colin tollervey
Location Uk
Activity
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colin tollervey made a comment
Thank you for the useful links and ideas, I will be putting these into practise.
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colin tollervey made a comment
Many useful points and links. I hope that I am now better prepared to identify students with SpLDs as by the laws of probability I must have taught some before ,but was unaware. It is good to know that many techniques are good practise for all students.
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colin tollervey made a comment
It has been an interesting four weeks and reminded me that many problems can be solved by incorporating good practise into the lessons for the benefit of all students. I am sure that I have taught Dyslexic students before ,especially at the beginner level, but was unsure about what was involved, but now that if my lesson plans are good enough then I should be...
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The message about positivity is important and how students can lose interest. At school I had a maths teacher who when given a wrong answer liked to tell the student they were stupid, before moving on to the 'brighter' students. We 'stupid' children quickly worked out that it was easier to be called stupid than actually doing any maths. To this day my brain...
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colin tollervey made a comment
Scaffolding and pre learning vacabulary and grammar before reading lessons is useful for all students.
Above it states 'Learners with SPLDs should not be asked to read out loud.', but I thought that previously the opposite has been said, tailoring the reading according to ability. -
colin tollervey made a comment
I always like to break up the text into smaller segments, not only does it make the exercise less intimidating ,but also breaks up reading time. If an article that takes five minutes to read is broken up into five section, then there is less 'dead ' time for the faster readers.( of course it will be the same, just wont be as obvious).
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Prelearning and checking the meaning of new words in text is what I normally do , but I have not used sentences ,where you infer meaning and think that some quite interesting lessons could result from that exercise.
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I do not use music and song as much as I should,but often use song as a gap filling exercise.
I do try to get students to use rhythm in English ,because many students can be very flat ,so using sentences like 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away' and getting the class to recite them.
It is easier to use song with younger children ,because they are more... -
I often work with minimal pairs using the book 'Ship or sheep'. ( I have always liked that book!) and have used sound boxes with younger children ,but did not know that they were called Elkonin boxes.
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colin tollervey replied to colin tollervey
Good idea to get the students to make up their own mnenomics, and unfortunately from what I remember the inappropriate ones were the ones which have stuck in my head!
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colin tollervey made a comment
I prefer the second activity as the first could be quite chaotic and the choice of words that the students pick might not be that suitable.
Drawing and making nonsense or silly sentences always seems to go down well. -
Interesting lesson but definitely for smaller groups, especially as the book and teachers guide are not cheap.
The power 'e' can be a useful guide line. -
colin tollervey made a comment
Useful practise and Bingo always seems to go down well with both adults and youngsters.
The fact sheet was informative. -
Some interesting methoods and tools. The use of the slider would be useful.
However I can see that while this would be useful for begineers, or young learners, as mentioned in some of the comments below.
I can see problems when you come to words with two vowels ,when you you have to say that what you learnt before ,now you have to forget and pronounce as in... -
colin tollervey made a comment
looking foward to an interesting subject.
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colin tollervey made a comment
Some useful links above. Just read the article on mnenomics , would they be useful for students with SpLDs? Sometimes i find that the mnemonics can be more confusing than just remembering the facts.
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colin tollervey made a comment
Helpful week, useful reminders and the lesson plan and feedback worked well.(was not sure how well that was going to work remotely).
Plenty to think about. -
colin tollervey made a comment
This week has helped by reminding me to use and think about using multisensory teaching for all students.
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colin tollervey made a comment
The lesson plan enabled me to think through some ideas and recieved some helpful tips from the review, also the reviewers lesson plan definitely contained ideas for future lessons.
I found it to set the level of difficulty for the lesson, maybe trying to teach too much, as the students were imaginery and I don't know their actual strengths and weaknesses. It... -
Some useful ideas. As I mentioned before,I keep meaning to use Cuisenaire rods to teach sentence structure, but never have got around to it. I shall stick a note on my fridge!
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colin tollervey made a comment
These techniques could be used to present vocabulary for many to[pics.
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colin tollervey made a comment
Cards can take a long time to prepare and be confusing,whichis where whiteboards and IT come in handy. Similar activities using IT can save a lot of preparation time.
Slightly off topic, but relates to a discussion held with some teachers this week. The second teacher uses the contracted form of 'what is your', do the contractions present extra difficulties... -
colin tollervey made a comment
Mind maps can be useful ,especially for note taking. Many students have already been taught them in other subjects and already use them.
