We started the meeting with warm greetings and introductions from all participants. We welcomed each other and also extended a warm welcome to the new teachers joining the organization. We discussed their initial impressions and experiences with the platform.
Teachers shared their previous professional experiences and their expectations for online teaching. We also discussed potential technical concerns that may arise and stressed the importance of providing adequate technical assistance.
We went over the meeting agenda, which included community building, problem and idea sharing, and addressing technical issues. We emphasized the importance of service quality and technical support for teachers.
We discussed the characteristics of low-quality activities, such as grammatical errors and unclear instructions. We emphasized the importance of delivering high-quality activities for students.
We addressed challenges related to activity management and technical issues. We highlighted strategies for editing and recycling activities to avoid future problems.
Teachers shared experiences about classroom challenges and proposed solutions. We emphasized clarity in instructions and adjusting activities to suit students' abilities.
Speaker | Main Ideas |
---|---|
Gergo |
|
Mikhail Adriaanse |
|
Josie Salmon |
|
Milanka Pillay |
|
Mark Venning |
|
Luis Arteaga |
|
Lilitha France |
|
Raquel Pozuelo |
|
Katherine Elkington |
|
Thelma Elliott |
|
Jonatan Buxeda i Núñez |
|
Vaiva Vasiliauskaite |
|
Partner | Title | Description |
---|---|---|
Gergo | Welcome | Gergo welcomes all participants and asks how they are doing. |
Mikhail Adriaanse | Greeting | Mikhail greets everyone and mentions he is doing well. |
Lilitha France | Greeting | Lilitha also greets everyone. |
Gergo | Introduction of Jason Du Preez | Gergo introduces Jason Du Preez, a new teacher, and asks about his initial experience with the platform and his previous experience. |
Gergo | Welcome to Jason | Gergo welcomes Jason to the organization and mentions that his questions and issues with the platform will be addressed. |
Gergo | Introduction of Milanka | Gergo greets Milanka, another new teacher, and asks how she is doing. |
Milanka Pillay | Greeting | Milanka responds that she is doing well and asks about Gergo's status. |
Gergo | Introduction of Milanka | Gergo thanks Milanka and asks for a brief introduction about her and what she has been doing before. |
Partner | Title | Description |
---|---|---|
Jason Du Preez | Experience with the Platform | Jason shares his initial experience with the platform, mentioning differences between what he saw during preparation and the actual class. |
Jason Du Preez | Professional Background | Jason explains his previous experience teaching English to young adults in South Africa, his sales and marketing business, and homeschooling his children. |
Milanka Pillay | Professional Experience | Milanka mentions that she is from South Africa and has been teaching musical theater and dance to young learners for two years. |
Gergo | Expectations for Online Teaching | Gergo asks Milanka about her expectations for online teaching and potential challenges. |
Milanka Pillay | Technical Concerns | Milanka expresses concerns about technical difficulties, such as microphone issues and audio problems, but feels more confident after her trial lesson. |
Gergo | Technical Assistance | Gergo mentions that technical issues may arise, but there is an assistance button available to help teachers quickly. |
Partner | Title | Description |
---|---|---|
Gergo | Meeting Explanation | Gergo explains to Milanka and Jason that Friday meetings are to bring the community together, share problems, new ideas, and approaches, and remind everyone of Oxinity's teaching methods. |
Gergo | Trial Lesson Discussion | Gergo introduces the topic of Jason's doubts about the trial class, specifically regarding what students see. |
Josie Salmon | Platform Tabs Explanation | Josie explains that the student tab shows what they see and the teacher tab contains instructions and questions for teachers. |
Gergo | Technical Issues | Gergo mentions that there may be discrepancies between what students and teachers see due to some bugs in the platform. |
Mari Carmen Martinez | Additional Explanation | Mari Carmen provides a detailed explanation of how the platform works and the difference between preparation and live class. |
Gergo | Assistance and Community | Gergo encourages new teachers to ask for help from the community if they have any problems, as everyone is willing to assist. |
Gergo | Service Quality | Gergo mentions that today they will focus on providing quality service, which ultimately leads to having more students. |
Gergo | Technical Assistance | Gergo encourages teachers to try solving issues themselves first but not to hesitate to ask for assistance if needed, especially new teachers. |
Partner | Title | Description |
---|---|---|
Gergo | Activity Discussion | Gergo asks teachers about the worst activities they can face, besides an empty activity. |
Mark Venning | Worst Activities | Mark mentions old activities with irrelevant content, poor image quality, and unclear instructions. |
Gergo | Importance of Presentation | Gergo highlights the importance of not presenting poor-quality activities to students. |
Josie Salmon | Out of Context Content | Josie mentions activities where the content does not match the context, which can confuse students. |
Gergo | Evaluation System | Gergo emphasizes that the evaluation system relies on accurately identifying correct and incorrect activities. |
Luis Arteaga | Long Explanations | Luis mentions activities with excessively long grammar explanations that can bore students. |
Luis Arteaga | Role Models | Luis shares how he uses his teachers as role models for others to follow, finding it an effective method. |
Gergo | Alternative Solutions | Gergo asks if this approach is a way to solve the issue or to do it differently. |
Luis Arteaga | Visual Aids Preference | Luis prefers using a few images without explanations, which allows for flexibility in teaching. |
Gergo | Agreement | Gergo agrees with Luis on the effectiveness of using images over lengthy explanations. |
Lilitha France | Grammar Reliance | Lilitha mentions issues with activities that rely heavily on pictures with grammar explanations, leading to mistakes in examples. |
Gergo | Grammar Mistakes | Gergo discusses the importance of avoiding grammatical mistakes, even if they are not incorrect but change the meaning. |
Gergo | Activity Quality | Gergo emphasizes that activities with incorrect grammar are the worst, as they can embarrass teachers in class. |
Mark Venning | Worksheet Issues | Mark mentions issues with worksheets from the internet that often contain mistakes and are difficult to correct. |
Gergo | Activity Modifications | Gergo discusses the challenges and time-consuming nature of modifying downloaded activities. |
Raquel Pozuelo | External Links | Raquel mentions activities with pictures linked to other language schools, which should be avoided to promote their own business. |
Gergo | Own Business Promotion | Gergo emphasizes using the OXINITY blog for grammar-related resources to promote their own content instead of external links. |
Partner | Title | Description |
---|---|---|
Mikhail Adriaanse | Activity Issues | Mikhail shares his experience with classes having punctuation mistakes, missing activities, and incorrect instructions, impacting the quality of the class. |
Gergo | Editing Activities | Gergo asks if teachers know they can edit activities before the class and mentions the option to recycle activities to avoid faulty ones. |
Mikhail Adriaanse | Editing and Recycling | Mikhail acknowledges the ability to edit and recycle activities but shares his cautious approach to avoid issues right before class. |
Gergo | Solution on the Fly | Gergo praises Mikhail for coming up with a solution on the fly but advises briefly reviewing the attachments of each activity in the open web class system to ensure all students are on the same page. |
Mikhail Adriaanse | Confirmation | Mikhail confirms and agrees with Gergo's point. |
Gergo | Recycling Activities | Gergo explains the importance of knowing the available activities and using the recycle button if necessary, although it may sometimes bring another faulty activity. |
Mikhail Adriaanse | Agreement | Mikhail agrees and understands the need to recycle activities if needed. |
Josie Salmon | Sharing Screenshot | Josie offers to share a screenshot to demonstrate a point and discusses the recycling button's location and function. |
Gergo | Encouragement | Gergo encourages Josie to share the screenshot for better understanding among the teachers. |
Josie Salmon | Screenshot Explanation | Josie explains how to use the recycling button and the potential issues with new activities appearing. |
Partner | Title | Description |
---|---|---|
Katherine Elkington | Language Lesson Glitches | Katherine shares her experience with language lesson glitches, such as French lessons appearing in the middle of Spanish lessons. |
Josie Salmon | Technical Issues | Josie advises refreshing the page if there are glitches and seeking assistance if the issue persists. |
Thelma Elliott | Maze Activity | Thelma mentions a maze activity that was difficult for students to describe and for her to understand their progress. |
Gergo | Alternative Activities | Gergo suggests alternative activities that may better suit the students' comprehension levels and encourages teachers to modify activities to better fit their needs. |
Thelma Elliott | Agreement | Thelma agrees with Gergo's suggestion and discusses the importance of adjusting activities to match students' abilities. |
Josie Salmon | Clarity | Josie emphasizes the importance of clarity in instructions, especially for activities like mazes, to ensure students understand what is expected of them. |
Thelma Elliott | Clear Instructions | Thelma agrees with Josie and shares her intention to provide clearer instructions in future maze activities. |
Gergo | Activity Modifications | Gergo encourages all teachers to modify activities if needed and to share any improvements with the community. |
Josie Salmon | Sharing Improvements | Josie expresses the importance of sharing improvements to enhance the teaching experience for all teachers and students. |
FRIDAY TALK on Education-20240531_101118-Meeting Recording
May 31st, 2024, 10:59a.m.
