the best companion I can think of. Though extremely tired and exhausted, not saying one negative word at all. That taught me a lesson as well, actually: One doesn't need to come up with false encouragements or positive words to be positive. Just accepting things as they are without sighs and cries, that was the most positive way I could have thought of at that moment.

And for sure now I know the locations of London, Cirencester, Birmingham, Oxford, Leicester and Northampton. A lecture I would not have learned in school. Yeah Yeah!

NOW: What would you do in a situation like this, not speaking any English?

Birthday Campaign

7/15/2019

If you have been thinking to join any of my online teaching courses, probably NOW is the time.

Next month is my birthday, and as it is a new number in front, I will give you my birthday % off!
So, 50% on each of my courses.

50% off from any of my online courses

In detail:

Margit's Master English Teaching:

The heart of my Courses!
6 modules (videos of ~30 minutes each), worksheets, many live talks with almost all the members who have joined so far, and great discussions I won't want to miss.

You are of course also invited to share your questions and ideas, in discussions and lives or videos, how ever you prefer.
498$>>248$

Margit's Advanced English Teaching:
Again 6 modules (30-45 minutes), discussions, worksheets, lives...

How do we encourage conversations and communication?
How could we get students WANTING to read and write and enjoy doing so?
Activities, videos and many ideas on these topics.
498$>>248$

Margit's Phonics Teaching:
60+ modules (~10 minutes each) for each sound of the GE Phonics program, live classes, activities, and again of course you are welcome to ask questions. THIS COURSE IS ONLY AVAILABLE IN JAPANESE

198$>>98$

Margit's school launch and admin course:
5 modules (about 2.5 hours all together) on how I launched my school and am administering it, great worksheets, and again also here, you are welcome to ask your questions.

198$>>98$

If you apply for Margit's Master Teaching and Margit's Advanced Master
you will get the 'School launch Course' or the 'Phonics Course' (Your choice) for free.

If you are already a member of my Advanced course, please choose between:
1-on-1 Call
and
School launch course
and
Phonics course

If you are member of my Master Course, please write a testimonial in the comments HERE and on the FB live thread (of course same content is fine), and please choose between:
1-on-1 Call
and
School launch course
and
Phonics course

All applications for this offer till July 23rd 2019

Gestures in language learning

7/10/2019

Why are gestures so important in language learning? Especially when we learn speaking?
Gestures trigger a different part of the brain, than for example pictures or words do.
When learning a language (no, actually when learning ANYTHING) it is highly recommended to activate as many senses as possible.
Eyes, ears, hands, balance, if possible also smell and taste.

The picture of a snake:
this only could mean many many things.

The word 'snake'
pretty clear if we have heard the word before, know what it means, how to decode and sound it out, and can 'picture' it in our mind. So, lots of work to do, only with a WORD.

The gesture of a snake:
again, only the gesture could mean many things, but together with the above it gets clearer.

Of course there are many more reasons for using gestures:
it is fun, they can even function as brain breaks.
They help students to get out of their chairs and move around.

I have had times without a voice, and I still could teach, because we all knew gestures.

And, here, for you 10 songs in one playlist to teach with gestures.

As always, if you have questions or comments, let me know.

And here is:

Gestures for 'What are you doing?'

Extensive reading and Raz Plus

7/3/2019

How important is reading, I have mentioned my own experience on this in my last live .
So, I think it is absolutely essential! And here is how I do it.

I know I sound as if I was hired by the company, I AM NOT. I am just a user of this program, and there might be other programs that are equally good or even better or cheaper or whatsoever.
Feel free to share any other experiences with reading programs. And of course if your kids go to the bookstore and get their own physical books that is also excellent. But extensive reading needs 1000s of books to choose from, in the right level, and this is something that you won't find in most libraries.

What isRAZ Plus and how do I use it