What did we learn today?

Teaching creatively while maintaining structure means adapting many conventional ideas. 

One of my favorite sources is החופש ללמד  Their latest series of tips talks about having students sum up what they learned. I usually end a lesson either by having students collect objects while naming them, or with a chant "What did we learn today?".  They suggest having several students write down something new they learned to see if they understood what we consider the most important points of the lesson.

Writing doesn't really work in my groups. I teach spoken English. Students don't have pencils out unless they're learning about school supplies, looking for objects that are yellow or start with "p", or using them to tap a rhythm. Some of them haven't learned to write yet, and since the point of the lesson is learning to speak writing won't demonstrate that.

So last week toward the end of lesson I opened the voice recording app on my phone and asked who wanted me to record them saying new words or phrases. This was a lot more exciting and more students wanted to answer. Most classes asked to hear the recording and students had an opportunity to hear themselves speak English. I save each recording by class, along with speech-to-text,  to have a record of their progress throughout the year. 

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Get off the Box!

This time I was teaching prepositions. Showing them with my hands, playing games, drawing on the board, learning with all the senses. But some kids are stubborn and want to learn the way they learn in school - "Just translate everything into Hebrew"

I could start telling them how sensory learning has proven to be more effective and how word-for-word translations, especially with words like prepositions, are the cause of many errors, but in this case I had a much better and quicker argument. Here's what happens when we translate:

over - מעל

under - מתחת

on - על

off - ?

There really is no correct translation in this case for the word "off". The only way to explain it is to SHOW THEM. Like any concept that doesn't exist in one's native language, it's still difficult for them to grasp, especially when they're searching for the Hebrew word in their head. To understand "off the box" students need to think outside the box, and more hours of memorizing lists of words won't help. Creativity in the English classroom, as well as any classroom, doesn't just make lessons fun. It opens students' minds to allow them to absorb and understand new concepts and formulate their own ideas. 

Over the years I've created songs, games and other materials for English teachers to use, and of course used them myself with hundreds of students. I've had a lot of success, but also some frustration. Sometimes I find myself giving proverbial nuts to people whose creative teeth have been worn down by a standardized system. 

So now I'm going back to my musical and dramatic roots to develop a new program which will take them on a journey "outside the box" and develop the creative thinking necessary for English language expression. 

If you would like to hear more, please fill out the following short survey, or pass it on to those who might benefit:

Hebrew

English

Let's finish the year with a smile

It's the end of the year and everyone is tired. Maybe you've finished the textbook and maybe the kids just don't have the patience to open it. This is the time to review everything you've done during the year and let groups choose their favorite games, songs and activities. Here are a few more ideas:

1. Summary game - Make cards for different categories you've taught and spread them out, then set out objects or pictures representing words from each category. Children in turn choose an object/picture, say the word and place it in the proper category. You can also call out words and have them run to the proper card.
2. Another good activity to refresh their memories is "Name that Tune". Play or sing a few notes of a song they learned and see who can guess first.
3. Review Weather and Seasons with an emphasis on "hot" and "summer" (yes, I know it's still raining) - sing The Weather Rock, play the game hot-cold, sort out objects and clothes by season.
4. Swimming, Swimming - one of my favorite camp songs. I wish I had written it, but since I didn't this is the best clip I could find on YouTube https://youtu.be/HeMOaMwTgp0
5. I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream - Familiar to many and easy to teach if students repeat after you. Emphasize the difference between "I scream" and "ice cream".
6. Give students a certificate of completion to show that they have "graduated" and can speak English.
7. End-of-the-Year celebration - My book English is Fun on the Stage contains short playscripts that can be performed by students. You can also put together your own, or just have them sing some of their favorite songs.

Hopefully you and your students have had a fun year. Finishing on a high note will help them remember it that way. 

How to teach English to young learners

I don't know if it's Bennett's new program, the growing amounts of research* or a generation of Israelis who  grew up learning English but are still afraid to speak, but there seems to be an increased awareness of the importance of learning English at an early age. Many teachers are teaching English to young learners for the first time, and the question "How should I teach them?" is being raised more and more. 