1 h 12 min 4 s
Gergo 1:02
I.
Mikhail Adriaanse 1:03
Good morning, everybody.
Good morning.
Gergo 1:05
Good, good morning everyone.
How are you today?
Mikhail Adriaanse 1:09
Doing great, doing great yourself.
Lilitha France 1:09
Morning everyone.
Gergo 1:12
Yeah, not bad.
Lilitha France 1:12
Itself.
Gergo 1:13
Not bad.
Thanks for asking.
Mikhail Adriaanse 1:14
Good to hear, of course.
Philip Magee 1:16
Morning all.
Gergo 1:17
Hello.
Hello, Jason.
And we can't hear you.
Jason, your microphone is muted.
Jason Du Preez 1:27
Hello.
Gergo 1:28
I now.
Now yes.
Hello, milanka.
Jason Du Preez 1:31
Yeah.
Gergo 1:31
Good morning to you as well.
Good morning, lilita, Sonia.
Michael, we already greeted each other.
So how is everybody today?
Mikhail Adriaanse 1:40
Good.
Gergo 1:43
I'm Maria.
Good morning.
Jason Du Preez 1:47
All good.
Gergo 1:49
All good. All good.
OK, so.
Hmm, Jason, if I'm not mistaken, you are.
You are new to.
You are new to anxiety, right?
Jason Du Preez 1:59
Yes, I'm new.
Yes, that's right.
Gergo 2:02
OK, OK.
Have you have you started uh giving classes already?
Jason Du Preez 2:07
Of of giving 112 clause and that's it.
Gergo 2:11
And how did you go, if I may ask?
Jason Du Preez 2:12
Yes, it's been very well just the platform.
When I clicked on to start the class, the platform was a little different to it.
When I tried, there's a student and a teacher tab.
Gergo 2:26
Mm-hmm.
Jason Du Preez 2:26
When I tried on that and I'll the actual class was a little bit different and I'll find it different with the the material and an artist set up, but it was good, very good.
Gergo 2:39
Umm, you mean like you mean what you saw?
What you saw on the screen was different compared to what you saw when you were preparing for the class.
Jason Du Preez 2:48
Stock is.
Gergo 2:51
This is slightly can could.
Jason Du Preez 2:52
Yeah.
Gergo 2:53
Could you please little be more specific perhaps?
Jason Du Preez 2:57
Yeah, if I when I was on the obscenity page and I clicked onto the the class to see all the material, there was a student tab and a teacher tab.
And then when I clicked onto the class, there was a little bit different.
Gergo 3:09
Yeah.
Jason Du Preez 3:13
The materials on the right hand side and I wasn't quite sure and every enough time then to see how to get to the teacher tab, student tab, etcetera and I wasn't sure what the students were going to see.
Gergo 3:26
Hmm.
Jason Du Preez 3:26
What the see my cursor with the not see my cursor things like that.
So I was just, yeah.
Gergo 3:30
OK, OK, alright, alright.
Important things.
What you what you what you mentioned.
Uh for several reasons.
Firstly, because you you're new, so obviously you're not.
You're not used to used to the to the, to the platform, and there is some some information or some parts of what you have just said will be discussed today in this meeting.
Umm, we will get back to that in a moment, Jason.
OK, but now we are.
We are starting to grow in numbers and.
And since you knew if you could tell us a few words about yourself teaching background wise and other and other things.
So how did you find obscenity and and and and what did you do before?
Jason Du Preez 4:24
I guess so.
I finally sent it to you on Google search and applied on the the website and before.
Before this, we had a business sales marketing business where we we had a whole lot of non English speaking young adults and they would have to go out into the marketplace and all not not sorry itself for us.
So we have supermarkets like spa, shop product and pay Woolworths things like that.
Gergo 4:46
Umm.
Jason Du Preez 4:51
So we had to get these young gentlemen out there and they had to.
The English had to be good, so with the teach them because we have a a language in Africa called Africans.
Africans, as like a Dutch language and yeah.
Gergo 5:03
English mixture, yeah.
Jason Du Preez 5:06
Yeah.
So it's very, very common here.
So we gotta try and teach him English to go into the trade.
So we did that.
I've home schooled my two boys and also umm yeah, I just.
I've always tried to help people.
We've had always teach people English.
Gergo 5:21
Ohh OK Ohh alright.
Jason Du Preez 5:21
You know, our business.
Gergo 5:24
Alright.
And so this this tells us that you you are from South Africa and you perhaps also live live in South Africa as well.
Jason Du Preez 5:29
Ohh yes, so Africa.
Yes, yes, yeah.
Mikhail Adriaanse 5:32
I'm with remember.
Gergo 5:33
Yeah, yeah.
Jason Du Preez 5:34
Yeah, I live in South Africa, yeah.
Gergo 5:35
Do you?
Do you?
Do you?
Do you know each other, Michael Jason.
Mikhail Adriaanse 5:38
I don't know what I could pick up their accent as soon as I heard him talk.
Gergo 5:41
Yeah.
Jason Du Preez 5:41
Let me call.
Mikhail Adriaanse 5:41
Yeah, are scared.
Jason Du Preez 5:42
It, yeah.
Gergo 5:43
Yeah.
Mikhail Adriaanse 5:44
My darling, how are you doing?
Jason Du Preez 5:45
Ohh lovely man.
Gergo 5:46
Yeah, it's this quite, quite quite a lot of teachers from from South Africa at the moment.
Jason Du Preez 5:46
Very good.
Thank you.
Mikhail Adriaanse 5:47
Lovely. Lovely.
Jason Du Preez 5:56
Yeah.
Gergo 5:56
Working girl and partnering up with anxiety and OK, Jason, thank you very much and welcome to obscenity.
And and we are going to address some of those, some of those things that you you had difficulties with in your in your trial class.
Jason Du Preez 6:05
Thank you.
Gergo 6:14
OK.
So we are going to get back to those things and we we were trying to answer all the questions that you have.
UM, there is, if I'm not mistaken, there is another other new teacher with us.
Uh milanka.
Good morning.
Milanka, can you hear us?
Milanka Pillay 6:33
Hi, yes, I can hear you.
Gergo 6:35
I milanka how are you today?
Milanka Pillay 6:37
I'm good.
And you?
Gergo 6:39
Yeah.
Yeah, not bad.
Thanks for asking milanka.
Similarly, would you like to give us a short introduction to who you are and and what have you been doing before?
Milanka Pillay 6:52
Yes, definitely.
So I'm also from South Africa.
Gergo 6:57
How surprising.
Milanka Pillay 6:58
I have been teaching musical theater.
