Accent: How important is it in a foreign language?
From our very first attempt to learn the alphabet of a foreign language, we realise the relative difficulty in repeating its unique sounds. Depending on the language and our cultural or geographical contact with it, this struggle becomes either bigger or smaller. Naturally, the more we learn, the more we apprehend in the phonetics of […]
Collocations a.k.a how to speak a foreign language more naturally
What is a collocation first of all? A collocation is a combination of words that come together to convey a specific meaning. Collocations show how a language typically and naturally functions, therefore appear very often in it. They also reveal some restrictions, as to which words can come together in a phrase and the ones […]
The Pygmalion Effect
The initial study In 1968, a group of researchers wished to conduct a number of tests, which would assess students’ IQ, in a California primary school. The true results of the tests were never presented to the teachers. Instead, the researchers chose a random sample, which consisted the 20% of students belonging to all grades […]
Confessions of a teacher in lockdown.
Today, a year of lockdown is being completed. Nationally and globally, the world has been into turmoil because of the pandemic caused by Covid-19. Overnight, the entire educational system had to be redesigned and conducted online. Under ever-stricter measures being implemented daily, social distancing, isolation, fear of getting infected and covid-19 terrorism prevalent in the […]
How to study with ADHD
All right, then. The student demonstrates signs of behavior, which may fall into the category of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Overcoming our tendency to place tags and organise behaviours of students in “boxes” let’s talk about…Peter himself. For instance, what are his hobbies? Which are his favourite flavours? Who is his best friend? How […]
Learning a foreign language with dyslexia
“Yes! Of course, they can learn a foreign language!” I can barely remember the number of times a worried parent has called me to anxiously ask “ Hello! My daughter has been diagnosed with dyslexia. Will she be able to learn a foreign language?” The hustle and bustle of everyday life affects each and every […]
6 Hacks on how video games actually help you learn a foreign language
The battle of the Video Games. For years now, there is a secret, unspoken, restless, ongoing battle being fought in every home. On the one side, parents aligned with teachers. Their weapon: Books. On the other side, young learners. Their weapon: Video games. Who shall prevail? Authority on the face of parents and teachers seems […]
6 ways to stay motivated during distance learning
6 Ways to stay motivated during distance learning The second surge of the global Covid-19 pandemic is here, leading all countries, gradually yet steadily, to local or national lock-downs. Social distance, working from home, restriction of circulation and limited access to public places of entertainment never really left in 2020. However, now in autumn, they […]
Challenges of remote learning and how to overcome them – Part 2
3. Unexpected technical Issues. The teaching process has long now embraced technology, even in the most prepared environment though, technical difficulties arise from nowhere. Therefore, during remote learning, which is completely reliant on technology, educators and students have to deal with such issues. Problems may vary from unstable network connections, software bugs, training environment access […]
Challenges of remote learning and how to overcome them-Part 1
The global pandemic of Covid-19, which first emerged in the city of Wuhan in China, on the 31st of December 2019, is still marking its unstoppable course throughout the world. The lockdowns which globally took place during spring of 2020, seem to have only temporarily succeeded in flattening the curve of rapid infection. The partial […]