My answer is - Don't. 

???

That's right - Don't teach them at all. Young children learn on their own without being taught. Expose them to English by speaking to them, singing, playing games and reading stories and they will absorb the language naturally. Explanations will bore and confuse them, and are unnecessary.

Now for some more specific ideas:

Speak - Young children are very tuned in to body language, facial expressions and voice intonation. Unless you are giving complicated instructions, speak English and use gestures to make the meaning clear. They will quickly become accustomed to hearing English and recognize common words and phrases.

Sing - Songs are an excellent way to learn and remember language along with its natural rhythm and flow. Singing should be active - add movements, hand motions and props rather than just watching videos. Make sure the lyrics of the songs are simple, repetitive and suitable for EFL students. They don't have to understand every word, but don't burden them with words like "merrily" and "water spout". This is why I started writing my own songs.

Play- If you play games that they already know, it will be easy for them to understand instructions in English, allowing you to use very little L1 and making them feel more comfortable by creating a familiar atmosphere. Use games in which the children repeat a few words or sentences. Some popular kindergarten games I use are Knock-Knock-What's My Name, Telephone, What's Missing, Red Light/Green Light and Hot/Cold.

Show them - Do any activity they like, but do it in English. Whether you dance, draw, cook or throw a ball, if they can see what you're doing while you speak to them they will understand and pick up new vocabulary.

A few basic rules to remember:

• Keep them active. Kids need to move.
• Be friendly and patient. Everyone learns at their own pace.
• Children learn by hearing, seeing and doing. 
• Avoid translating whenever possible. Use props, pictures or gestures instead. The disadvantages of translation can fill another blog post.
• Make it fun. They more they enjoy English, the more they'll learn now and in the future.

*How exposure to a foreign language ignites infants' learning

Babies exposed to stimulation get brain boost

Critical period effects in second language learning

Using Songs as Text

If they don't like English something's wrong

And you don't have to sing to use a song!

This post is based on the following observations –

·         Songs are an excellent way to reinforce vocabulary and grammar.

·         Songs are more interesting and easier to remember than text.

·         Not all English teachers sing – fewer play musical instruments.

·         As children get older they don't always want to sing in class.

·         Children and teenagers usually enjoy listening to music even if they don't like singing.

·         Israeli teenagers listen to a lot of songs in English.

So how can a musically-challenged English teacher use music to enrich English lessons?

Start out by presenting the song the way you would present text –

·         Write the title on the board, review some words and/or discuss the theme of the song.

·         Play the song for the class.

·         Ask the pupils which words they recognize.

·         If you want to concentrate on reading comprehension, hand out the lyrics. Another option is to hand out the lyric sheet with words missing and have them fill in the blanks.

·         Play the song again.

·         Discuss the song – what did they understand, what is the song about, etc.

·         Write some questions on the board.

·         Play the song once more, asking the pupils to listen for answers to the questions.

There is no need to actually teach the song, but after playing it a few times you will find pupils singing along. Once they are familiar with the lyrics, it's time to divide into pairs or small groups and be creative. Ask each group to present the song in pantomime, stage a "video clip" (actual filming isn't necessary) or even choreograph a dance. You can play the song in the background while they're working. This way they will hear it a few more times without getting bored. If the song tells a story, they can put on a short play. Another option is to play a game like charades using words or phrases from the song.

How should you choose songs, and where can you find them? It makes sense to use songs that are connected to what you're teaching. The connection can be subject matter, or specific sentence structures or vocabulary. Look through your own or your children's music library, or search the internet. If you're feeling lucky, go into a lyrics site and search for the vocabulary or chunk that you're teaching, you may just find a song you know. Asking pupils to suggest songs promises more interest, but obviously you should review the lyrics carefully before using them in class. For younger or weaker students be sure to keep the lyrics simple. There are also songs available written specifically for the EFL classroom, including my own series, English is Fun.