I've been teaching musical theater and St dance to young learners for two years now, so that's what I've been doing.
Gergo 7:07
Cool.
Milanka Pillay 7:10
So I'm very excited about my obscenity journey.
Gergo 7:14
So, OK, OK.
So teaching is not new for you either, right?
So you you've been you've been in education on a different, different way or in a different you were teaching different different thing but but still education and now?
Milanka Pillay 7:19
Uh.
Yes.
Gergo 7:32
I see.
I suppose that that mostly you were.
You were.
You were teaching face to face or in person, right?
Like like dance and and uh-huh.
Milanka Pillay 7:39
Yes, yes.
Gergo 7:41
And what do you expect from teaching online?
I mean like in front of the screen.
What do you what do you expect from it being different?
But what do you think about this part?
Milanka Pillay 7:54
Umm well, of course I was a bit scared about, you know, any technical difficulties.
It's it's a lot more difficult to navigate.
Umm, you know, you know if if someone's mic isn't working or if they can't hear you probably.
I think that was probably one of the scariest things or concerns that I had, but after my trial listen yesterday, I'm I'm feeling pretty confident about navigating the platform.
Gergo 8:25
OK.
I I it's it's I.
I'm happy to.
I'm happy to hear that because I I of course of course technical technical issues might occur or do occur and will occur of course.
But but I think that's that's the, let's say the.
Yeah, it's not the majority of the of the of the problems.
I mean like, I mean like these things and remember, perhaps perhaps it's it's useful for you and other new teachers that uh, there is an assistant button assistance button which you can use anytime when you have some some trouble and then and then they they or the team tries to help you out as quick as possible and also there's also the students.
Milanka Pillay 9:04
Definitely.
Gergo 9:16
Uh, right, milanka.
Thank you very much and and welcome talks Initi.
Milanka Pillay 9:20
Thank you.
Gergo 9:22
Good.
OK, so a few words to perhaps to to both of you milanka and and Jason, why are we here on Fridays?
So this is a.
This is a platform, a meeting if you will, that that brings the brings the broader community together.
So we don't, we don't see each other every day at the office.
We don't, unfortunately communicate with each other too often.
Maybe some of us and this, this actually helps us become a.
A group or a community and and and share problems share new ideas.
Shared new approaches and and and.
Umm, often remind ourselves about what?
What do we do at?
Or how do we do things in doximity?
Why do we do these things?
That toxicity, the way we the way we do, the way we approach teaching and the way we create and use our material.
Good.
OK. Umm.
Now let's go and start to start with with with talking about the the issues.
What, Jason?
What not issues, but the doubts Jason had.
When when doing the trial class so he mentioned that that he wasn't sure what the students, what the students see, right, we would like to which which teacher who would like to which partner would would would like to would like to to briefly lay it out what's what's what the students tab, the teachers tab, what is the what is the meaning of these things and how do we use these things and how do they relate to the to the to the online or the virtual classroom.
Josie, would you like to go?
Josie Salmon 11:21
I was hoping someone else would answer as leaving the opportunity, but yeah, I will answer.
Gergo 11:24
You.
Meet me.
Me, me.
Josie Salmon 11:27
That's fine and yeah, so the students have is literally what the student sees and also what you see in the classroom to help us.
Gergo 11:27
Me too.
Me too, but.
Josie Salmon 11:36
And then the teachers tab isn't in the we have open separately in a tab to help us with instructions and questions to.
Encourage their listening.
Practice as much as possible.
Gergo 11:52
Yeah, super.
That was that was that was straight to the point, I think so.
So a little added information Jason in the in the virtual classroom, but you open and where you can see you can see the students and they can see you and the teachers tab is not accessible.
So the teachers tab is only accessible on the OXINITY platform, so that's that's for the preparation, Brett Paration part, if you if you have, if you have that, if you have that open in a separate tab or a separate window, you can always click on that during the class as well, right?
But, but you can't access it.
Uh via the the virtual classroom.
The students tab, just as just as Josie mentioned is, is what is, is what the students meant to see.
Uh.
Truth to be told that lately technical issues there are some.
There are some, some some bugs or some some discrepancies and this in this matter.
So sometimes the the the students do not see exactly what the teachers see.
That might happen.
This is this is this is under construction or better have said and we are trying to find the the origin, the root of the of the of the problem because that's that's that that hasn't been solved yet in the HTML code we couldn't find anything anything.
Strange, yet it might happen.
For instance, it might be that the students experience big gaps between pictures or between parts of the text, whereas the teachers can see it in a in a more compact way.
So this might this might happen.
Unfortunately I'm I need to add uh, good.
Who?
Marika marika maricarmen.
You wanted.
You want to add something perhaps?
Mari Carmen Martinez 13:58
Yeah.
I just specially for new teachers.
I just wanted to go a step before what you guys explained.
So one thing is OXINITY platform where you have your timetable and there if you click on the books on the right you will have a tab where you can see the material and prepare for it in that tab is where you see what the student is going to see and then the teachers instructions.
That's one thing.
Another thing is when you are on your same platform you click play to start the class and that's the reality of what's happening at that moment.
And there the student only sees the middle part plus the video.
The faces, they're not going to see how you are clicking on the activities and of course the chat as well.
So what Gergo was saying that sometimes there is a small difference between what you are seeing, which is all straight.
Some students can't, so we always suggest them to Scroll down when they Scroll down.
Then it will appear a bit later, but it will appear, say, for whatever reason that it still doesn't show.
Reload your class.
Uh, the assistant team will be aware of it in case they also need to tell the students to reload.
But you only have to worry about reloading your class and let it happen, so that's the the distinguish the the distinction from scratch say that that ah.
And of course, if there are any questions, we're very happy to answer because maybe the one first class might not be so clear.
But this is, I think, from scratch how it works, right?
Gergo 15:37
Yeah.
Yeah.
Thanks.
Thanks, Mari.
Carmen.
Yeah.
Really.
Yeah.
Really useful info.
Also, I think what she she mentioned at the at the last part is that that don't don't hesitate to ask from anyone in the in the Community should you should you have any problems.
We are all open to all open to help with these because in the end, just as a reminder, which I think we reminder, we we we keep on saying is that more often than not we are teaching each other's clients.
So what's what's good for you in the classroom is eventually is good for good for us.
Who who?
Own the client, perhaps?
I don't like this word, but this this is this is how we this is how we this is how we say it's it's OXINITY.
OK, good. Good.
Very good.
Now I thought that today because last week we thought we focused on on being partners and and and and the opportunities and the possibilities and the advantages and benefits and also and all these things about being a partner of oxinity and and growing as a as a partner growing your own business practically.
And today we are going to focus more on the part of providing quality service, which eventually or which which ultimately will lead us or will provide us with the opportunity to have to have more students because we provide the quality service.
And so, umm, we are going to look at an activity which I'm curious the your I'm curious about your opinion.
Because.
Because what's what's the what's the worst activity back?
Like teacher teachers who's who?
Who, who, who, who are working with us for a longer time?
What do you consider the worst activity?
What is the the worst thing that you can you can you can face so you can have besides an empty activity.
OK, because an empty activity is not even an activity.
It's just that's just nothing.
Uh, Mark.
Go ahead please.
Mark Venning 18:01
Yeah, the worst activities are those really old activities that are just, you know one ohh one attachment and often a lot of kind of mangled characters that you can't say a lot of kind of question Marks and strange things no pictures or pictures that are really, you know different sizes, bad quality, old clip art.
You know the ones.
Gergo 18:32
Old, old, old clip art.
Mark Venning 18:34
The ones with references to people who were famous about sort of eight years ago, and people have forgotten now.
Gergo 18:34
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, exactly.
Exactly. And.
And the ones talking about Obama becoming a president and these kind of stuff, right.
