Donatella Barbini
I am a freelance teacher of English.
I also regard myself as a motivational coach.
I would like to deliver successful online lessons: creativity and tech-skills are key to me.
Location Italy
Activity
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Donatella Barbini made a comment
I'd like to have a job that gives me the opportunity to interact with people.
I'm not interested in finance.
I wouldn't mind working late hours if I can also manage my time flexibly -
Donatella Barbini made a comment
Firstly, because they are not innate, natural, so they need to be taught and secondly, they are also extremely important because they provide people with the ability to manage different contexts and situations, both in workplace and in their personal life.
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Donatella Barbini replied to Monica Chogle
Yes, so have I.
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Donatella Barbini replied to Monica Chogle
You are right. I have to say that adults forget too easily and too quickly how difficult that period was for them. Recalling the struggles that most of us went through would help a lot in the relationship between adolescents and adults.
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Donatella Barbini replied to Ilaine Nunn
Absolutely agree.
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I agree with this simple, yet straightforward statement.
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Donatella Barbini made a comment
I did not do specific academic studies on that and that is the reason why I think I cannot consider myself an expert. However I work with young students everyday and, more importantly I have two teenage daughters at home, so I am fully aware of what the adolescents' world is...
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Donatella Barbini made a comment
Hi from Italy. I am a teacher of English and mainly work with adolescents. It is extremely important to me to get to understand how I should approach my teenage students and I have realised that the way they feel and relate to others (peers or adults) really have an impact on their learning. I am also fascinated by neuroscience and although I do not have any...
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Donatella Barbini made a comment
It was initially a need derived from the lockdown and then it became an opportunity for having a more flexible professional setting. Flexibility gives me the opportunity to work more and better, because I have more time to plan my lessons and keep up to date with my training.
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Donatella Barbini made a comment
I've switched the majority of my classes into online ones. I work with Young Learners and teenagers who want to get Cambridge Certifications and I have to say that I appreciate the flexibility that working online grants. This helps both me and my students, who enjoy this new challenge and show their responsibility behind the screen.
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Yes, this is what I would like, too!
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Hi, everyone! I'm Donatella and I live in Italy. I've been teaching English for 10 years and I mainly work with teenagers. Since our first lockdown here I've switched my courses into online ones.
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Well, generally it depends on the age of your learners. For example, with very young learners I refer to a lesson structure model: I start with a Surprise Box where I put something children have to guess by touching it without seeing. That object is related to the lesson theme. Then, there's alway a song or a chant with words or short sentences to be...
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Donatella Barbini made a comment
I've been teaching to very young learners for 8 years and I think it's needless to say that PLAY is the most effective tool to engage them and have them successfully learn. I work with 3, 4 and 5-year-old children attending a kindergarten and arrange private thematic labs in the afternoon, using storytelling and Arts&Crafts.
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Donatella Barbini made a comment
Hi everybody! I'm a freelance English teacher in Italy, working with young and very young learners, but also with teenagers and adults. I'm really looking forward to sharing views and experiences because I think that sharing is crucial and provides us all with opportunities in terms of self-improvement and ideas. I've been following Future Learn courses for...
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Donatella Barbini made a comment
Hi everybody! I'm a freelance English teacher in Italy, working with young learners, teenagers and adults, too. I'm really looking forward to sharing views and experiences, I've been following Future Learn course for months and I can strongly affirm I've learnt a lot!
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Donatella Barbini made a comment
A great lesson is when teachers and learners totally engage, feel motivated and get to the end of it with the clear awareness they've learned and had fun at the same time.
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Donatella Barbini made a comment
I use WhatsApp to exchange videos and recordings with my learners. It works. They focus on a lot of Listening & Speaking outside the face-to-face lesson.
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It's all about being aware of the importance to know and use different resources and tools. This is one of the reasons I've decided to attende this course and so far I'm really learning a lot. Thanks!!
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Donatella Barbini made a comment
Hi, everybody. I'm a freelance English teacher in Italy and I work with a wide range of learners when it comes to age. I've started to propose online lessons and I've realised there's a tremendous potential to be developed. This is one of the reasons why I'm here: learning from experts and from other experiences as well as sharing my ideas within this community.
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Donatella Barbini made a comment
Hi, I'm a freelance English teacher, working with a wide range (different ages) of learners. I help children and teenager prepare for their certifications and run playgroups for very young children. I think that motivation is the key word both for teachers and for learners. I'm looking forward to starting the course, to improve and share my knowledge and...
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Donatella Barbini made a comment
I'm an English teacher in Italy, working with very young learners and also helping students prepare for their exams in order to get certifications. Therefore I can say that my learners are definetely of different ages. In spite of that I must admit that in all the different cases the approach must be the same: finding the best way to motivate learners and...
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Donatella Barbini made a comment
I grew up in a village near Bologna, in Italy. I used to play with my friends outside, but I still recall wonderful memories of playing on my own, in my bedroom, with my toys and mostly pretending to be...
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Donatella Barbini made a comment
Meeting my learners on a regular basis, it goes without saying that I usually have them practice speaking live and on a face-to-face format. In the last months I started using more and more technology, that's why I ask my students to record (voice and/or video) and this enable them to continue their learning experience even beyond our scheduled lessons. Not...
