MAKING LANGUAGE LEARNING LESS BOT-RING: THE ULTIMATE MEDIATION INSTRUCTOR!

Hi, fellow teachers!

I can't stop moving on through the ever-evolving language teaching journey, can you? I am continuously seeking tools to enhance my students' learning experiences. One such tool that has captured my attention recently is the chatbot. Who hasn't heard about the wonders of @Mizou from @ELT_CATION, @blogdecristina and @EliGozalo? I couldn't resist following suit to uncover the mysteries of integrating bots in the ESL class!

As I was brainstorming ideas for my bot design, inspiration came quickly: What aspect causes the most insecurity among my C1 students? Undoubtedly, it's mediation! They struggle to understand how oral mediation works here in Galicia when it comes to the standardized exam: "Identify the main idea of a small text and highlight the most relevant pieces of information without adding any personal opinion or extra ideas". Challenging, isn't it?

So, I got down to it and started designing a chatbot experience with Mizou that I'm now excited to introduce: The Ultimate Mediation Instructor🥰. It is a new bot specifically designed to help students practice mediation skills, which - as I have mentioned - are a crucial component of standardized language exams in Galicia. Just like the exam teacher here and complying with the Galician standards, the instructor evaluates students' ability to summarize and streamline main ideas effectively, guiding and supporting them throughout the building process.

I have already implemented it in class and also asked my students for feedback on the tool. Students' opinions are key to my teaching job! Here are five compelling advantages they have found out:

• 24/7 Availability: They all agreed that this chatbot is available round the clock, providing them with instant access to mediation practice whenever they needed it so that they could engage with the task at their own pace. How convenient!
• Personalized learning: I tailored the interaction so that each student could choose their own area of interest for the bot to provide the right text to mediate. My students pointed out that this personalized approach fostered greater engagement and motivation. I was thrilled!
• Immediate feedback: According to my students, the most significant advantage of the Ultimate Mediation Instructor is its ability to provide instant feedback on their responses, which not only reinforced learning in real time but also helped them identify and address areas for improvement more efficiently.
• Promotion of Speaking and Writing Skills: Through supportive prompts, the chatbot encouraged my students to practice and refine their speaking and writing skills in a safe environment. This active engagement facilitated language production and fluency development. They were so focused!
• Autonomy Enhancement: My students agreed that they managed to take over their own learning process by exploring mediation independently, experimenting with different language structures, and tracking their progress live and over time!

I will try and continue to enrich language learning experiences in my classroom, embracing the possibilities that #AI offers in fostering meaningful and effective language acquisition. Also, I will keep on considering risks and challenges that need to be overcome! So, stay tuned for updates on this journey!

POETRY WORKSHOP AT SCHOOL

👋 Dear all,

As you all know, poetry is one of the most elegant forms of human expression. From the Iliad by Homer to the Road not taken by Frost, there is a poem for every purpose.

As with any form of writing, a poem can be hard to create but also enormously pleasant... So, up for a creative challenge? With the right approach and the necessary help, you can easily start writing a poem of your own.

Connect with other students at school in our poetry workshop with the Galician writer, Tamara Andrés, next Tuesday 3 May at 18.00 and unleash the poet in you! 

Hope to see you all there!

ITip OF APRIL: WRITE AND IMPROVE

Free tool for ideal at-home revision these days! Write and Improve is simple to use: just choose a task, write or upload a written response and get immediate feedback. The tool will magically identify those parts of your text that may need improving, allowing you to work on those areas and keep developing your writing skills. You will be scored on the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference) scale and given a level from A1 (lowest) to C2 (highest)  New technology to mark English writing accurately in seconds! Isn't it cool?

ITip OF FEBRUARY: WHITESMOKE

We are about to finish February and I have not posted my ITip of the month yet! Too many things to do in my bucket list! So I have no choice but to work on a bank holiday to remedy the situation! This just can't wait.

I have already posted some other ITips on how to improve your writings: Kaizena or Grammarly to name but a few; however, I still think that my C1 students need more extra help on both grammar accuracy and spelling errors alike. That is why my ITip this month is WhiteSmoke, one of the best online proofreading software solutions. Ideal for students who suck at grammar! It is a tool that allows your grammar to become flawless!

It is affordable and highly accurate. The main drawback, however, as it compares to Grammarly, is that there is no free version. You can try out the 4-day-free trial and decide for yourself. The price you pay for the monthly subscription is lower than a McDonald´s Happy Meal!

ITip OF OCTOBER

Time does fly! October is about to come to an end and I haven't posted my ITip of the month yet!

