➜ Maximising student speaking time.
➜ Accelerating language learning using technology to find gaps.
➜ Feedback and corrections for student reflection.
➜ Repeating only areas of language necessary.
➜ Connect and practice use of language in real-world contexts.
This is a quick warm-up to engage the student and get them speaking/thinking in the target language immediately.
➜ Must follow a yes/no question structure.
➜ 3-5 questions per student.
➜ Should last around 1-2 minutes.
➜ Example questions provided; consider whether appropriate for level.
➜ Correct the student simply by modelling the correct answer; no need for more depth.
➜ Questions are disconnected from rest of activities.
➜ Do not make small talk.
Quick question example:
Q: Do you like dogs?
A: Yes, I do./No, I don't.
We cover 3 different type of activities in an Oxinity class. The reason for this is to find the student's gaps quickly and tell the system which areas they need to repeat. 3 activities also keeps the lesson interesting and at a good pace while still enabling the student to get lots of speaking practice and feedback.
1. Structure ➜ The focus of this activity is to practice the building blocks of the language. We use the term 'structure' as opposed to grammar as we feel this reflects the area of language better and is more appealing and constructive for the students.
2. Topic ➜ The focus of this activity is to practice fluency. Can a student understand and express themselves coherently about a topic?
3. Vocabulary ➜ There are 2 types of vocabulary:
a. Word acquisition ➜ the focus is to either acquire 6-8 new words or asses if they already know them.
b. Pronunciation ➜ the focus is to practice 1 area of pronunciation for example, diphthongs, with drilling exercises.
NB: Each activity should focus on that area and not tangent off into others. For example; a pronunciation activity focuses on being able to pronounce sounds, not structure, so ensure you're focusing on the target language. We do this so we can mark the assessment (green face/red face) accurately after class.
➜ Each activity should last around 9 minutes for a 30 minute class.
➜ All activities follow a PPP structure but each stage is between 1-3 minutes.
➜ Minimise teacher talking time with short and clear explanations.
➜ Maximise student talking time by asking questions and for examples.
➜ Utilise the chat box for corrections (these can be shared in your general appraisal after class).
➜ You don't need to complete all attachments, ask all questions, or do all exercise questions.
➜ You should start wrapping up about 1 minute before end of class.
➜ Wrap up could be a brief overview of the class and or positive feedback.
➜ Do not ask the students any questions; this could risk you being late for your next class.
This flow; beginning ➜ middle ➜ end; enables the class to have a nice rounded/complete feeling while ensuring both the student and the teacher stay on track during class.
"At Oxinity, our classes aren’t traditional grammar or conversation lessons. We take a different approach.
Our focus is on identifying what the student doesn’t know, so we can guide them out of their comfort zone. Why? Because staying comfortable means there’s no real learning. Growth happens when students are challenged—when they explore what’s unfamiliar.
Our system is designed to track and measure the learning process every step of the way. By collecting as much real-time information as possible, we learn what works best and continuously improve the experience.
We help students get used to this process. Little by little, they become comfortable with stepping into new territory, and that’s when real learning takes place.
Through a variety of activities—covering vocabulary, grammar structures, and speaking topics—we help students gain fluency and build confidence in their English."
Jonatan Buxeda & Radmila Gurkova
Quite simply, the system benefits both the student and the teacher. It allows the teacher to maximise the learning opportunities in class and focus on identifying the student's gaps quickly, ensuring they only repeat the things they need to.
By doing this plus providing live corrections + feedback in the general appraisal, we can accelerate the student's learning both in and out of class.
Satisfied students = happy teachers, everybody wins!
Check out Radmila's blogs about the Oxinity teaching methodology:
➤ Technological innovation in education: What is technology (not) good for?
➤ How to transmit experience in education and make a system evolve
➤ Collaborative teaching systems for teachers. The alternative to the loneliness of an obsolete system