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visualisation could be a useful trick to teach students to use themselves with difficult vocabulary.
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colin tollervey made a comment
Cuisenaire rods mentioned again. I will definitely have to try to use them to teach sentence structure!
In mixed ability classes I can see the problem of different rates of learning ,but hopefully I try not to introduce too much new material so that should apply to everybody. -
Interesting article. I keep meaning to use Cuisenaire rods to teach sentence structure, but never have got around to it. I should make a start!
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colin tollervey made a comment
THe message seems to be keep it fun and interesting ,which would apply to all students and will also keep the the teacher having fun ,which will feed back to the students and everyone benefits. If you have to teach grammar ,do it at the start ,give out a worksheet and then practise and play related games.
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colin tollervey made a comment
Thank you . Very useful.
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colin tollervey made a comment
Thank you. very useful and helpful.
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colin tollervey made a comment
It is always useful to learn more and to get more resources. It is good to know that some of the methods that you have already been using are good practise and to learn new methods.
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colin tollervey made a comment
Thank you,some useful resources and links.
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colin tollervey made a comment
It is always good to talk to your colleagues,and also to listen. Often they will mention a problem which maybe I had not noticed was affecting me too.
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colin tollervey made a comment
I have found it is easier to teach refugee students from different communities ,because they have to communicate in English and they are more willing to share experiences and problems ,than in groups made up of their own nationality.
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colin tollervey made a comment
Some useful links and resources. I like the idea of combining speech bubbles and drawing.
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colin tollervey made a comment
I think I would try to find out how much of the story is from the childs life and I think the idea of asking what happens next is a good one.
Once in a mixed class I had a similiar experience, where asking students to describe a memorable trip a mature student gave a graphic account of crossing the Turkish border, where his friends were gunned down and he... -
colin tollervey made a comment
I do not mind doing singing activites with younger children as they dont know I have a terrible voice and they will shout over me anyway. There are some good songs out there. Pop songs with gap fill activities can be usefull with young adults ,but you need to be mindful of the lyrics and you will always be out of date.
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colin tollervey made a comment
Miming activities are always good fun, student has to act out the activity. For a group of young adults the game Alibi seems to popular, but the subject matter might have to be carefully chosen.
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colin tollervey made a comment
Dance and drama are not only ways of allowing people to express themselves,but also to learn more about their fellow refugees and to join in with their festivities.
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colin tollervey made a comment
I have found that student reugees can often open up because they are removed from their usual social group. Syrians can talk with Congolese and Afghans, often having similiar experiences,especially in dealing with red tape!
Young adults are often freer to talk because they are away from their family circles. -
colin tollervey made a comment
If i can , I prefer the horseshoe shape, but depends on numbers.
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colin tollervey made a comment
Sometimes drawing activities can give a clearer view of what the child is thinking.
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I have not experienced examples of projection or transference,but it is more likely that I did not recognise them!
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colin tollervey made a comment
Btreathing techniques are useful for calming and relaxing. However I have always liked my internal dialogue and dislike being empty headed. As long as you can break out of negative spirals it should not be a problem. Once I have cleared my head as soon as I start thinking again the same problem come back again.
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colin tollervey made a comment
It is important to give yourself time and to remember that you do not need to do everything. The world will continue without you ,so take a break.
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colin tollervey made a comment
It helps to talk to other teachers and colleagues and to listen to them. They may have experiences and feelings which you were not aware of having yourself.
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colin tollervey made a comment
Interesting talk and will look up for more information. What is the connection between high blood pressure and stress?
The information on oxytocin seems to be mixed and maybe not as simple as it was presented in the TED talk. -
colin tollervey made a comment
Thanks, some useful links
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colin tollervey made a comment
Many of the lessons learnt here will also apply to the wider student population.
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colin tollervey made a comment
Some useful ideas and links.
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colin tollervey made a comment
Some interesting resourses ,but possibily too high a level for my students.
Comics are a useful way of learning and they certainly helped me to learn to read.
For younger children a comic strip with a blank panel to fill in can be a useful fun activity. Also gap filling in the speech bubbles can be an activity. (Easy to do ,take any comic and tippex over the... -
The internet has opened up vast resources and lesson plans which help so much. Do not use it much in the classroom ,but using a QR code to link to homework has been useful.
How well do students with SpLDs interact with mobile phones?
Use of mobile phones in classrooms does depend on the school policy, but when teaching English I allow it because people... -
colin tollervey made a comment
A multi-sensory approach should benefit all students and could help make lessons more fun, which always helps.
