Teacher B said to teacher A, “For next year or upcoming ones we could make an interdisciplinary nature with some school subjects in English: science, history, literature in English, chemistry, technology.  In some schools the faculty of teachers are engaged in something like that. In Spain, more and more students are taking English classes, at ...

 One day teacher of English A said to teacher of English B, “You can advise your students to read something in English for some time, for long if possible, right before an oral exam. This reading prepares the candidates to have more resources to express their ideas in the target language. The candidates arrive at the examination venue as one who ...

One day teacher of English A said to teacher of English B, “The teacher must know his students, but also he must know himself: how am I doing? Are my students really learning? How am I working lately? 20th century philosopher and writer Jean Guitton (1901-1999), one of the best minds in that century, used to say that intellectual work, and ...

One day teacher of English B said to teacher of English A, “When we communicate with one another we do it by using the four skills of a language: listening, speaking, reading and writing. So it is sensible you make your students practice those four skills. Your students will be gaining experience by using them. Our students don’t only read and ...

One day teacher of English A said to teacher of English B, “I’ve taught a lot of private classes, training a student to pass a written exam. I don’t like training for just passing a test in a few days or weeks. I can train the student but he doesn’t learn English really – roughly speaking. I give my students some of the following pieces of ...

One day teacher of English B said to teacher of English A, “Although you should assess what the students have learned and acquired, when the academic year is approaching, I’d advise you to set a final written exam. Most teachers do; it was rather silly of me to say it. An exam including grammar and vocabulary, reading, writing, perhaps ...

One day teacher of English A said to teacher of English B, “You are choked with loads of tests to correct? Look, I’ve learned a way of implementing written tests which might be any useful to you. I think of questions and activities that can try assess their grammar/vocab and communicative competence. The result is a brief test, ten questions, yet ...

One day teacher of English A said to teacher of English B, “You told me that you must follow and fulfill the general lines of the department of English to plan your academic-year syllabus. I’d say, when planning it consider that it has to be realistic, with your real students in mind, but also with high expectations and achievements, practical, ...

A couple weeks I decided to do something most educators would never dream of doing. I gave all 140 of my German students the opportunity to assess me. I explained to my students that the assessment was 100% anonymous, and the most important thing was to give me the truth. Here is the link to the ''Herr Tarte'' assessment. There were 9 required ...

I recently made some big changes in my German classes. I have been contemplating these changes for while now, so please don't assume I made these changes without thoughtful consideration. My focus has transitioned to having my students show what they have learned, instead of simply assessing them on what they are willing to do. It bothers me when ...