Remember, creativity is the key.

And do they know the Earth is round?

I was in the car listening to the radio tonight. During the news I heard Bennett, the Minister of Education, talk about his new English program. "Children in Israel need to learn spoken English... The ability to have a conversation in English is a necessity today... Our children will know how to speak English and not be afraid to open their mouths when they're overseas."  Later I heard other speakers discussing the program "A student can do a 5-point Bagrut in English and still not be able to speak." "Children need to speak a language before they learn to read it."

Bennett's quotes made the headlines, the interviewers sounded interested, but I think I've heard this before. Oh, right, I said it yesterday when I presented my English group to parents. And in the past to school principals. My motto "English is not just a subject in school, English is a language" basically sums it up. No, I'm not Galileo. Plenty of other people have discovered, researched and said all these things.  But now the top bureaucrat of education wants English to be taught as a language. This could get interesting.

The obvious question is - Will anything really change? Written English is so much simpler to teach. Students do exercises from a book and memorize vocabulary lists. Teachers prepare them for tests and then test them on the material they prepared. Tests can be graded quickly with numbers that go into a computer to be compared. Everyone can see which students are smarter and which schools are better. 

Now Bennett is talking about extra time for spoken English, debate clubs, oral exams. In other words noise, disagreements (maybe even political), no objective standards and all that extra time and effort! Teachers will need to learn new skills, and no one will be able to measure their success with standardized test scores. 

They will only have the satisfaction of hearing their students speak English and knowing that they made a difference in their lives.

Why bother?

Last week I attended the ETAI (English Teachers' Association of Israel) National Conference. In addition to the wide variety of lectures and workshops, we were given a chance to ask a panel, student-style, questions beginning with "Why bother". Most of us added "when..." such as "Why bother coming to a conference when we can meet online?" (short answer - the importance of face to face contact). Sometimes the most logical answer was "Don't bother", but one question really bothered me and I wish I had been able to answer -
     "Why bother having an English Day when my colleagues don't cooperate?"
Honestly, I barely see a connection between the two clauses (a word I picked up substituting in formal English classes). We don't have English Days for our colleagues, we have them for our students. English Day is a chance for students to have a positive experience in English,  and no matter what activities you choose they probably will learn something. It's a way to show them English as a spoken language and culture in a relaxed atmosphere. Whether they perform on stage, make crafts or play games, they will have achievements to remember that aren't graded.
It's unfortunate that there are teachers who aren't willing to put in the extra effort to do something special for their students, but don't let that stop you from doing your best.
Why bother teaching at all? Why bother preparing interesting activities, paying extra attention to students who are struggling as well as those who want to be challenged more, and making sure that everyone understands before you continue? If you do this to impress your colleagues, you will probably be disappointed by their reactions. But if you do everything you can to help your students, in the long run your efforts will pay off and you'll have the satisfaction of knowing that you made a difference.
And when your colleagues see this, they may decide in the future to join you.

What can we learn from Trump? (non-political)

This is not a political post.

The sages teach us "Who is wise? He who can learn from anyone." So I'm just trying to prove how smart I am.

Today an English teacher shared the following article about Trump's numerous spelling errors: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/shoker-rediculous-chocker-trump-attaks-and-dishoners-english-with-ever-dummer-spellings/2017/02/07/9556faf4-ed58-11e6-9662-6eedf1627882_story.html?utm_term=.1ca5f72dbd3f

Another teacher asked how we can use this to teach our students something. I began to write an answer, then realized that I have enough ideas for a blog post.

1. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Many students are afraid to speak or even write because they may make a mistake. Before these students can learn anything we must create a safe atmosphere where mistakes are an acceptable and necessary part of learning. If the President of the United States can't spell but isn't afraid to send out messages that will be seen by the whole world, no one should be afraid to make mistakes in our classrooms. See what I wrote about this in my previous post What if I make a mistake? 
2. Pretend the mistakes are intentional. Years ago, a teacher I was working with showed me a test she was about to give to her class. She suddenly realized that there were spelling errors in the text (the test had been prepared by another teacher) and she wasn't sure what to do. I suggested that she use them. Tell the class that there are some mistakes in the text, and that they will receive a bonus for each one they find. Double bonus if they know the correct spelling.
3. Find different options. When Trump said that Ted Cruz is a chocker, did he mean joker, choker, shocker or something else? Honer is probably honor, but what else could it be?
4. Come up with some definitions for Trump's new words. For example: unpresidented - never been done by a president, Bobby Night - a night when everyone dresses up as Bobby.
5. Have a debate.  How important is spelling? Should spelling be a necessary qualification for public office? Has social media made spelling errors more acceptable?

Do you have any other ideas?

What are you doing for English Day?

Have you started thinking about English Day this year? Remember, a successful English Day requires creative thought and planning, and your school calendar is probably starting to fill up. So if you and the rest of the English staff haven't thought about it yet, let me help you get started.

Why should we have an English Day?

An English Day is a chance for students to have a fun, positive experience in English. No drilling, no writing in notebooks, no tests and no pressure. Just activities they enjoy along with a chance to hear and speak English in context. It's an opportunity for them to see English as something that can be fun and relevant to their daily lives.

Where should I start?

First I recommend choosing a theme. This will make it easier to choose activities and pull everything together. Themes can be simple and vocabulary-oriented such as animals or weather and seasons, or wider concepts such as around the world or protecting the environment. To build up anticipation, have each class choose an appropriate costume, prepare a poster or decorate their classroom ahead of time.

You also need to set a date and make sure it gets listed on the school calendar (lessons learned the hard way).

Kick-off

Start the day with everyone together. It's great if everyone can learn a song or chant ahead of time and sing it together. This is the time to build up group spirit and also explain what everyone is going to do for the next few hours. If classes have chosen names call them out in your best rock-star voice. Emphasize that today is going to be fun.

Activities

Each class or group should participate in 3-4 different activities. You should have at least one instructor at each station who speaks English and can lead the activity, and one leader to accompany each group. You can also have older students lead activities for younger classes, which keeps them both busy.

• Songs - Teach a new song or sing familiar songs. Choose them according to the theme and level of the students. You could have each group learn a different song and perform them all at the end of the day.
• Sports - Have at least one station of active games so that children have a chance to release energy. These might be kangaroo and horse races if your theme is animals, games from different countries if your theme is around the world, or throwing a ball or ring at targets marked with letters or words.
• Group games such as charades, hangman, hot potato or a treasure hunt.
• Crafts - It's nice if children can bring something home. The craft doesn't need to be related to English, just make sure all the instructions are in English. If you also demonstrate while you speak there's no need to translate.
• Food - Find some simple recipes related to your theme. If cooking isn't practical there are plenty of other options. Get information about students' allergies ahead of time and have alternatives ready. Like crafts, as long as the recipe and instructions are in English they're learning English.
• Stories - Either read a book or tell a story with pictures and props.
• Printable games - Make sure they're fun, challenging and different from worksheets you would use in a regular lesson. If some stations are led by teachers who aren't comfortable speaking English this is a good option.

Plan and print a schedule so that everyone knows where they should be when. Review each station carefully and make sure you have all the materials you need, and that they are in place before the day begins.

What to do during the break

Don't expect students and teachers to give up all their breaks just because they're having fun. If your school has a tradition of "active breaks" you know what to do. Put on a CD with dance songs in English and set up some simple outdoor games.  You could also sell food or other items, depending on you school's policy. Remember, only English.

Bringing it to a close

At the end gather everyone together again. This is a good time to put some kids on stage. This can be a short play you've prepared ahead of time or songs they learned during the day. Go back to your rock-star voice to make sure everyone had a great time and that they want to do it again next year.

How can English is Fun help?

