Let’s go hybrid

 In Emotional Intelligence in ESL classrooms

Meeting our students for the first time this year doesn’t need to be so unnatural as we think

 

With the new preventive measures for schools, having to wear a face mask may add to the language barrier to effective communication in the classroom. But as the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining and it looks like the answer is to make the best of technology and go hybrid!

 

The proposal is to project your own video recording on this first day at «covid schools». So have your MP4 file ready and wait until your students are all settled in the classroom – keeping their regulatory social distance. Then briefly explain you will be coming up on the screen (where you will not be wearing your face mask) to introduce yourself and give details of the new course.

 

BEFORE YOU WATCH:  I am leaving this song here for you to play while the students are making an entrance, coming in and sitting down… as background music can help break the ice.

 

«Everybody is changing» Keane

 

AFTER YOU WATCH: when they have met their «real teacher» on the screen open up some Q&A time to discuss lesson plans and materials as well as to ask any curiosity questions that are relevant to the new course or the video, allowing those students following from home to participate.

HOMEWORK: students prepare a similar speech and upload their videos to our virtual classroom.

 

 

 

If there is plenty of time they can start making preparations for their videos as an in-class activity so leave your notes written on the board for them to brainstorm ideas and create similar mind-maps.

They can also draft their paragraphs in writing as preparation for their speaking task, which will be projected and watched in-class the following day.

 

 

 


with your advanced students why not ask for them to enhance the teacher’s speech! What other expressions could the teacher have used? Which synonym would have been a better choice of words? How appropriate was her closing up line? Or what ideas, reasons or opinions could have been added?

 

Let’s get ready for this new journey!

 

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