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Donatella Barbini made a comment
It goes without saying...communication is crucial. It's the key to open children's emotions and thus their potential openness to cooperate with peers and adults. The way we approach the communication is fundamental and in my opinion it should be based on honesty and respect. Even if we deal with very young children, they are perfectly aware of how they are...
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Donatella Barbini made a comment
Hello, I'm from Italy where I work as a freelance English teacher. I work with very young learners and with teenagers as well, in different contexts: in school or privately at home.
I always look forward to getting inspired by experts and other colleagues, because I'm convinced that sharing views and opinions is a great opportunity to grow and find new ways... -
Donatella Barbini made a comment
If children feel safe, secure and looked after, they are well. Only this situation can provide them with the serenity and the time that are so important when they are experiencing something. If children don't feel safe, they will be much more concentrated in finding strategies to hide and defend themselves: there aren't, in this case, the conditions to focus...
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Donatella Barbini made a comment
totally agree!!
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Donatella Barbini made a comment
As I've already said, I'm a strong believer of the "learning by doing" approach. So I try to have children work a lot with their own hands and different senses, because that really keeps them involved and engaged.
Then it depends: a single activity can be lots of fun or maybe boring, the difference is also given by the level of enthusiasm teachers have and... -
Donatella Barbini made a comment
When I plan and then manage a lesson, I'm aware I cannot just push on teachers-led activities. I have to give children time to relate to the other children, having them compare what they are doing (be a coloring activity or a craft or whatever). It's a kind of trying to balance the different activities, keeping in mind that flexibility is a good choice.
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Donatella Barbini made a comment
I alway speak English to kids just as I would speak my language. I use a lot of mimicry and facial expressions and I get help from the materials we are working with. So, from my point of view teachers should consider the learning experience and process as challenging as the teaching. No poor simple words, maybe simple sentences but the aim is to get to a more...
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Donatella Barbini made a comment
Sorry, I cannot take any picture now. I use toys and things of daily use. I also like using food for multi sensorial activities. Print-out worksheets that I got from the web or I prepare by myself.
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Donatella Barbini made a comment
No surprise, at all. I really enjoy James talking about language as a toy, to manipulate, to change, to have fun with. It's a very strong and effective idea, the best perspective from where we can all start to build our teaching/learning strategy and lesson plans.
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Donatella Barbini made a comment
Yes, as an English teacher for very young learners I have to say that in the past it was hard to convince parents, with no little effort, about the importance of play in order to achieve the goals. But I'm so keen on the role of playing while I teach, that I kept on explaining and providing parents with effective example in terms of practice, and at the end...
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Donatella Barbini made a comment
In my opinion children can learn English just because they're playing, which means they're having a full immersion experience, providing motivation and involvement.
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Donatella Barbini made a comment
Well, the things and topics covered, also by reading the articles attached, were so interesting and inspirational and very much complete.
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Donatella Barbini made a comment
Recites some number names in sequence. 2
Can play in a group. 3
Experiments with blocks, colours and marks. 1
Copies familiar expressions, e.g. Oh dear! All gone! 1
Runs safely on whole foot. 2
Listens with interest to the noises adults make when they read stories. 2
Is aware that some actions can hurt or harm others. 3
Responds to simple instructions,... -
Donatella Barbini made a comment
I'm a very strong supporter of the "learning by doing" approach. As for my experience, I have to admit this statement is true: it's when children are actively involved that you get the best results in terms of learning and teaching, in whatever experiences and subjects.
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Donatella Barbini made a comment
Hello everybody. I'm Donatella, from Italy, and I've been teaching English to very young learners for 6 years. I keep enjoying the challenge, trying to do my best to support kids in their language learning development, never forgetting fun and play are crucial aspects of the language experience. As a teacher, I always keep in mind what the parents'...
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Donatella Barbini made a comment
When I was a child I used to play with a doll called 'Cicciobello'. It was first created in the 1960s (I was born in 1970). His realistic face was created by sculptor Silvestro Bellini, and his body was very soft. According to the company, this toy helped little girls develop the symbolic play of maternage. At the time, gender issues had not been considered...
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This discussion about making toys, in particular the one from natural material, makes me realise how this important and strategic attitude would impact (positevely) on environment...
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I think there is always a strong need for the children to be able to produce their personal toys out of any material available in a specific moment. When this process takes place and more than one child participate, it's about using creativity to develop social attitudes and skills.
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Donatella Barbini made a comment
It's funny thinking when I was a kid I used to play with cut outs from magazines, trying to organize things for my "play life": clothes, food, make up, sort of collecting things to put into boxes, pretending to be an adult, and still today I love reading magazines and newspapers and I often want to keep articles rather than pictures, just as if they are part...
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Donatella Barbini made a comment
Play is about fun and committment, with other play partners or just with yourself. It is the opportunity to experiment and learn things and ways to relate to others.
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Donatella Barbini made a comment
When I was a child I used to play outdoor with my friends, but often I liked to play on my own at home. Play was about fun and freedom, and made me feel older (pretending to be a teacher, a doctor, a hostess, etc. etc). I still remember playing as a magical moment and opportunity.
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Donatella Barbini made a comment
Play is the opportunity to make experiences. Play is about practicing relashionships (if involving others) or getting to know ourselves better (introspectively). Playing is about the possibility of making mistakes and start over again. Play means learning. Always.