English days are all about making English fun, and I have a wide range of resources to offer:

• Workshops for students - Not sure how to lead some of these activities? Let me do it for you.
• Teacher workshop - I'll help you plan the day, prepare the materials and train the staff.
• CDs - A great resource for songs, written specifically for EFL students.
• Making English Fun - Over 30 games and ideas to activate students.
• English is Fun on the Stage - short scripts for young children. I can also write a script for you.
• Custom packages - Contact me directly and we'll design a package to fit your needs.

From the Other Side of the Classroom

The best way to understand what it's like for your students to learn a foreign language is to learn one yourself. If you're teaching your native language, showing your students that you have made an effort to learn their language and that you speak in spite of your errors also sets an excellent example. 

It's been a long time since I struggled to learn Hebrew as a second language, so recently I began learning spoken Arabic.  We are fortunate to have a wonderful teacher who usually teaches children. Some of her methods are similar to mine, which allows me to see my lessons from the other side. 

Drilling - Reciting lists of words is boring and not very effective. Using words in sentences, or better yet in songs, is a much better way to learn and remember sentence structures. Unfortunately we don't sing many songs but I do occasionally look for them on my own. Some students have asked for printed tables of verb forms. Personally I think that constantly referring to a list would make conversation difficult, and that it's much easier to learn verbs and tenses in context.

Pronunciation - We aren't learning the Arabic alphabet. The teacher writes words on the board in Hebrew letters, but when she says them they often sound completely different from they way I would read them. We need to hear the words to learn them properly. I've begun recording more of the lessons and writing fewer words. For the same reason, I discourage my students from writing English words using Hebrew letters, and provide younger students with CDs of the songs we learn so that they can listen and review what we've learned at home.

Willingness to Communicate - In a SHELTA drama course we discussed this topic as a critical point in learning any language. Speaking a new language requires confidence, determination and an awareness of the importance of speaking, even with errors. My students often refuse to speak English because they don't know English, I remind them that they will never know English until they begin speaking. As a student, I try to speak as much Arabic as possible during class and make note of my mistakes. There are other students who have decided to just sit back and listen until they feel ready to speak. In both cases I can see how active learning is much more effective than passive learning.

Translation - Every language has unique syntax, sentence structures and expressions. Translating sentences word-for-word often results in sentences that at best are awkward and can even be embarrassing. I've been trying to explain this to my students for years as they try to understand English by translating each word into Hebrew and then putting them together, then translating their answers back to English the same way. Now I'm experiencing it from Hebrew to Arabic. I've tried to say sentences using words I know and was told that that's not the way to express the idea in Arabic. She then rearranged the sentence so that it made sense. This is called Lexical, or whole-language, learning. At least I understand this concept and didn't argue with her.

Comprehension - When our teacher speaks to us in Arabic, I listen for the words I recognize and pay attention to facial expressions and hand motions.  I've told my students for years that they can understand English even when they don't understand every word, and now I'm discovering that it's true. When students constantly ask "What does that word mean?" and then try to put everything together, they often miss the general idea.

After sitting in the student's chair, I can honestly say that what I expect from them is not only possible, it's the best way to learn.

What if I make a mistake?

This week two 4th grade students came to my English group for the first time. The first thing they told me was that their English isn't very good, and they asked if I would get mad if they made mistakes. I told them of course not, they're here to learn, I only get mad at children who laugh at other children's mistakes. I thought to myself how sad it is that children would even ask this question.

They had a wonderful time, responded in English during games and learned some new words. Once assured that it was okay to make mistakes they were eager to participate, and didn't want to stop when our time was up.

Why did they think I would be mad? Is that how their teachers usually react to mistakes? No wonder their English is weak. How can they be expected to improve if they're afraid to open their mouths in class?

In every classroom, whenever a teacher asks questions, there are some students who always raise their hands and some who never do. In most cases, the better students are, or think they are, at a particular subject, the more likely they are to raise their hands. But the reverse is also true, especially when teaching a language. The more students participate in class, the more their English will improve.