Mark Venning 18:47
That's it, yeah.
Gergo 18:47
So it's like, yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
These these kind of things are are kind kind of kind of annoying.
OK, good.
Mark Venning 18:53
And some potato.
Gergo 18:53
That's what that's that's what.
That's one thing.
Yeah, really.
Here here I think what the to me the.
Mark Venning 19:00
And no, no, no instructions and you know, yeah.
Gergo 19:04
Yeah, exactly.
The the the important part from what you have said, Mark to me was that that an activity that, that, that, that looks bad.
So you, you you feel kind of like, embarrassed to put it in front of anyone who pays for a class, whatever they pay for it in 2024, right?
Mark Venning 19:18
Yeah.
It's.
And flavor.
Gergo 19:27
Yeah. OK.
Mark Venning 19:28
Yeah.
Gergo 19:28
Yeah, very good point.
Josie, please.
Josie Salmon 19:33
I haven't.
For me it's the ones where the content doesn't match the context.
So to give an extreme example, maybe the context is passed simple and the activity is about the present continuous.
So then it's like how am I gonna be able to tell the algorithm in the technology, but we've actually taught, like, yeah, and you know, what do you do in that kind of situation?
Do you go with the context or do you just go with the the content and then?
Marketers not understood.
I think that's quite a tricky 1 to to work with, yeah.
Commute said.
It typed.
Gergo 20:20
Excuse me.
Excuse me.
Yes.
Thanks.
Thanks, Josie.
So here the here the important part was actually to me again and and please anyone.
If you have something to say about it, correct me or or or prove me wrong is that our system of assessing and evaluating students and the business proposal of accelerating the learning of the students it relies on the on the algorithm which relies on what we say green or red face.
So if we are not able to, we are not able to tell whether it's green or red or should we?
Should we pressed the wrong one, then the whole system fails and that's that's a very, very important thing to understand.
Yeah.
OK.
Really good.
Really good.
Let's go further, Luis.
Thanks, Josie Louis.
Luis Arteaga 21:16
You know a struct?
Umm, you know, structure, structure, activities that over explain grammar and are you still?
I think they are really bad.
You have these like these excessively long grammar explanations that are like 3 pages long and but so I I have to like we have two like skim and backup just the essentials because by the time, by the time we are done explaining all of this that they're gonna be comatose, they're gonna be like a.
So those are really bad.
And.
Gergo 21:53
That Luis in in the in this case, what do you think?
Yeah.
And is it better to to skip that attachment entirely and try to explain the grammar orally by words and and and without, without actually putting putting them a two page, 2 pages long text for in front of them?
Luis Arteaga 22:06
I I.
I often I often.
Yeah, if I if it's it.
If I if if I can't just if.
If I can't just wake up the essentials and I I often just skip it, or I try to single out someone who already knows the grammar and I and I, I set him up as an example for the others to follow.
Gergo 22:34
Hmm.
Luis Arteaga 22:38
Right.
I I I find like the like my my, my, my you know my my teachers back when I I use him as a model for the others to follow them it's a very effective way right.
Gergo 22:39
Hmm hmm.
Hmm.
Super.
Yeah.
So this is this is a way to go around this or solve this issue or or do it do it do it differently?
Luis Arteaga 23:00
Yeah, if I rather go, I I'd rather I'd rather have just a few images and and and and I think even even even images would with no explanation whatsoever.
Even even if you have to stray off topic, you can work with that.
You know, if it's a uh, but what do?
Gergo 23:16
Yeah.
Luis Arteaga 23:19
What are you supposed to do with all these super long grammar?
Gergo 23:24
I I really agree with you on that part that I would rather have a bunch of these good quality or medium quality images with no text or whatsoever and then work with those then, then then have any lengthy raw grammar explanations and and formulas and so on and lilita before before you go.
Thank you, Luis.
I would like to I to.
I would like to to use what Luis have just said to to refer back to one of the questions of Jason at the very beginning.
So the students cannot see your cursor.
They cannot see the movement of your mouse, so that's that's that's not possible.
You cannot select the text on the screen and tell them that.
Look, this is what I'm talking about.
That's not possible, and for this reason we came up with a.
With a with a format with the layout that that, yeah, that follows a a clear hierarchy of text on the screen which drives the attention which which drives the the, the, the, the the eyes of the students.
First, second, third.
What to look for?
What?
What is less important? And?
By this and numbering the sentences and numbering the pictures and numbering, the examples and so on and so on.
We make it, we make it more fluent and we make it easier for teachers to to.
Umm to to to tell what the students or where the students should look or what the teacher is explaining at any given moments.
And to achieve this we also need to keep it brief and that's why lengthy explanations of grammar do not work.
In fact, in fact, in an ideal case, an activity on the students tab does not contain any grammar rules X examples, yes, but no rules.
The rules are the rules are or should be added to the teachers tab.
So so when you as a teacher are preparing for a class or during the class, you, you, you, you can't seem to improvise or come up with a good definition for a for a verb tense or or a sentence structure.
And then it's there for you.
It should be there for you in the teachers tab so you can switch between the tabs.
Read it quickly and then you just literally tell that you just Tudó'.
That's also important that in the teachers tab the explanations are similarly not long, short, concise explanations.
Just just those things that that the, that the students really need to know to understand the function of the structure, the function of the vocabulary and to be able to work with it in the, in the practice and the present phase of the of the of the activities.
Her.
OK, I hope it it it helped you a little bit Jason for the for the for the future.
What we what we were just talking about Lilitha you wanted to add something to the worst activities ever topic.
Lilitha France 27:03
I'm sometimes somebody to what Lewis was saying.
The over.
I guess the lions on pictures with grammar over explanations, so people sometimes people put a lot of like 3 pictures in the students tabs that have Gama expectations.
And then in the teachers tab they will.
It will be like read the OR explain the grammar so preparation is always key, but sometimes and they is then a lot of preparation because you kind of have to sift through everything and then with that just reliance on the pictures with grammar explanations the examples.
And tend to be wrong, like for instance I had a an example that I had in class was that the example used a double negative to to explain something and made the sentence positive for the phrase positive when it was supposed to be negative and so like saying unless something something and then not.
So that's a double negative.
It makes the phrase positive and so stuff like that get kind of like looked over because of the reliance on pictures with grammar explanations.
Gergo 28:29
Umm in this in this specific case.
So it was like unless you don't do something or some it was something like that, right?
Or unless you count or under.
So so there was unless and there was also a negative.
Lilitha France 28:41
Yes.
Gergo 28:43
OK, OK.
Umm, which is grammatically not incorrect, right?
It's if I understand it well, it's just it means the opposite.
Lilitha France 28:57
Yes.
Gergo 28:57
Found that if I if I understand it well so so actually it changes the meaning of the sentence.
Lilitha France 28:57
Umm could.
Gergo 29:04
Mm-hmm.
Lilitha France 29:04
So it's not a.
It doesn't.
It doesn't overall mistake, but it's a mistake for the specific context and so.
Gergo 29:11
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, that that's what I wanted to understand that.
What?
What?
What I what?
What you are?
Yeah, this is or which which kind of mistake you are you are talking about that direct like directly being grammatically wrong or not fitting the context or you are not explaining or the explanation or the example is not about what you are, what you should be teaching and yes to be honest in my consideration these would be the worst activities that contain wrong examples or wrong grammar because because whatever the pictures and the characters and the whatsoever if it's wrong grammar if we are showing students wrong English that's that's that's pretty embarrassing in in in the.
Classroom.
Especially when you when you do not notice this.
Yes, prior to the class and then and then student tells you that the teacher is that correct like but and then that's not nice.
And thank you Lilitha very important.
But you what?
You just mentioned is where Mark you want to add something here.
Mark Venning 30:23
Yeah, I'm.
I'm following up on that.
