Inspirational English, June 2017 Inspirational English, June 2017 | Page 7

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Would you share a story with us when a visual
sparked a positive reaction in your class?
I use videos both with groups as well as individuals. I
always regret not having a second camera to record the
reaction of my students. I can give you an example of the
video that has been seen by over 6 thousand people on
my blog – it’s called EVAN. It starts with an innocent
plot of a boy and a girl at school. It’s the environment
that students know and like. In my lesson plan, however,
I direct students’ eyes to a completely different story
than the film is about and then a twist takes place.
Students eyes get bigger and you can see their surprise
on the faces and questions of how and why arise. I just
love it. I don’t really have to wait long for the reaction I
want. They are shocked and willing to talk. But in case
you haven’t seen it – I’m not going to tell you how it’s
going to end. Sometimes, they remember videos even
months after watching it. It stimulates their minds far
more than the text.
You are running a 52-week Image Challenge. What in your opinion are the top three ways
to use images in the classroom?
The most important aspect is that still too many teachers believe that images limit only to the coursebook, where
t heir role is mainly decorative. There is nothing more misleading. Images are everywhere and this is what I’m
trying to show. Images just ‘bombard’ us wherever we go. That is why, in my Image Challenge I’m trying to show
various source and ways of using images in the class. Number one and the leader would be s
,
which are unlimited source of images. On average teen’s mobile contains from 100-600 photos that you can use
to run an interesting lesson. Number two would be
such as
INSTAGRAM, PINTEREST etc. Students use them anyway, if we want it or not and they are a way better than
we are at using them, which I try to use effectively during the lesson – they love explaining and showing me how
the things work. Don’t be afraid to ask them. It’s their environment and it’s their language. Young people
communicate by images. Thirdly,
, I mean graffiti, paintings, advertisements,
magazines etc. anything you see can be a perfect material for the lesson. That is what I’m trying to point out by
Image Challenge – pictures are everywhere – we just have to get in the habit of applying them in the class.
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