When I worked with groups in schools, occasionally I sat next to students in the classroom. I found that many of the weaker students, when the teacher asked a question, would ask me quietly if they had the correct answer before raising their hands. They didn't really need my help, they figured out the answers on their own, they needed my assurance that their answer was correct before saying it out loud in front of the teacher and the class. It wasn't long before these students not only gained enough confidence to participate without checking with me first, they also started doing much better in class.

We all make mistakes. But the biggest mistake is destroying someone's confidence.

Be Part of the Change

Everybody is talking about education, and it's time to do something. Less drilling, more learning. Fewer, preferably no, standardized tests and more alternative, creative ways of assessing individual progress. Take away the fear and hatred of school and replace them with curiosity and a love of learning. 

This week I began a new advertising campaign emphasing meaningful English learning. The response was overwhelming. Dozens of principals, teachers and parents across the country are no longer interested only in test scores. They want children to learn English as a language, to be able to speak and most important, to enjoy it. They are looking for activities instead of more workbooks. These activities require more dynamic educators who care about children.

In addition to requests for materials and workshops, I have received several requests for instructors to run programs in various parts of the country. If you love children and want to make a difference in their lives, and speak English at a native or near-native level, this might be the job you're looking for. You will receive a full set of materials, training and guidance. In return, you must be prepared to lead groups according to the basic principles of "English is Fun":

• English is for everyone, and everyone learns differently - be prepared to work with a wide variety of methods including songs, games, drama, physical activity and crafts.
• Children absorb language naturally - speak English as much as possible and translate only when necessary. Point to objects or use hand motions and facial expressions instead.
• This isn't a regular English lesson - children are not expected to sit quietly for 45 minutes. Activities involve moving and sometimes a lot of noise. This should not be confused with a lack of discipline.
• Encourage creativity - whenever possible, and in most activites it is, be flexible and let kids use their imagination. There are many ways to imitate a horse, draw a house or make a happy face.
• English is fun -  if kids don't like English they won't learn much. This begins with you, your attitude and your relationship with them.

I love what I do. If you think you'll love doing this, please send a message to aharonmk@zahav.net.il . To learn more about "English is Fun" take a look at my website - www.englishfun.net

Research Against Research

This post was inspired by the recent article More Research is Needed - A Mantra Too Far? in Humanising Language Teaching by Alan Maley, co-founder of The C Group. Judging by the length of the article and bibliography as well as the language used, Maley appears to be an experienced academic professional and researcher. Using academic methods, he claims that research is overrated and that there are many other, more effective ways for teachers to increase their knowledge. He encourages inquiry as a more practical and direct way of solving problems and improving teaching methods.

Five years ago, before venturing into the academic world, I wrote an article for the ETAI Forum entitled Experience and Observations from the Field vs. Research and a PhD which made similar claims. Now nearing the end of my B.Ed., I re-read the article and decided that none of my views had changed.

As someone who makes most of my living using songs and games to teach English to young children, I read with interest the articles in the last ETAI Forum related to these topics. Some would say that I should have considered a career change after reading about the study in which students who started learning English later actually performed better. A similar change was also suggested to me during a discussion in another forum, regarding a study done in America which showed that CDs and DVDs have no significant affect on a child's verbal development. However, my grass-roots instincts make me question the conclusions of both these studies. In both cases, a vocabulary test was used as the measure of language acquisition. My experience as a teacher, a mother and a living, speaking, bilingual human being tells me that much more is required to communicate in any language, foreign or native.  For starters, if a large vocabulary were the only thing necessary to communicate in a foreign language, Google Translator would do a perfect job every time.

When students go out into the real world, they will need to speak, read and write in English. Therefore, I suggest that the following parameters also be considered by anyone interested in researching language ability and development. I believe that they will find that children who begin learning at a younger age score better in all these areas.

1.      Motivation

Both researchers and people with common sense consider motivation a significant factor in any learning experience. Children who have the opportunity to experience English first as something fun and non-threatening will be more motivated when difficult learning comes later.