The things with mistakes, I think the time ago there was, you know, some people did put up these worksheets that you can find online.
You know, wholesale just stuck up from another website and a lot of these, do, you know, have mistakes in them.
You know, sometimes they're spelling mistakes, sometimes they're grammar mistakes.
But they're mistakes and it just looks really bad.
And also accasionally some teachers have kind of put have turned things into, you know things printed on you know.
So instead of putting just inputting the text, they've put the text up, you know they turn it into a worksheet and then uploaded that.
And usually when they do that, there are mistakes.
You they're they're spelling mistakes in them and it's difficult to correct those.
And also they sometimes do it on a big page that doesn't adapt to the size.
So you know that's a that's a nodded. Really.
Gergo 31:34
Yeah.
Yeah, so this.
Mark Venning 31:35
And it might look good if it's printed out.
If you see the whole page, but I mean you know, then you can't.
It's it's tricky to correct the spelling mistakes.
You know where is?
Gergo 31:45
Yeah, yeah.
Mark Venning 31:46
It's very easy to correct a spelling mistake.
You can do it on the fly sometimes you know, but.
Gergo 31:51
Which I which I hope many of us do, because when you see some, please, when you see a spelling mistake before the class make like like like really put the effort into correcting it because it's it's it's really not it's it's bad.
Mark Venning 31:55
Yeah.
It's it's embarrassing.
He.
Gergo 32:08
That business bottom line and what Mark said, again very important, don't use sometimes.
Sometimes the urge is urge is great to to to get a really quickly something from the from the Internet.
But I mean like a a worksheet or a printable or one of these.
What do we call them?
Clip Arts, but what you need?
You need to be.
We need to be cautious because of because of these because of these errors and and what Mark said is also really important is that the improvement of these is practically.
A simple impossible you can't.
You can't modify them, so you need to go to the to a I don't know a a JPEG to text editor or whatever and then redo everything.
So it's better to use our tables.
Mark Venning 33:05
Type in Microsoft Paint sent a lot time my my my image skills are not the best, so that's my kind of tool of choice really and trying to cut the letters out.
Gergo 33:08
Yeah.
Mark Venning 33:17
You know, if there's some letter missing and, like, cut the thing out and move it round and, you know in the same font it's a bit complex sometimes.
Gergo 33:27
And and you know what you have to Ward.
You are talking about.
Mark's actually leads us to the point that that in the end, in the end it would be much quicker to actually just build a simple table and then put everything into that table, because all these modifications justement download the A.
Modify turn into a JPEG from PDF and vice versa.
It takes a lot of time, so it's it does not worth the effort in the end.
Yeah.
Yeah, Mark.
Thanks.
Thanks, Raquel.
Please go ahead.
Raquel Pozuelo 34:03
Yeah, you know.
Gergo 34:03
Nice that you.
It's I I hope you also feel as happy as I am that so many of you have things to say about this topic, because this is a we are talking about the quality of our product, which is which is pretty cool.
Raquel Pozuelo 34:17
Yeah.
Umm we have activities with pictures with links to other language schools.
Gergo 34:18
Raquel, please.
OK.
Raquel Pozuelo 34:31
Please.
Gergo 34:31
Yeah, yeah, I think I think nothing, nothing more needs.
It needs to be said about this.
Thanks, Raquel, because the IT also it also often comes with those with those worksheets and with those printables and with those clip arts that at they are not uh yeah, we have our own business and we would like to we would like to promote promote our own business.
So so it would be nice if we if we didn't have a these, these these external external links.
Obviously we used, we used them to prepare.
We can also offer our students in in, in the in the email what we send after the class which we are going to talk about as well a little bit later.
Uh, that's that's that's that's that's that's kind of OK.
On the other hand, Please remember that look, look on the on the OXINITY block first, because there is a growing number of really well written blogs with examples that are grammar related.
So many grammar, grammar points and verb tenses, structures from lower to higher levels can be already found on OXINITY, and in these cases it would be nice if you included those instead of sending them to perfect English grammar or whatever, which I really could really well written logs and nothing to say about that.
Uh thanks, Raquel.
Mikhail, go ahead.
Mikhail Adriaanse 36:08
Hi again everybody.
I'm so on the same note that Lewis, as well as Mark even talking about with issues regarding either from punctuation issues or missing texts, things of the of that sort.
I've heard five classes booked for this week.
I was only able to do 2 as the students are taught for three.
They drop out for one for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.
So did yesterdays, but for each clause that I tried to just do some revisions on, just make sure that under what's going to be in the clause.
I've noticed mainly punctuation mistakes.
I've activities missing as people have noted it no instructions for the activity for the 1:30 today for class of two, only two were able to attend.
The instructions were to for the students to fill in blanks with the words given, but the on the students staff they sentences were already.
What's the answers included?
So they wouldn't even able to actually fall in the uh for in the machine word as the as is already done for them already and the activities are Shaw.
Gergo 37:14
The solution was there.
Ah.
Mikhail Adriaanse 37:19
Every chance I get that is the activity, so they weren't able to do that.
So all I had them do was just do the pronunciation practice of the words instead of attempting to do a job that's already been done.
But yeah, so just the same issue as everybody said, hang into I guess.
Gergo 37:35
You.
No, no.
Good, good.
Thanks.
Thanks Mikhail.
Mikhail Adriaanse 37:38
Yeah, of course.
Gergo 37:38
It this is this is this also raises the question that do you know what can you do if you if you, if you if you see or if you encounter such things before the class starts when you are preparing.
Mikhail Adriaanse 37:51
Yeah, you can edit it.
The only issue is last night, so I could tell my team living right.
They even PM so 11:00 PM I got home.
I went through my sources.
I wasn't going to do that activity.
I was gonna do another one, but I woke up this morning and I found that my activity was swapped out to the another one.
So then I switched to this one and noticed oh, it's missing.
So I just decided to leave that at the moment because the class is about to start, so it was awesome.
The thing which I had to switch to.
Gergo 38:20
OK, so editing that's that's one option and in in your case, perhaps it's it's it's non applicable because you didn't.
Mikhail Adriaanse 38:21
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Gergo 38:29
You didn't go through all the all of the activities, so you didn't know that there it's a faulty activity, but remember that you can recycle.
Mikhail Adriaanse 38:34
Exactly.
Yeah.
Gergo 38:38
Do you know that there is a button that that changes the default activity?
I mean, do you?
Do you know about this that?
Mikhail Adriaanse 38:46
Yeah, I do know about, but I didn't want to take a chance.
And then I get something I have to take more time to prepare for within the last few minutes before the class starts.
So I'll just took back to Jazz is and rather for the practice activity are all just took my choice.
That didn't go through everything and I just redeemed through just warp pronunciation.
Gergo 39:02
Uh.
Mikhail Adriaanse 39:04
Make sure they have everything sorted out before we go into the.
Obviously they produce part of that entity.
Gergo 39:10
The face.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Mikhail Adriaanse 39:11
Yeah.
Gergo 39:12
OK.
OK.
That so I'm happy that eventually you solved.
I mean, like you, you you really came up with a with a, with a solution on the fly but but remember that that in this case for example it's it also tells that it worth to look into these like just briefly look into the attachments of each activities because because for example in the open web class system it might happen that some of the students because we have three students, right.
Mikhail Adriaanse 39:22
Yeah.
Gergo 39:48
And it is possible that one of the students did an activity which the other two didn't.
Mikhail Adriaanse 39:56
Hmm.
Gergo 39:56
So in such a it's in such a scenario, you might want to use another activity in the classroom.
Mikhail Adriaanse 40:14
Yeah.
Gergo 40:14
That you that you can use in the class.
Mikhail Adriaanse 40:17
Yeah.
Gergo 40:18
It doesn't mean that you need to use everything but, but it's like you know your options and and this this and for the.
