GUIDE LETTER FROM RUSSIA.

On 20-Jul-2017 1:31 AM, "Анастасия Смирнова" <stasysmi@gmail.com> wrote:

Hello Bhagwan abd Sameer,

How did the new school year start? Are you and your students anticipating changes in your curriculum or extracurricular activities?

I think I've already made myself clear, but I want to stress again saying that you as mentors and teachers have done an amazing job of transforming your teaching style into a modern and up to date one. And since the BC program has come to an end, you might be thinking about what to do next: go on meeting with peer colleagues and supporting each other in further attempts to make classes more learner centred.

Since you are quite active in social media, I'd assume you tend to spend a lot of time in social media to keep in touch and follow teaching trends.

What I encourage you all to do is to initiate a one year project aiming at fluency among English teachers. As you know the best way to achieve fluency is by reading books and watching movies. So my idea is to cut teacher trainer sessions to monthly ones and run a reading club instead. Teachers would read books they like and discuss those when they meet. You can also run a book-crossing campain, e.g. each teacher buys a book he/she wants to read, then swaps books with another colleague. You can also set up an online page with book reviews you all write, so that other colleagues know what you've read and read a book you've recommended. Writing a review will also stimulate your writing skills and will be a sort of revision of the new vocab. 

You can also make a competition among maharastra cities/towns for the largest number of books read in English and reviewed.

A reading club or a movie club will bring all of you closer and foster collaboration. 

Ideally I would initiate a reading club in your local schools too, so that schoolchildren could borrow graded readers from the school library to read one book per month or listen to it. 

It's the only way to polish your English skills if you don't have access to native speakers on a regular basis. Whereas social media is eating your time, a reading club will help you form a habit of reading books and watching movies on a regular basis . And once you've made this step, your English level will rise and you become a better teacher.

Sorry guys for not posting much recently in the whatsapp forum. I'm kinda stuck, because I don't believe any more in coaching miles away.

Will do my best  and be in touch when I've got something worthwhile to share.

Kisses to your kids and wives.

Best,

Nastya