2.      Willingness and ability to understand spoken English

How do the children react when spoken to in English?

a.       Do they panic and insist that they don't understand, even when basic language is used? (I've encountered this many times in late elementary school)

b.      Do they try to understand even if they haven't learned every word in the sentence? Do they recognize language chunks?

c.       Do they respond naturally, without noticing or commenting on what language the teacher is speaking? (the most common reaction among pre-K to 1^st grade)

3.      Willingness to speak

a.       When spoken to in English, do they answer in English or in their native language?

b.      When shown a written word in English, do they read it out loud in English or give an immediate translation?

c.       How confident are they about speaking in English? How natural is it for them? Like anything else in life, the younger you develop a habit the more natural it becomes.

4.      Pronunciation and listening

a.       How accurate is their pronunciation? Sounds that don't exist in the native language are difficult to acquire later in life, and young children are much better at imitating.

b.      Can they distinguish between vowel sounds?

c.       Can they distinguish between words like angry/hungry, tree/three, mouse/mouth, etc.?

Let's face it, you can't learn any language, and certainly not a language as inconsistent as English, by simply memorizing rules and lists of words. You need to be exposed to a language, hear it spoken correctly and, most important, use it. Younger children learn by doing and absorb information naturally. The early years are the ideal time for language learning. The older they get, the more they become accustomed to learning through books and exercises. They may be better at passing tests, but can they speak?

Breaking Down the Barriers

I frequently have conversations with English teachers who ask me for advice about teaching children who hate English. The fact is, it's almost impossible to teach anyone who refuses to learn or who doesn't believe that they are able to learn. The first step is to show them that English isn't scary, threatening or impossible to understand. In order for children to learn anything they must be convinced that they are capable of learning and that it will be painless.

With young children (pre-K until about 2^nd grade) it's usually much easier. They are natural mimickers and less self-conscious about how they sound, which makes it easier to get them to speak. Even the stubborn pupils at this age are easier to convince. If we speak to them or sing with them in English accompanied by hand gestures or facial expressions, they understand and absorb the language without even being aware that they're learning. After they respond to a request or answer a question, that's the time to point out that you spoke English and they understood.

As children get older it becomes more difficult. By the middle of elementary school they begin developing mental blocks. They recognize English immediately and "tune-out" without even trying to understand. Weak pupils develop real gaps in addition to those they imagined. But all is not lost. Use the English words they already know. On Facebook you can see faces. Photoshop is used to edit photos. Cars must pass a test. Men put on aftershave after they shave. All of these are words associations that students suggested.

I also recommend that sometimes you put aside the books and workbooks and try these ideas instead.

Games: Look for simple games appropriate for their age that involve some English. They need to experience success without feeling like the games are too easy or childish. Card games with words and pictures are easy to learn and also teach sentences like "It's your turn", "Do you have…", etc. There are also a lot of fun group games that use repetitive sentences. Take games they enjoy playing in Hebrew and translate them into English. These will be easy to learn and understand. Don't forget the classics like hangman, charades, Simon says and "When I go to the moon I will bring…". Praise each achievement with "Very good!", "Well done!" or "Excellent!".

Songs: Most of your students, even if they don't like English lessons, probably listen to songs in English. Ask them what songs they like, make sure the lyrics are appropriate and learn the songs together. Work on pronunciation, talk about the meaning of the lyrics, ask them questions about the song and the singer. Let them stage a clip or choreograph a dance to the song. If you have students who play instruments they may want to bring instruments to class.

Rap: Rhythm is contagious. Setting your lessons to a catchy rhythm improves pronunciation, makes language chunks easier to remember and most important, kids love it. Write a sentence on the board, then elicit similar sentences from students. Start a rhythm by snapping your fingers, tapping on your desk, hitting a small drum, etc. If you don't feel like a rapper, let your students take over. Invite them to perform for the class.

Find out what interests them: What are their hobbies? What do they like to do? What do they want to talk about today? Go for a walk, cook, dance, draw pictures, play football, it doesn't matter what you do as long as you do it in English. If they are absorbed in an activity and enjoying themselves they will forget that they don't understand.

