November conference preview 8

GETTING PEOPLE TO LIKE YOU 

[Nick Michelioudakis / Saturday 16:45 ‘Thevenin’]

Think about some of the ELT-related theories you have studied / heard about so far. The ‘Natural Order’ hypothesis, Halliday’s theory of Lexical Cohesion, Transformational – Generative Grammar etc. etc… Q: What do they have in common? A: They are not much use outside the classroom. Now compare these with the following two principles for example: 1) ‘The more we see something/someone, the more we tend to like them’ (The ‘Mere Exposure Effect’) or 2) ‘People like you more if you are less than perfect!’ (The ‘Pratfall Effect’). The difference is that these two principles are useful both in class AND everywhere else! What is more, they are far more interesting for the average person, which means you can discuss them with people outside our field.

This talk / workshop draws on findings from the field of Social Psychology. It is meant to be useful, practical and enjoyable. It is based on the firm belief that we stand to gain enormously by looking at ideas from other fields and ‘importing’ the ones which are relevant to our work. To find out more about the rationale behind this presentation, just watch this short video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toW_BoNj230

To read some articles in the ‘Psychology and ELT’ series, just click on this link:

http://nic313.wix.com/nickmi#!articles

November conference preview 7

Literature strikes back! Teaching  literature with technology.


"Literature strikes back!" by Dimitris Primalis 17th November, Opale Room 6.p.m.

In the era of digital literacies, 21st century skills and social networking, the revival of literature seems to be more imperative and challenging than ever. Doukas school in Athens –  awarded twice for innovation and a Microsoft Mentor school for its innovative approaches -  introduced the 1:1 approach (one student to one computer)in 2009  in primary school starting from 4th graders. The students adored their netbooks but concerns were expressed by some parents that literature would become extinct because of technology. How can you acquaint the generation of computer whiz kids with fiction, science fiction and other genres? How can you stimulate students’ interest to start reading? How about using technology? Literature and technology need not be rivals. The split viewing/listening technique, Internet resources and free Web 2.0 tools can be powerful allies to attract learners’ attention.   A workshop for tech-lovers, bookworms and front line teachers, based on activities done with advanced (C2 CEFR) and primary school learners (A1-2 CEFR)