Mikhail Adriaanse 40:24
Yeah.
No, definitely, yeah.
Gergo 40:27
For this reason, it's it's really worth it.
Worth to go into even if you don't want to focus on that part of grammar or vocabulary, or you know that you are going to talk about something different because you have a different strategy.
You know what's there?
And if you see that I can't use this in class, then you click the recycle button which might and I have to say which might bring another similarly bad activity.
Mikhail Adriaanse 40:43
Yeah, of course, yeah.
Gergo 40:53
But then you need to recycle it again.
Mikhail Adriaanse 40:53
Yeah.
Gergo 40:55
So this is it's it's it's, it's in the system, it's still not.
Mikhail Adriaanse 40:56
Yeah.
Gergo 40:59
It's far away from being perfect.
Josie Salmon 41:00
Yeah.
Go.
Gergo 41:01
Yeah, yeah.
Josie Salmon 41:01
Sorry to interrupt.
I've got a screenshot of it because I've been sending it.
Do you want me to send it to you?
To put in the chat because I can't post anything in this chat, but only moderators can.
Gergo 41:10
But you can, but you can put it on the screen, so if you could share your screen and show us this, so let's let's let's let's look at that because because.
Mikhail Adriaanse 41:13
I.
Josie Salmon 41:14
Yeah, I can just do that.
Actually one moment, then.
Mikhail Adriaanse 41:16
We also have might open up.
Josie Salmon 41:17
Hang on.
Mikhail Adriaanse 41:17
Yeah, yeah.
Josie Salmon 41:18
So I just sent it to Sharlene.
Hang on a minute.
Mikhail Adriaanse 41:21
Thank you, Josie.
Gergo 41:22
That.
Mikhail Adriaanse 41:22
I appreciate it.
Gergo 41:23
That's. Yeah.
Josie Salmon 41:24
No worries.
Gergo 41:24
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Josie Salmon 41:26
OK.
Gergo 41:28
Thelma, do you have something something related to this?
Josie Salmon 41:31
In fact.
Gergo 41:32
What we are talking about?
Thelma Elliott 41:37
I came across another activity which I would like to share.
It was a maze activity.
Gergo 41:46
It was her.
What kind of activity, Sir?
Thelma Elliott 41:47
Miss. Miss.
Mikhail Adriaanse 41:48
And maze.
Thelma Elliott 41:48
Miss.
Gergo 41:49
Uh-huh. OK.
Thelma Elliott 41:49
Yeah.
So the student had to reach the ambulance from the starting point to the hospital and it was really difficult for him or he to describe the way like on seeing it on a maze, it's really difficult.
And the way that student was describing it was difficult to understand where he has reached till now.
So maybe activities are really difficult too.
Gergo 42:10
OK, I was so surprised to hear that.
First, I didn't want to believe that you are saying Mace because because this is this is some something that I I have never seen that activity I work here for six years and I have never seen a maze activity in, in, in the in the system.
Thelma Elliott 42:16
Yes.
Umm.
Umm.
Gergo 42:27
But OK, Josie, are you are you, are you there?
Can you can you show it?
Thanks Dan.
Josie Salmon 42:32
Yep, Yep. Uh-huh.
Gergo 42:32
But after that we are going to look look at, look at your screenshot as well.
Josie Salmon 42:37
OK.
Yeah.
His umm.
Gergo 42:40
Let's go.
Josie Salmon 42:40
Can you see it?
Yeah, you see my screen.
Gergo 42:42
Not yet.
Yeah.
Now, yeah, yeah.
Josie Salmon 42:44
OK.
Can you see my cursor?
Gergo 42:48
Yep.
Josie Salmon 42:49
It's hard.
Yeah, that's why I was gonna send the street in shock.
So I can put an arrow on it, but yeah, where the stars are here.
There recycling button is just here, so click on OK and then you can choose whatever reason.
I'm not going to do it because this activity is fine, but yeah, or actually I could do it with this one cause.
Mikhail Adriaanse 43:07
Well, I guess so.
Gergo 43:13
Who?
Josie Salmon 43:13
And no, not that one.
Hang on a minute.
I know that this one actually I think doesn't need to be changed or change this one and and I'll put missing and running structions.
Gergo 43:20
That one that for sure.
Josie Salmon 43:23
So yeah, if you do that.
Gergo 43:28
And then a new activity.
Josie Salmon 43:29
I mean, it'll probably take a couple of minutes, yeah.
Gergo 43:31
We'll, we'll we'll appear.
Yeah.
Josie Salmon 43:34
Yeah.
Gergo 43:34
Yeah.
So this is this.
Thanks, Josie, because this is a this is really a important to to remember, especially for new teachers that there isn't.
Josie Salmon 43:37
Gov.
Gergo 43:44
There isn't.
There is no opportunity to to to get something.
Josie Salmon 43:48
Let's give it.
Oh, it's giving me an extra topic as well.
Bonus bonus fries, yeah.
Katherine Elkington 43:51
Umm.
I I found that Josie cause I had to.
Gergo 43:57
Glitches.
Katherine Elkington 43:58
I've had a couple of French lessons in the middle of the Spanish, so I just refresh and then it comes up.
Josie Salmon 44:02
OK.
Yeah.
Yeah, exactly.
Katherine Elkington 44:05
Yeah.
So it'll come up and it's got like a French lesson in the middle of it.
Josie Salmon 44:06
Yeah.
Yep, if if it if it you're struggling though, I'd say it's 51 there.
Katherine Elkington 44:09
So that sometimes happens. Ohh.
Josie Salmon 44:13
If you are struggling and you've tried it a couple of times, just message the sistance cause they can also assign activity.
So if you're really struggling, but do try it yourself first, because they're really busy.
So anything we can do for ourselves first is good, but then they can help you if you're really, really stuck.
Gergo 44:31
Hmm.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Good both both Super True.
Try to solve it if you can.
If you're really struggling, especially new new new teachers, don't, don't.
Don't hesitate to ask for assistance from the from the Zendesk.
Hmm.
OK.
Thelma, you wanted to, you, you.
You wanted to show us?
Could you please show us if you have a screenshot or if you can put it on the screen too so we see this this maze because it the IT it really surprised me that that there is something like that you don't have it anymore.
Thelma Elliott 45:00
No, no, I I don't have it.
I don't have it.
I didn't take a screenshot, but yesterday I had that in my class.
Finding way to the ambulance.
Gergo 45:07
Hmm.
Thelma Elliott 45:10
The ambulance had to reach the hospital.
Gergo 45:11
Yeah. OK.
Thelma Elliott 45:12
It was really difficult for them to explain and for me to understand.
Where have they reached in the middle of the road?
So it was difficult.
Gergo 45:18
Uh-huh.
OK.
And and what was the level of this class and or the students, if I may ask?
Thelma Elliott 45:23
I think it was P3 or P2 I don't remember, but I that was P2 or P3.
Gergo 45:26
Uh-huh. Umm.
OK.
Interesting and well thanks.
Mikhail Adriaanse 45:33
Umm.
Gergo I my passion.
Could I share my screen for activity that I encountered today as it was today?
So I do have it up on my glasses.
Gergo 45:41
Go ahead.
Mikhail Adriaanse 45:43
Sure thing.
Gergo 45:43
Yeah, go ahead.
Mikhail Adriaanse 45:45
And you just share.
Close share. OK.
Are you going to have to see it?
Perfect.
OK, so this this what the students are able to see.
As you can see, he's taking a shower.
I love chocolate.
I am shy.
These are the last words are supposed to be or in brackets, but empty.
And then they also stool, fold them in using these words.
So this was to use these words on top to fault in what's supposed to be blank over here.
Gergo 46:22
Hmm, yeah, I think to be honest.
Someone.
Someone. Someone.
Worked on the students, students, attachment, but not on the teacher.
