Classroom Activities: Listening, Games, and ICT
Listen and Color
Instructions:
Has everybody got a white paper? Ok. Now, we are going to draw a picture. But to do so, you have to follow the instructions I am going to give you. So, let’s make an example!
- On the top right corner, make a sun with a yellow crayon.
- In the middle of the sheet, draw two mountains, one with the brown marker and the other one with a green marker.
- Next, I want you to paint a blue river which starts between the two mountains and which goes until the end of the bottom left corner.
- Then, pick up the cotton and glue it on the sky to make three clouds.
OK. Now raise your pictures and compare if all of them are the same! Is there any mistake? Ok, perfect! Good!
Listen carefully because now, I want you to paint some animals, whatever you want, in the picture. And then, I will ask for some volunteers to explain what animals and where have you drawn them. Have you understood? OK. You have ten minutes to complete the task! Go on!
Game: The Detective
Procedure:
- First, the teacher will ask for a volunteer to go out of the class for 5 minutes.
- Then, the teacher sets a story describing to the pupils the context of the game (the playground, the airport, a restaurant, the supermarket, etc.). After that, the students will mime the situation, doing gestures and representing the scene.
- Secondly, the teacher asks the volunteer to come in and explains to him that he is going to be the police officer and the detective.
- The teacher will make a description of the wanted student carefully. And the volunteer will point to the person in the description.
- Finally, when the detective finds the wanted person, this student will be the next detective, and the police officer will do the description of the next wanted person.
I think this is a very dynamic game to do orally, to practice the speaking and listening skills, and to ensure vocabulary when doing the descriptions.
ICT in the Classroom
Our new educational system establishes that schools must provide our pupils with a basic digital knowledge to adapt today’s education to the digital area. Students in Primary Education should be introduced to the use of the Internet and multimedia tools. Moreover, new technologies can enhance the quality of education in several ways: by increasing learner motivation and engagement, by facilitating the acquisition of basic skills, and by enhancing teacher training. ICTs are also transformational tools which, when used appropriately, can promote the shift to a learner-centered environment. Last but not least, regular use of ICT across different curriculum subjects can have a beneficial motivational influence on students’ learning.
In my future class, I would use the following new technologies:
- Blogs: Because they can communicate with pupils in other cities and in other countries. Moreover, they can use the blogs to create a school newspaper as well.
- Forums: Where they change information, notes, and they can also solve their doubts.
- Recorder camera: It is a way of reflecting on their own work when they are watching it. They can produce their own feedback.
- Digital whiteboard: I will use it for explanations and for playing games with all the class.
Finally, I would like to say that ICT is relevant because pupils feel much more motivated if technical aids are used. As motivation is one of the essential elements of the learning-teaching process, teachers should be ready to use any of the technologies so as to make the process more interesting. What is more, it is also relevant because of the importance that new technologies have nowadays, not only in the teaching-learning process but also in all aspects of our students’ lives.