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colin tollervey made a comment
Talking to your co workers is important and listening to them.
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colin tollervey made a comment
Thank you. There are some useful links to base lessons on.
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colin tollervey made a comment
Good to remind oneself to be positive and to have fun. It is always helpful to remember what it was like when you were that age ,especially dealing with teenagers.
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colin tollervey made a comment
Recently I had a class with a boy who enjoyed being the class fool and even though he was bright, he was disruptive. So I started to tell him to do it in English, and asking the class to correct him. This worked by involving the class and blunting his comments ,and he also started to think before opening his mouth. It also meant he could still joke and be the...
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colin tollervey made a comment
Many of my classes are voluntary so often the students are self motivated by needing to get on in life and understand that learning another language will help them . Often they will be doing the translations for the family ,so it can be helpful to have lessons about how to book flights ,how to use transport etc.
I have had lessons with women where the... -
colin tollervey made a comment
There will also be the transistion from the 'less serious' primary school to the senior school . Pressure might be put on them from parents about now they need to achieve something. This can start from an earliy age. The buddy system helps and as before keeping lessons fun always helps.
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colin tollervey made a comment
It is always a difficult period of adjustment for any student , let alone a refugee. The student is also going from an environment where they are the oldest students in the school to being the youngest age group. there will be the real possibility of bullying by older students.
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colin tollervey made a comment
When doing exercises from books or worksheets it is better to describe the exercise before handing out the sheets, or else they will be trying to read them rather than listening to you.
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colin tollervey made a comment
Games and play are always good ,it is nice to know some of the reasons why.
Some of the 8 play based strategies are useful. -
colin tollervey made a comment
The activities outlined in the developing social and emotional skills pdf are useful and have done variations of them in classes, and they can form a good basis for a lesson plan.
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As English teachers we are not psychologists or psychiatrists ,but neither are we just teaching grammar and vocabulary. I do not deliberately try to develop my learners’ psychosocial skills but as part of the learning process the social, emotional and life skills will be all part of the lessons and conversation.
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colin tollervey made a comment
Interesting study ,but unless you have a cortison testing kit in the classroom I cannot see it being that practical, Do the cortison levels go up and down slowly or are they are rapid fluctuations. Is it like blood pressure or more like weight?
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colin tollervey made a comment
Knew about the first three hormones, but not Oxytocin (thought that was a brand name of a drug to be honest). Shows the importance of having fun in the classroom.
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colin tollervey made a comment
I expect we have all experienced these feelings. It is when these experiences are never ending and too intense that trauma sets in.
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I noticed that too, it probably means you have drifted into a science fiction movie.
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colin tollervey made a comment
The learner assessment activities ,use of concept questions ,open questions etc are all common in ESL teaching ,but it always useful to remind yourself and try out new methods.
The last point I think is the most important , have fun. It is easier to smile and have a positive non verbal body language if you are enjoying yourself and it helps to keep you sane... -
The positive is that she wishes to learn and enjoyed it in the past and that was a girl who was willing to be her 'buddy'. This pairing should be encouraged and accommodated.
The teacher was not helpful ,but this could be down to oversized classes and external pressures.
There is an obvious need for extra language lessons and this would help with even bad... -
it is good to be aware of how trauma can manifest itself.
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I have always used reading aloud as a teaching method . It is good to know that is good practise! The ability to give better students longer sentences and pace the reading is always useful.
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colin tollervey made a comment
Some useful lesson plans and could be incorporated into any class.
Computers and IT is beneficial for many SLD students ,but could it cause problems for some students?( bright lights etc) -
Interesting topic. I think I could incorporate the meta-cognitive process of checking article usage example into part of a a lesson . Just need to explain what a toffee apple is first!
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colin tollervey made a comment
Giving clear instructions and providing positive feedback is something that teachers must always focus on and try to improve, whoever the students. It can help to ask the students to explain what they have to do after giving your instructions.
As regards pairing ,would it be a good or bad idea to pair two dyslexic students?
(I'm sure the answer is probably... -
I have not had this experirnce with younger children. At present I am also doing a Future learn course abou Dyslexia and it could be difficult to tell the difference between trauma and dyslexia.
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With younger children not only do you have to educate them ,but if you can keep them entertained as well that helps!
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It helps if the children know the basic classroom language and vocabulary, as well as the basic rules about asking question ,going to the toilet etc.
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colin tollervey made a comment
Settled to learn means that the child is comfortable in the classroom environment .