Other students stab but not on the teachers tab, so this, umm, like how it how it looks.
Mikhail Adriaanse 46:33
Yeah.
Katherine Elkington 46:37
But it will say says cargo look at it.
It also says French words are pronounced like that.
Why would that be on there?
Mikhail Adriaanse 46:45
Oh no, it's just for pronunciation purposes.
Gergo 46:47
Excuse me, this is a pronunciation.
Mikhail Adriaanse 46:48
So very yeah.
Katherine Elkington 46:49
French Woods and English have different.
Gergo 46:50
This is a pronunciation.
Mikhail Adriaanse 46:51
It's because I'm Schiff is a.
Gergo 46:51
Activity I suppose.
Mikhail Adriaanse 46:55
It is what the people do using English, but it's originated in French, so it's not pronounced as as CHS.
Gergo 47:00
Umm.
Mikhail Adriaanse 47:02
Sure, that's sure, Chef.
Instead of chief. Yeah.
Gergo 47:06
Yeah.
And that's this is especially important with with with Spanish learners, who who often often often the mistake in the say chef instead of chef, because in Spanish they say they say chef.
Mikhail Adriaanse 47:12
Yeah.
When year.
Josie Salmon 47:19
Germans do as well, actually, yeah.
Gergo 47:20
Yeah.
Mikhail Adriaanse 47:21
Where I threw, I threw my students through a loop.
Gergo 47:21
Umm no.
Mikhail Adriaanse 47:23
Today, when they got to the law sword actually I was waiting to get to that word and it missed those.
Remote that first, yeah.
Gergo 47:30
Umm, now this is this is the I I think here.
Here what happened is that is that someone worked on the students attachment or the student step but not on the teachers.
Mikhail Adriaanse 47:39
Instead of the teachers on there.
Gergo 47:40
So perhaps it looked very different.
And then the the the person who did the complementary works or the modification or the edit forgot to forgot to leave umm or forgot to forgot to give instructions.
Mikhail Adriaanse 47:53
Umm to be, yeah.
Gergo 47:56
What?
What do what?
What to do actually?
By the way.
Jonatan Buxeda i Núñez 48:00
Really is.
Mikhail Adriaanse 48:01
Thanks.
Jonatan Buxeda i Núñez 48:01
Is this a screenshot?
Gotta go.
Mikhail Adriaanse 48:03
No, this is.
Jonatan Buxeda i Núñez 48:03
Is this a screenshot or can we add it?
Gergo 48:04
No, no, no.
No, no, no, no, no.
Jonatan Buxeda i Núñez 48:06
Can can we edit this so it's it's only about like putting the brackets in its place like he's taking uh and then go for a bracket and we can do it online now.
Mikhail Adriaanse 48:11
Yeah, brackets and then moving the loss words.
Gergo 48:13
Yeah, but.
The.
Yes, it would take a lot of time and we have 13 minutes left from from the, from the, from the, from the meeting.
Mikhail Adriaanse 48:24
Yeah.
Gergo 48:26
So I mean, I mean, there's there's another question which, which, which which just crossed my mind that here we are practicing pronunciation.
So do we do we want them to?
I mean like and it's a question to all teacher, all teachers here and then we are still going to to, to, to, to listen to Lilitha and Vaiva so so.
Is it a good pronunciation practice?
The fill in the gaps exercise.
But do you think as teachers it can be?
I don't.
It's it's really an honest question to to so.
Because you go ahead, OK.
Katherine Elkington 49:05
I like the gap fills.
Mikhail Adriaanse 49:06
Yeah, it it could be, but I don't think it works.
It it can be because you are both teach them how to use it in context as well as making the sounding with just other sounds in a sentence is being formed so it can work.
Gergo 49:17
Hmm, OK.
Umm.
Mikhail Adriaanse 49:22
But I feel as though focusing more on the words as singulars or more important, and should be prioritized over the just filling in blanks.
We're filling in blanks is more important than other activities, such as with them.
Gergo 49:33
Mm-hmm.
The cheese.
Mikhail Adriaanse 49:37
More context.
Yeah, we the context is more important, such as maybe using tenses.
Those would be more important when filling in blanks over just pronunciation activities.
Gergo 49:50
Yeah, it's something something.
It's that's.
That's why I had.
That's why I that's why this question crossed my mind as well. That's.
Josie Salmon 49:57
Gergo I just wanna jump in.
There's been a couple of hands up for a bit I've been wearing.
Gergo 50:01
Yeah.
And this is where we are going to, yeah.
Josie Salmon 50:03
OK, class, sorry.
Gergo 50:04
This is where we are going to go now.
That's why it would be nice if we could have, if we could correct these things, but it would be also nice to hear the words of other teachers, so that go for those Lilitha you were the first to raise your hands so.
If you would like to add something.
Lilitha France 50:22
I'm.
For years.
Umm, another thing that is I think more that tends to be more confusing for students is when the word is like the word that is provided for to to fill in a gap is in the wrong form.
So it's the correct word, but the form that it's written in in the students, what they see is incorrect.
So instead of provided the.
Exercise is written providing so the word is correct, but and then the form is incorrect.
So if you are, it's a struggle to correct something that looks correct.
If that makes it cause it's more confusing for the students and then it brings up a question as of course like, why not that one?
And you can explain it quickly, but if you aren't prepared for that, umm, it's yeah, it confuses the whole lesson.
But of course that is also another thing of preparation.
But if you don't have time, it can kind of.
Derailed the lesson.
Gergo 51:35
Mm-hmm.
OK.
Yes.
Although we do have exercises where where we actually ask the students to to to find the incorrect.
Of course, this is not.
This is not the case.
What you mentioned but but like if you want to improvise then if you see something that is incorrect on the screen you can always ask the students, especially if they are higher levels that there is a mistake in that sentence.
Can you find it?
And then you actually you are actually making an exercise out of something that is is a spelling mistake or that is grammatically wrong or or or what or or in any other in other way in other in any other way, incorrect or inadequate. Uh.
Lilitha France 52:24
Yes, that's what I was able to do in.
That's what I was able to do in the exercise, but in a lower level class it takes like all of the time off or most of the time you have to explain this new grammar.
Situation if that makes sense, but otherwise I was able to do that thankfully.
But yeah, that's just something that I saw in the IT was in the teachers tab and the students tab.
Gergo 52:54
Yeah.
And just as you just as you mentioned like with lower levels, it's hard to do because lower levels do not do not have the the they they they are not.
They are not confident, but perhaps they don't have enough knowledge to actually follow your instructions or to find the actual error.
So.
So yeah, it's it's.
With.
With them, it's even more important than everything is spotless what we put in front of them, because they are still in the in the phase of of of, of, of building the basics and to have the the strong basics they need to they need to have everything, everything simple, clear and correct.
Yes.
So what they So what they learn, what they, what they practice with is always is always.
Spotless.
Good, correct.
OK Lilitha.
Thanks Vaiva you had to you.
Sorry for letting you wait for so long.
Vaiva Vasiliauskaite 53:50
Hello, no worries.
Just in addition to some of my worst activity experiences, I agree with everyone that everyone is sharing.
I have that too, but I don't know if it happened only to me a few times I had classes where one activity had, believe it or not, they counted like between 20 to 30 attachments.
Yeah, it was low level class, but I was just drowning in, in, in those attachments on my class window.
Gergo 54:18
Yeah.
Vaiva Vasiliauskaite 54:23
Really bad experience, yeah.
Gergo 54:26
Yeah.
Thanks.
This is this is and now this relates to.
Thanks Vaiva.
This also relates to something that that.
And that that, the these kind of errors and the most errors what we have are are, uh are with the OR the majority of the errors what we have are with low level activities and that's that's that makes it really difficult to conduct low level classes S ones and P2 so so.