Like in any aspect of education, the most important thing is to encourage them and let them experience success. Show them that they can learn, speak and understand. They may even have fun.

Have you been teaching your students too much grammar?

After packing up my materials at the ETAI conference last week, I had time to hear some of Leo Selivan's presentation on learning language, which emphasized mainly that language is produced in chunks and that grammar must be acquired rather than learned. Most of what he said matched my own experience and the methods I use, but it's always nice to be backed up by a reputable authority. Speaking of methods, this is a good time to mention my book English is Fun in Rhythm.

"Speaking of methods" - How would a non-English speaker learn a phrase like that? "How would"? Why not "How could" or "How should"? I could keep going, but I shouldn't so I won't (not wouldn't). Since English is my native language I know which word is correct even if I can't explain why. I learned by being exposed to language in spoken and written form all around me from the day I was born.

Now let's go back to our EFL students. They also learned their native languages by constant exposure, and probably speak correctly. Young children seem to be able to figure out the rules by themselves. So exposure to authentic language is the key to producing proper language structures. How can we provide this exposure to learners of a foreign language? Songs (back to my website), drama in the classroom and on stage, computer research, magazines, books, movies. Talk about subjects that interest them and they will learn vocabulary that interests them.

In our discussion after the presentation we tried to come up with songs with "can". I had trouble thinking on the spot so I'm going to list a few now.

Dancing Queen (You can dance, you can jive..), ABBA

We Can Work It Out, The Beatles

I Can Be Your Hero, Enrique Iglesias

Any song you choose will have some useful language chunks. Teach them the language they need to communicate and learning becomes relevant.

Testing, testing

Although it's not officially part of my job, occasionally I find myself helping to supervise or correct tests at school. It can be quite a humbling experience, discovering that my English is less than perfect according to the Ministry of Education.

Last week I corrected a sixth grade test. Had I been taking the test myself, I would have lost at least 6 points because I thought that the best title for the story was not the one given in the answer key. I may have been angry rather than dissappointed when I couldn't go to a birthday party, or thought that I was supposed to decorate rather than clean my room, and I would have lost a few more points. I'm creative and imaginative by nature but I know that the people who write these tests aren't, so I would have known better than to say that I died in 1996 or that I was sad because my dog argued, which shows that I do have some test-taking skills.

And test-taking skills are exactly what you need to pass a standardized test. That's why in order to prepare for these tests we stop teaching English and just practice doing old tests. They also have very strict guidelines as to how they should be graded, so that under no circumstances will a child be given extra points for being smarter than the person who wrote the test. Points are given for finding the write answer, nothing extra for a perfectly written complete sentence which proves that the student actually understands the question and answer. Of course, there are enough trick questions to make sure that no one can get everything right. And what about all of the students who didn't know what to do when the instructions said "Answer the following question." followed by a sentence and then another instruction - "Copy a word from the text that shows this". Shouldn't they get some credit for noticing that there wasn't a question? But the person who wrote the test also wrote the guidelines for correcting it and obviously didn't notice the mistake. 

This was all in the last two weeks. But I still remember one of the moments years ago when I realized that I would never survive as a formal teacher. I was surpervising a test in elementary school and the children had to read a passage and then mark sentences true or false. About half of the students said that they couldn't tell from the story if one of the sentences was true or false. I read the story and the sentence and realized that they were correct, the answer wasn't there, so I told them to write next to it that they couldn't tell. Afterwards I told the class teacher that I thought there was a mistake in the test and she told me no, everyone knows that if you can't find the answer in the text then the answer is false. I told her what I had told the students and she said that since I told them that she would accept it. I couldn't accept that. What was she testing? If they said that the information wasn't in the text and it wasn't, they obviously understood both the text and the sentence. What is the point of taking off points for not knowing the rule that "don't know = false"? 

Teachers, including those like me who teach informally, are told that before we prepare a lesson we should know what it is we want the students to learn. Test preparers need to start asking themselves the same question - What is it that they are testing?