Teaching is like raising children, you can't measure your influence on the kids on the spot. But sometimes one's influence shines like a diamond - a treasure indeed! Save the letter and thank you for sharing it!

So sorry for your loss. I'm sure he was very proud of you. Naomi

I can agree with you only 90%. I give online homework tasks but let kids decide in which manner is most comfortable for them to hand it in. Some kids are more comfortable with paper. They think better with a pen (we don't use pencils much in high-school!) or find it easier to concentrate when there is no option for facebook in the background.

it IS a great image - glad she was so understanding and you can continue using it. Enjoy your vacation - mine is ending today!

I'm afraid I'm not at all familiar with the framework you are describing but I'm SO GLAD you are back and blogging again! Missed you and your fascinating posts! Best of luck this year!

Hear hear! So true! Why does everything have to be turned into a numbered list?!!

Ah - you are so sophisticated! You not only personalized the content but had a "bookmaking event " too! Are you teaching all summer?

Birds of a feather think alike - will that phrase work? LOL! catch in the next post!

Do you think the next step,after your amazing ways to make the most of this simple text, is to have them create, as a joint effort a booklet of their own? Using the text in the book as an example each one could change just a little bit of the information to suit him /her. Hmm... Thanks for another great post - I missed you!

Anna, Once again I find myself reading your posts several times, "studying" them. I'm really impressed by this lesson and appreciative, as always, of the helpful links you include! Following your blog is really a learning experience for me! Thank you!

I'm glad to hear about the glimmer too! I think other teachers are the only ones who understand what an emotional involvement /investment teaching is! Thanks SO much to the link to Adam's post - very relevant and powerful! Hang in there! Naomi P.S. - AWESOME photo!

Anna! I missed reading your posts! Glad to hear all is well! I'll check out the links you suggested, thanks as always!

Anna! Just beware of GOLD FEVER! I'm recovering from a bout of it now. There is sooo much fascinating material to persue recommended by serious people, material with real potential, that it's impossible to keep up with the recommendations! I realized I was working an extra shift trying to learn about everything people were talking about! I'm now trying to remember to take one or two shiny objects a time (though I HAVE registered for the free Brighton IATEFL ONLINE) and ignore the rest for now!

I certainly like this direction of choice because learners have such very different learning styles. I would add one element though - a tracking sheet. The learner marks which domain / activity type he chose every time on the sheet. Then, periodically, the teacher and the learner can discuss together what the learner has focused on (lots of grammar, for instance) and what has been ignored (listening, for example). Even "choice" needs some boundaries.

Anna, you took advantage of their motivation completely! You said "there was definetly too much text" but when the students are working with the story THEY want to tell the extra text is needed and doesn't get in the way of the work at hand. I'm very impressed with the number of ways you "milked their story" for all its worth! I like the way you individualized the task for different levels of learners while having them all do the same task. Do you keep a folder for these stories? Interesting to have them read it again a month from now! Loved the way you related the title of the post to the lesson!

That helps a lot! I haven't encountered these approaches! Thanks again!

I think the format is clear.The borders you use designate different areas so the use of different colors give information to help the pupil navigate the page and do not create overload. Those are my two cents!

Anna! the only thing I have "caught you" with is using every available resoursce to make the most of your lesson! Our lessons are officially 45 minutes, with a 10 min break between most lessons. it's a high-school! I'm lost on terminology here - what is DOGME?

Anna! how do you manage to write up examples of their errors for another lesson? Our whiteboard is small and we're constantly erasing - haven't gotten there yet! Good for you! I'm amazed how many strategies you incorporate in one lesson! How long is a lesson? Good reaction to the giggling situation!

Sometimes the best lessons are ones that happen when we let go of our plan! Great lesson!

Then this might cheer you up a bit! I referred a teacher who teached adult refugees to your blog and look at the wonderful results she has to report! http://visualisingideas.edublogs.org/2011/03/15/guest-post-going-going-gone-with-low-literacy-learners-by-clare-onolan/ Be well!

Anna! Thank you for sharing this. We all have such experiences. I have found that blogging about them helps me put them into perspective. reading such posts encourages other to reflect in this way!

Anna! so glad you didn't give up after the first trial. It seems its really working for you! It seems to me that the strategy you used is a variation on the "disappearing text:" strategy because of the recreation part. Especially if you write the text with the students! I'm very grateful for your help with that one - am still exploring the possibilities with so many levels!

Anna! As always, your blog is so thought provoking! I need more information please: Did you use a slightly easier text for this task? Did they need a lotof help as they worked? Also, a technical question: In the template, ii see where they write the possible answers but where do they write the questions? Thanks again!

Oh, you never rest! This was very interesting. Do you think it would work backwards? the class thinks of adjectives, write them on post its, and then looks for things / people to stick them on? It might be less exhausting that Way, Im not sure.