Children coming from different cultural backgrounds might feel left out. For instance in Spain ,there is a lot of interaction with children hugging the teacher and a lot more physical contact, so a Spanish child entering the UK education system may feel the enviroment to be... -
colin tollervey replied to colin tollervey
I have the ESL training so that part is not required for me ,but for many of the volunteers it will be the first time they have taught english and so requires more work in getting lessons prepared etc. The training and support so as to be able to deal with the problems which might arise when dealing with refugees, varies from organisation to organisation. The...
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colin tollervey made a comment
Thanks a lot .I am learning a lot. A word of caution ,however ,the main charity that is working with refugees in my local city of Sanctuary is heavily Christian and insists on volunteers partaking in prayer meetings. Not for me and not that inclusive.
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colin tollervey made a comment
Some useful links and REFLECT gives me material to reflect on.
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colin tollervey made a comment
A good example of the buddy system ,which can occasionaly lead to life long friendships.
The worksheet and video could easily be incorporated into a classroom activity. -
colin tollervey made a comment
Reading is an important way of understanding other peoples feelings and situations and many people may become more empathetic with other people as a result of reading or at least sympathetic to their plight ,which is not ideal but an improvement.
I have heard it said that compassion is empathy with action ,which sounds more suitable for teachers, and does... -
colin tollervey made a comment
Many of the recommendations could be used for the benefit of all students and incorporated into the nornal lessons.
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colin tollervey made a comment
For some students it may be too much and demotivating ,but for some students it will be empowering and enable them to understand problems that they have have with their L1 language. Retention seems to be a problem with many learners ,but some learners may be able to see patterns that non dsylexic students cannot see.
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colin tollervey made a comment
Useful video and some of the phonological awareness and word-level reading tests could easily be incorporated into everyday lessons.
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colin tollervey made a comment
It was interesting to note the different experiences that each of the students had. The problem of making words stick in the mind seemed to be a common theme ,but many of the other problems were varied.
Anastasia was probably not helped by the teacher being uninterested and not very good. It sounds as if all the students in her class were held back by the... -
colin tollervey made a comment
Giving autonomy to students is always a good idea and many of the ideas in Jon Stolks TED talk are familiar ,but unfortunately the trend in governments is towards more control and less trust of students and teachers.
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Switching to the language that you wish to learn on a PC is a good way of immersing yourself and aftyer a very short time you stop noticing that it is in a different language. ( helped by the similarity of icons,no doubt.)
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colin tollervey made a comment
I am working with refugees as a volunteer english teacher and the training is often minimal ,but I am qualified and have experience unlike some of the volunteer teachers. The support varies from group to group.
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colin tollervey made a comment
Collaborative learning is always useful . Even the simple practise of getting paired students to correct each others work before giving their answers to class yields results.
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I will often have a discussion about aspirations at the start of the course and a common begineers ESL lesson is classroom language and this is a good time to bring up classroom behaviour.
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colin tollervey made a comment
Luckily for me ,most of my refugee students have a choice to attend the classes ,even if they might wish to be in a different life situation ,so this is not a problem i have to deal with very often.
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colin tollervey made a comment
Pairing is useful ,but a lot will depend on the size of the class. As always a smaller class makes life easier.
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colin tollervey made a comment
At the start of any course i always ask about what they want from the course and what their aims are. As well as being informative it also allows me to judge their use of subjective and future tenses etc.
Adapting lessons from course books is even more important with refugees as asking about their summer holidays is probably not relevant or tactful. Covid and... -
colin tollervey made a comment
Clicked on launch. Got a page that said no data and a picture of a cute dog.
Do not think I have the hang of this! -
colin tollervey made a comment
Thank you. Interesting topic.
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colin tollervey made a comment
I knew that there was a lot that I did not know about Dsylexia and now I know that there is even more that I do not know! The universality of Dsylexia was somthing I presumed but did not know, and was unaware that it was genetic.
The differences of dyslexia levels depending on language and letter format is a facinating subject and one I shall look into more. -
colin tollervey made a comment
Not asking closed questions and concept checking are common strategies in EFL teaching ,but I am not sure how useful it would be in detecting SLDs. How my reading comprehension would appear in Spanish I am not sure. I would put it down to lack of knowledge and practise rather than any underlying causes.
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colin tollervey made a comment
Helpful video.
The problems of spelling ,reading and pronunciation would appear to be an obvious problem for dyslexic students,but do they struggle with grammar ,because is that not a different type of learning?
