A Flash Mob idea...just waiting to happen?? :-)

During the last week, I did some singing with some of the younger classes. It's always great to discover that young people are enjoying classic songs that I grew up with when I was young! We sang a whole variety of songs from One Direction (!!) "What makes you beautiful" - through the ever-popular Beatles (Yesterday, Hey Jude) and even some good old rock like Deep Purple's 'Smoke on the Water'....
But I confess, one of my favourite songs whilst at SGO is "We will rock you" by Queen. It is great to get the students clapping & drumming the rhythm on those wooden desks...with a couple of volunteers belting out the song (and I, being a frustrated rock singer, will help them out too ;-))...

There is an interesting story for Czechs which is connected with this song. I found the following information on the internet:
"In a magazine interview with Brain May: Queen decided that it needed a simple, anthemic tune that could connect with the audience. The morning after the show, May woke up with a stomp-stomp-clap beat rolling around in his head. To accompany that big rhythm, he sat down and wrote depressing lyrics that described the futility of man. The lyrics begin with a young man dreaming of a better life, in the second stanza the boy is now a young man battling to reach lofty goals and the song ends with an old mans dreams unfulfilled. The chorus is not a rally call. It is a Czech lullaby which a parent promises a child " we will, we will rock you." 

Isn't that cool to know that this great rock song is linked with a Czech lullaby? :-)

Anyway...to my idea. Flash Mobs have been very popular, but as yet, I have never experienced one...and certainly not in Olomouc (or Velka Bystrice...) But watch the following video clip (from the old comedy show "Cheers") and imagine this happening in a pub/restaurant/public place in that town...

Do you think it could work? :-) 

Teaching as it could be...should be?

OK, as promised, I have permission from the student - Mia Rajcic of 3C - to use the excellent analogy that she used in her essay "What makes a good teacher & a good student?"

She wrote:
"If we compare the system of education to a table tennis match, we should realise that it should not be one-sided, as if you were playing against the wall; there has to be a teacher on one side and the student on the other, both playing fair, not trying to knock one another down, but to arouse one another to a better performance."

As I read this inspirational idea on the train to Prague (nearly 2 weeks ago) I began to see some images in my head...

For some teachers - teaching has become like the one-sided affair of 'knocking it against the wall' - just as you can see in this clip from Forrest Gump! The teacher teaches...and only receives back what they want to hear...nothing should surprise them or put them off their course...

However, I love the image of the teacher & student engaging in a sort of teaching table tennis match, with the teacher serving (to begin with - yes, I believe the teacher has to take the initiative...but - as in the English Club - I am open to students taking it instead!) & the student sending something back that perhaps is not in the teachers notes/plans/curriculum, and as Mia says "arousing one another to a better performance". Surely a teacher would want to get something from the lesson too?! I certainly do!

So, with this image in mind, let us - yes, US (for it takes both parties to make this work!) go and play some English Table Tennis ;-) Then perhaps we might get a language version of something resembling this video clip ;-)

Then perhaps we might get a language version of something resembling this video clip ;-)

Getting back what you give out...

There is something wonderful that I would love to post - but first of all, I have to ask the permission of the student concerned. But be patient - I'm hopeful that it will come ;-) It was a great analogy in an essay. Last week, I was in Prague for the day (Maturita training for 'native speakers') - and so I had some time to catch up with marking some essays...and to be honest, it was great fun! (Though many teachers find it a chore ;-)) This was on the back of a some great lessons last week - especially the seminar with the Yellow Snow Eaters. During those lessons, they gave talks on their sports experiences since they were little children - and they were excellent! Great use of English, and often very witty & funny. And many of the essays that I marked on Thursday were in the same vein...

It dawned on me that 'what you sow, you reap' - I just love communicating, story-telling, sharing life experiences etc...and it really is a privilege and a joy to hear & read so many great stories, and most of them told in great style. It's humbling to hear some of the experiences of my students, enlightening too...but I also really appreciate the sense of humour that many of the stories are conveyed with. It shows great skill & love of the language.

Sometimes it's hard to have some inspiration for a creative essay - but I have discovered that clever students use their own inspiration ;-) And for that, I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU!! :-)