I'm really sorry to hear that, but this is a fact and just because we are coming up with numbers, if believe it or not, once I have a screenshot, I'm not going to search for it.
I had a class with 43 activities added, so it's really if you it's like if you counted.
If you saw those little faces, you know, like it was, it was literally unbelievable to, to, to, to see them.
Josie Salmon 55:21
Any on the attendant she on the attendance?
Gergo 55:23
Yeah.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
But there was it was a it was because there was.
Josie Salmon 55:25
Ohh filed.
Gergo 55:28
There was double or triple adding to the, so it's it's not, it's just it's not the the system didn't generate it, it was manually done this way, but it was just not recognizing it.
Looked really funny and yeah, what?
Katherine Elkington 55:41
I had one of those today on a P4.
It's in in my thing.
They were about 12 activities for an hour long lesson.
Gergo 55:51
OK, but that's an hour long lesson.
This was 1/2 an hour class.
Katherine Elkington 55:53
Yeah, but I mean, there's not a hope that I would have got through.
They were like 4 topics, yeah, but it was very, very long.
Gergo 55:56
But you don't.
But you don't need to, Katherine.
Katherine Elkington 56:00
Like you said, faces like this.
Gergo 56:03
But yeah, but so remember that that the amount of activity I mean like you don't need to cover everything.
So that's you.
You have to.
You have to have activities for a one hour class, then depending it's a P4 or P5 and I don't know how good the students are, but sometimes you can really go quick right?
Because sometimes they just need a little bit of little bit of of of.
Repetition of of some structures and when you see that OK, they know it.
You can go to the next to the next one.
On the other hand, 12 activities I agree with you, it's perhaps a little it's it's it's it's, it's too much.
Uh, I think what I how I feel secure within one with an hour class is to have like 7 or 8 activities for a one hour class and then I know that whatever happens I will have a choice and I can go to go to do something else should they be.
Katherine Elkington 57:03
Yeah.
And ask more.
Ask more questions.
Generate more speaking.
Gergo 57:08
Yeah.
Yeah, exactly.
Exactly this is this is what you this is what you can do back to back to the the activity what Vaiva mentioned that's really typical example of those activities that were designed to.
To be done with, with uh, with in person, in, in, in person classes.
So those those those attachments, I don't know what it what it exactly was, why Viber with yours but those attachments normally contain only one picture and and a thick or yes or no.
So they they they need to make an affirmative and negative sentence.
Vaiva Vasiliauskaite 57:41
Yeah, yeah.
Gergo 57:44
Yeah, that kind of that kind of stuff is.
Vaiva Vasiliauskaite 57:45
The the worst.
The worst part was that each attachment was with the title attachment.
You know, you couldn't even choose like to know which to pick.
Gergo 57:54
I.
Oh yeah, so.
Vaiva Vasiliauskaite 57:57
It was really big.
Mess.
It felt awkward, yeah.
Gergo 58:00
Yeah.
So you have 20 attachments named attachments or titles and attack.
Vaiva Vasiliauskaite 58:05
Yeah.
And on the on the class list.
Gergo 58:06
Yeah, yeah.
And you know.
Vaiva Vasiliauskaite 58:08
They are also very mixed.
Of course, I could choose not to do this activity.
Choose what I want.
Something else, but still it was big mess, you know?
And I was just telling the student.
Hold on.
Trying to find what they needed.
Gergo 58:20
Yeah, I'm searching.
Vaiva Vasiliauskaite 58:22
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Gergo 58:23
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Well, I'm sorry.
I'm sorry to hear that.
On the other hand, I'm happy that it it's it seems like you found your way around it, and this is a yeah and.
These perhaps is for, for which reason it's very important that the complementary works when you, when you do a complimentary work, you do you, you do it well.
For example, the case of Mikhail that the the students attachment looked quite OK?
Perhaps some things could have been done better, but, but it was, it was something that you that you that you can use but then sorry.
Mikhail Adriaanse 58:59
Indeed.
Gergo 59:03
Why?
Why such instructions right?
So your your your work is complete when you when you when you make sure that what what the students see is is, is, is is correct.
Representative looks well uh Jacquards follows the follows the the the the context of the activity right, especially with structures and vocabulary activities.
It's very important because that's what allows the system to follow the green and the red faces and but your, your work, your work is not done there.
Your work is done when you when you helped your fellow teachers to understand what should they do with that attachment.
Even even if it's even if the even if the students attachments is is, I mean like it's it's obvious right that if if if even if you are you can understand everything there should be instructions and and I don't I mean like umm.
It's I I had to say it.
We need.
We need to we need to create a system where we have standards and this is one of the standards that would give instructions even in those cases when the instructions are obvious, it's just to have, it's just to have a solid, solid, solid.
System of of working because if if someone forgets it here or does not do it here, there will be a next one and there will be a next one and there will be a next one.
And it's just like that it's.
That's how.
That's how life works.
And This is why it's very important that that every.
Every teachers work is done within the same within the same framework, and then because then then we can look if we.
If we have these things, if we have these things settled and and solid, then we can focus on other things because there are always things to improve and and to be done and to get better here or to get better there.
But but first we need to have a stable, solid foundation of how we do the things.
And this is what we are aiming for with all the complementary works, workshops with the checklists and that's what we are talking about for native 15 minutes.
It's this is.
This is this is what we'll what?
We'll lead us to have a.
A high quality products that each and every teacher will feel confident and and and hay to promote.
And once you have that, then then then you big then you actually start to become a partner which which which will lead you to the to the uh uh how to say to to the to the to the course for which we are here earn more money.
The product could service happy teachers.
A big clients equals.
The more money maybe I missed something.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is this is this is this is like a this is this is the the the the core of the of the business and and and like the the the materials and the activities what we show and what we use this is a part of the product the other part of the product and please don't mind me saying it's us features we are the product because we are we are we provide the service and and to to help each other become better and better and better become become more more fluent.
As in working in the classroom, not not using the language and it's all these little things that the instructions and so on and so on.
They they all add up to this, this, this, this result that we become better teachers and students want to learn from good teachers, better teachers with the system that looks well, works well.
Easy to understand and they can.
They can rely on and also with the activities we OK we are going to keep that for the next week because it's too fast wealth and I think many of you want to have a lunch, coffee or whatever and so.
Really good one.
I think thanks for being here.
Thanks for all the good comments and and and the meaningful.
Yeah.
Anything where?
Everything what you said was was on the point was relevant and and and it made other teachers talk as well, which is the which is, as I said at the very beginning, this is this is the Friday talks about we partners teachers discussing these things and coming up with solutions and having a good laugh sometimes and and so on and so on.
So this is this is really important what's happening lately at Friday on Friday, said in the Friday talks.
So.
So it's cool.
Thanks for being here.
Thanks for joining in and we'll see each other next week, Friday at the same time, uh.
One last thing is that on for the future, if you do not have time to join us at 11:00 o'clock then there is a second Friday talk at 3:30 Central European time, which is with the OXINITY Mexico.
But it's the same kind of same kind of setting, perhaps a little less people for for, for now.
But should you not be able to join then then please approach Maria about it and she's going to help you receiving the link and then you can you can join those talks.
So thanks once again, I wish you a pleasant weekend and see you next time, OK?
Nezha Essouaf 1:05:34
Thank you.
Raquel Pozuelo 1:05:35
I-20 by.
Vaiva Vasiliauskaite 1:05:35
Hi, thank you.
Gergo 1:05:36
Buy everybody.
Sonia Mendes 1:05:36
Injury my see you.
Gergo 1:05:37
Thank you very much.
Sonia Mendes 1:05:38
Bye bye.
Milanka Pillay 1:05:39
Bye bye.
Mikhail Adriaanse 1:05:41
Wow.
Lilitha France 1:05:42
Thank you. Bye.