The Fun of Active Learning

Thomas Godber, Head of Mandarin

Brighton College

18th June, 2016

UCL, Institute of Education

www.tomgodber.com

你是 …?

And you are …?

Activator of learning

Lecturer, deliverer

Active learning can be …

• Exciting

• Spontaneous

• ‘Constructivist’

• Relevant

• Meaningful

• Combined with

assessment for learning

Fun learning activities

Careful of ‘games’!

Other FLA’s

• Student-led bob-up

• Four-stage mission (four skills tasks)

• Beat the teacher – SHALL WE TRY?

• Character reveal

• My favourite words/characters

• Character blast

• 老师讲故事 – Story time

• I went to the shops and I bought …

• Student vocab teachers

More advanced

Create questions for your classmates

教育你知道多少？

1. 根据联合国教科文组织的统计，2001年在全世界上有一千万个小学年龄的孩子不上学。

2. 在发展中国家和收入低的国家，每当一个人继续受一年的教育，那个人将来的收入就会增加为百分之三。

3. 欧洲和南美洲国家都有特别高的年轻人识字率（百分之九十至百分之百)。

4. 拜伦在剑桥大学念书时，养了一只熊。

5. 英国有一百八十万名大学生，其中二十五万都是国外来的留学生。

6. 在中国百分之八十五的大学生有近视，需要戴眼镜。

7. 2015年高考时，中国的教育官员首次使用无人机监督考生。

1. 根据联合国教科文组织的统计，2001年在全世界上有六千一百万个小学年龄的孩子不上学。

2. 在发展中国家和收入低的国家，每当一个人继续受一年的教育，那个人将来的收入就会增加为百分之十。

3. 欧洲和南美洲国家都有特别高的年轻人识字率（百分之九十至百分之百)。

4. 拜伦在剑桥大学念书时，养了一只熊。

5. 英国有一百八十万名大学生，其中四十万都是国外来的留学生。

6. 在中国百分之八十五的大学生有近视，需要戴眼镜。

7. 2015年高考时，中国的教育官员首次使用无人机监督考生。

Bringing in the real world

Use authentic images

Use authentic images

Use authentic images

Use authentic texts

Use authentic texts

Use authentic texts

How will you get through this?

• Stretch and motivate with real-life and imagineryscenarios

• Stay curious about the world

Scenario 1: Meeting your new classmates

Scenario 2: Designing a package tour

• Give lots of context

• Be clear with timing

• Assign roles

• Be goal-focussed

• Make it realistic

Scenario 3: Election manifesto

It is the first-ever democratic Chinese election at some point in the future (2116). You are a spokesperson for one of the following parties:

1) Conservative Confucians

2) Labour Party

3) Communist Party

4) Green China

5) Chinese National Party

6) Chinese Women United

7) Wealth for China

Scenario 4: History or literature

Your turn …

Religion?

Politics?

A Chinese Romance

You, what subject do you like?

I, I like Chinese.

Why do you like Chinese?

Because I find it very interesting. Eh!

Writing characters, speaking Mandarin,

Singing Chinese songs, that’s what I like to do.

Drinking Chinese tea, watching Chinese films,

Eating noodles and rice – it’s just so much fun!

History, geography, English, French, art, PE, music, science and maths,

Dab da-ba dab dab, every subject is interesting,

But my favourite is Chinese, it is Chinese,

My favourite is Chinese, doodle doo doo doo doo doo doo, yeah!

Sharing best practice

The Fun of Active Learning

Thomas Godber, Head of Mandarin

Brighton College

18th June, 2016

UCL, Institute of Education

www.tomgodber.com