As my students are coping with the writing task in unit 1, I thought it would be a good idea to give them some feedback on their writing skills. That is the main reason why I have chosen Grammarly as this month's tip.

Grammarly is an app that automatically detects potential grammar, spelling, punctuation, word choice and style mistakes. Using artificial intelligence and natural language processing, Grammarly offers not only grammar and spelling checking but also suggestions about word choice, style and writing clarity. 

It offers three different versions of the app: 

Grammarly for Microsoft Office. You can install Grammarly as an add-in. No matter whether you have problems with dangling modifiers or wordiness, Grammarly will spot them all for you!

Grammarly for Windows 7+ or MacOS 10.8+ right on your desktop to access your documents or open a new project with one single click.

Grammarly for Chrome. You will write your best with Grammarly for Chrome. It will eliminate writing errors and find the perfect word for you to express what you want to say. Besides, by registering your account you will get a writing report each week! This will help you understand your mistakes with clear explanations so that you won't make them ever again. This free browser extension will allow you to write mistake-free in Gmail, Facebook or anywhere else you write on the web!

NATIONAL POETRY DAY

National Poetry Day is a Spanish-wide celebration of poetry taking place every March. It generates an explosion of activity nationwide with amazing events taking place in libraries, hospitals... and, of course, schools! We would also like to make our own contribution to the celebration of poetry's power to bring people together. We have a nice selection of poetry books to share with you at school and would also like you to collaborate by writing your own poem. Contact me if you are willing to participate. Have a look at the info on the posters to come up with great ideas to join the competition!

If running out of ideas, even though Britain celebrates the occasion on a different date, you can likewise find inspiration here!

OUR CLASS CONTRACT

Here are the policies, rules and regulations that my Intensive Course students have agreed on in class today. These standards will apply to each and every class we have from now on.... which means: my students will be punctual and will not do overtime at the school canteen!

As for me, I will try to do as they say. We have signed all the contracts they have written... so we are all now legally responsible. Beware if you don't follow the rules!

Excellent classwork, folks!! Well-done!! Now we all know what is expected in class.

AN ONLINE COLLOCATION DICTIONARY, AT LAST!!

It's been a long time since my last post about learning resources, but sometimes it is difficult to find anything worth posting. This time I have to thank my colleague Estrella for today's post!! She has introduced the English teachers at school to a new online resource I found really amazing: ozdic.com. It's an online collocation dictionary which can help you with your writing assignments or even when planning your class presentations. 

As English learners, you often stick yourselves to the same combination of words, mainly because you can't find other words to use with the ones you need. That happens to my students all the time!! Using this online dictionary, you will find a wide range of options to choose from, improving your vocabulary and making an excellent impression on your teacher and classmates!! 

Ozdic will show you the words that go together and will also help you sound much more natural. Look up a word to find new ones that can be used with it and improve your accuracy. 

How to prepare your writing exam

One of my basic year students has found a very interesting blog to help you with the preparation of your written examination. Have a look at the link. I think it is very interesting and it will definitely improve your writing skills.

Good luck in the exams!!... and thanks a lot for this useful piece of information, Bruno!

Write a report in English

This is the writing activity for my intermediate students. Don´t forget your deadline!! Next Monday!!

A letter of complaint

Open publication - Free publishing - More complaint

This is the writing activity for my second intermediate students this week. Remeber that your deadline is next Wednesday. You can also use these other documents to help you with the activity. Good luck!!

Open publication - Free publishing - More complaint

Open publication - Free publishing - More complaint

For and against essays

My intermediate students this year are learning how to write a "for and against essay". This entry is for all of them to improve their argumentative writings!!

I would like you to do the activity by posting a comment on the blog or sending it to me by e-mail. Here is the writing activity and also some useful tips for you to improve your essays. Hope you learn a lot!! ...and remember that I´ll be waiting for your e-mails or comments with your writings!!

Our Cookery Book

My basic level students learnt a lot about recipes in class last week. We worked with vocabulary, useful expressions and different kinds of food. It was time to put that into practice!!

So, I asked them to write a recipe of a typical Spanish dish using the document provided. They did a great job!! When they finished it, they sent it to me by e-mail or posted it on the blog.
I have finally collected all of them and here is the result. Hope you enjoy it!! You can leave your comments below!!

OUR COOKERY BOOK 

My dear students.... I´m really proud of your work!!
And just in case you need some more recipes on typical British dishes, here is one: Scrambled eggs Hope you enjoy the activity!!