New Phat English Videos

 I finally had a chance to create a few demo videos for Phat English. Although originally, I wanted to do it with a group of students, due to the space constraints of the location I was filming in, (and the difficulty of securing a group of college age kids who actually know the song) the videos turned out to be a one on one treatment, but I was actually fine with that. I think they came out well. In both vids, we worked on the song, Decisions, Decisions.

The first video dealt with the first 4 lines of the song, and the second vid dealt with the next 4. This is generally how the lessons flow. Each song is broken up into 4 or 5 sections with each section consisting of 4 or 5 lines of lyrics. In doing it this way, students can can learn the songs bit by bit which is not only easier for them, it also gives the teacher a much longer run of material and a way to thread previous lessons together.

Now that the videos are completed, the next step will be seeing what I can do to create a regular video series, and also getting started on the ebook, with Apple's textbook publishing system.

At this point, it is really exciting to see how far Phat English has come along, and Im excited to see how things will continue to progress for it in the next year. Yosh!!

Slap, Clap, Snap - A great classroom icebreaker and warm-up activity

When you first step into a class full of new students, setting the stage for the kind of learning environment your class will have should be one of your top priorities. Particularly in an kind of language learning or EFL/ESL environment, you need students to feel comfortable around both yourself and the other students. As anyone who has ever tried can tell you, trying to speak a foreign language when you are nervous is much much harder than when you are relaxed. At the same time though, an overly relaxed environment can be counterproductive as well, because it can be hard to keep students concentrated, and focused on the task at hand.

 One great way to set the stage for a good classroom environment is the warm-up activity, Slap, Clap, Snap. It's a lot of fun, it encourages laughter and competition, and it helps you and your students to learn each others' names. Despite how fun it is however, it also requires concentration to do, and as such keeps students focused and trying their best.

 How to play Slap, Clap, Snap
 1. Introduce them to the rhythm:
- Slap (your thighs)
- Clap (your hands)
- Snap (your fingers)

2. Write the phrase: "My name's ________." on the board.

3. Show the students that each word corresponds to a sound.
- My (slap) name's (clap) _______ (snap).

 *This is also a great way to introduce students to the concept of reductions, and let them know that in natural spoken English no one says (my name IS _______). 

 4. Start the rhythm and keep it going. Introduce yourself in this manner, and then pass the buck onto a student. Have them go one by one introducing themselves in this manner without letting the rhythm stop or falter. Once everyone has introduced themselves...

 5. Repeat the process, this time speeding it up.

6. After they feel more comfortable, you can make the game more complex by adding in the phrase:
 This is ________.
 My name's _________.

 This way they have to remember the name and introduce the person before them, before themselves. After a round of this, things can be made even more complex by having them introduce two people before them with:
 That is _________.
 This is _________.
 My name's __________.

All in all, depending on the competency of the students, this game can take between 5 and fifteen minutes, and by the end of it, you should know at least 3 or 4 students names...especially if you play along with them. The only problem with this warm-up game is that it is much more suited to large classrooms (with at least 8 or 10 students) than smaller ones. (4 or less). If you are teaching in a larger-sized class (such as the ones that are common to Japanese universities), it is an exceeding useful warm-up game, and can do wonders for starting your ESL or EFL class out on the right foot.