While administrative bodies create standards for learners of English, we can achieve far more than that level. There are many areas where we can grow our students beyond ‘the norm’ to keep them moving onwards and upwards. For example, developing stronger thinking skills will serve students well in all areas of their lives. While doing so, we need to make sure we can assess how our students are developing by using a variety of activities. With a good plan, we can help our students move onwards and upwards in their abilities. In this session, we will discuss some of the questions around these ideas and see how we can help our students reach higher.
要點 1 How to Teach Students to Think?
Henry Ford is quoted as saying “Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably the reason why so few engage in it.” As a science graduate and a science teacher, I value the ability to think. Thinking is a skill that we can teach to students but, as with other ideas, we need to teach it the right way: with modeling, scaffolding and lots of practice.
要點 2 How to Evaluate and Assess Student Learning?
The teacher teaches, but sometimes the student doesn’t learn, and that is not always their fault! As a teacher, it is important to find out what our students can actually do, and what they are really learning. A range of different assessment options is very useful in helping us to do this.
要點 3 How to Help Students Go Beyond Average?
We all want our students to succeed, and parents often want their children to go well beyond the “basics” and move towards stronger reading abilities and more of a 1st-language use of English. By using good materials and sound methods and practice techniques, this is achievable with enough time.
Andrew Tiffany / Teacher Trainer, Greater China
- Teacher, Trainer and HR Manager at Hess Educational Organization, Taipei
- Academic Training Manager at Disney English, Shanghai
- Teacher and Manager at Asia-America Education Institute, Taipei
- Teacher Trainer at Cengage/National Geographic Learning, Taipei
Andrew Tiffany is the Teacher Trainer, Greater China for National Geographic Learning. Andrew has over 25 years of teaching experience, 15 of which were focused on teaching and teacher training in greater China. Originally from New Zealand, he has worked with both EFL learners and international school learners from PreK-12, both in English and subject content. Because he has taught some complicated subjects such as physics or math in the past, Andrew likes to take ideas and concepts and distill them down to the basic elements that work, to find ways of doing things efficiently and effectively. He also likes to help others develop and grow, and to work with teachers to find more and better ways of helping their students.
