Alfie Brown, Jeff Leach and Paddy Lennox surrounded by admirers after the show

This was the fist time that the Croatian Teachers’ Association, HUPE, had invited British and Irish stand up comedians to their annual conference and I suspect it won’t be the last.  It was the first time that I had experienced stand-up comedy at an ELT conference and as the final event after David and Hilary Crystal’s Shakespeare show, it put the icing onto HUPE’s 20th birthday cake and created more laughs than I can ever

Ksenija about to cut the birthday cake

remember at any other ELT event I’ve been to.

In fact David and Hilary Crystal, sitting on the front row, were immediately drawn into Jeff Leach’s routine as he teased them on whether they were a couple or not, imitated David’s Welsh accent, shared banter about Macduff and invited them to follow him on twitter.

Marinko, asking David and Hilary Crystal to follow him on twitter

“Are you on twitter Sir?…You are?..Will you follow me on twitter? That would make my year.  Look how cool he is, he was like …maybe.  I’ve got to be honest,I’ll see how many people I’m already following and if I can fit you in, I will.”

Jeff was our MC for the night and the 250 or so female Croatian teachers along with a few other teachers from Serbia, the Czech Republic, Macedonia, Hungary, Bosnia and Slovenia, the US and the UK,and maybe the few random men in the audience, were quickly seduced by his charm as he invited them/us to room 505 on many occasions throughout the evening, although it was rumoured that one teacher mentioned after the show that she herself was in room 505 and was worried about how many people would be knocking on her door later into the night!

Whatever the truth of the story, room 505 has now become legendary on Facebook amongst HUPE conference goers and can never be mentioned again without a big smile and many fond memories of a sex addict half Russell Brand and half Tin-Tin. Has anyone at any of HUPE’s 20 conferences ever got up in front of an audience and declared themselves to be a sex addict? It didn’t happen in any of the talks and workshops I’ve attended.

The Role of Stand-Up Comedy

I asked the guys about what stand-up comedy was all about two days later in Rijeka. Jeff started off by saying:

Jeff next to the Slovene harvest (Paddy's gag)

“Something that speaks directly to you, for me personally, empathising with a comic on stage, finding something what they’re saying inside yourself and making a personal connection and, like I say, just good laughter. You need to make people laugh, you can make them think but you wanna make them laugh first.” And Jeff at the end of the evening while still on stage said:

Interviewed on Rijeka waterfront

“Outside of being funny as well I guess it’s the idea of learning a bit more about English culture and about how we share stories over there and how that transposes to what you do in your classrooms every single day which we are grateful for, cos you teaching young people how to speak English better than us means that they can come and enjoy our comedy, so thank you…..” .

Paddy’s take on this:

“The grandest way we can justify what we do, and not that I want to justify what we do, is that you had the court jester,

All that coffee and chestnuts....

the only person given license to make fun of the king, we’re the ones who reflect what people are thinking, and might on the ground be thinking, that’s alternative comedy, it’s

The Role of Stand-up Comedy

observational stuff and poking fun at politicians…we’re kind of getting a little bit more political now…I don’t do political stuff though, its not my bag ..that’s the currency it has that makes it valid. It shouldn’t be racist or homophobic though.”

Teacher reaction

I asked a few teachers what they thought of having stand-up comedy at ELT conferences and these were some of the answers.

“Having stand-up comedy as a part of the social event at HUPE conference that was held in April this year was a real refreshment. Talking about social events at ELT conferences in general, this one really made a difference, and what’s more important, it provoked a very

enthusiastic response. It showed that introducing modern and not so mainstream forms of art at a “serious event“, such as a conference ,can be very exciting and inspiring. We all stepped outside our comfort zone, something a teacher must be ready to do. We all laughed at witty and cheeky humour, and laugher, as Jeff Leach said at one point is a “fantastically healing aspect of society“, it helps us bond, and it did so. What also crossed my mind was that stand-up comedians and teachers have quite a lot in common: establishing a relationship and developing rapport with the audience/students, the importance of both verbal and body language in doing so, mixing things prepared with spontaneity, “sharing stories, ideas and trying to empathize with each other“, creating both a relaxed and thought-provoking environment, which might ultimately result in a chuckle, giggle, laughter, belly laugh or a roar and  taking risks, that’s what we have in common as well. both stand-up comedians and teachers try and experiment a bit in order to find out what might work well with their audience/students.”

Mirna from Serbia.

Aneta and Alfie

“It was such a breath of fresh air to have a colorful threesome of comedians at an ELT Conference that I’m even considering they should become a staple at such gatherings! Jeff, Alfie and Paddy left their hearts on the stage at HUPE 2012, and I would be more than happy to see them perform in Macedonia very soon! Yet what we were all wondering about the next day before leaving for home was if anybody had entered Room 505 and left it in one piece!”

Aneta from Macedonia.

Daniela and Jeff

“Campaigns promoting products and services are trying to make us believe that innovation is everywhere. However, the reality does not often fullfil one’s expectations. Personally, I am a great fan of innovation of any kind whether in teaching, learning or in one’s personal life. I like changes. There are certain cases when an innovative idea is not promoted in advance but it turns out to be indeed revolutionary. And this is the case of including stand up comedy at ELT conferences. If performed with cultural awareness and sensitivity, as it was at HUPE conference, an innovative approach might gain a lot of fans. Stand up comedy at the HUPE conference was a bright and successful idea. I suggest it might serve as an inspiration for others not in the sense of copying but rather in the sense of enforcing creativity.”

Daniela from the Czech Republic.

“I liked it a lot. it was great having that amount of laughter after two days of learning through different kinds of workshops. And what I liked the most is how they, the comedians, prepared for their stand- up, making jokes about teachers, Croatians in general and they

Ana and Paddy

compared it to situations in England. So, we could, in a way, learn something as well. they connected with us, the audience, talking about their lives.”

Ana from Croatia.

Dubravka

“I think that social events at conferences are meant for fun after whole day’s sessions and serious stuff. I also think that our lives in general are getting more and more difficult in all respects, so we sometimes need to forget about everything and let things go. There are also some of us in our let’s say “golden age” and if we can forget about this fact for only a moment, we have done a wonderful thing…”

Dubravka from Croatia.

Lidija

“Laughing at someone’s jokes makes you live longer – so, why don’t we do it more often…Laughing at London Comedy stand up comedians makes you die laughing – not everyone can do that.That was an amazing evening that we’ll all remember for the rest of our lives. Seeing a couple of them doing it so easily and then hundreds of people laughing at them so hilariously made me forget everything bad in this world, at least for an hour or two. The jokes they just let out of their sleeves, their stories that made us love them just a bit, and, finally relaxed people and the whole atmosphere…”

Lidija from Croatia.

Marinko and Paddy

” Apart from bringing great fun to the conference, the stand up comedy is also very authentic as it brings language and cultural references from the native speakers. On the other hand, it was great to see comedians adapting their materials to the audience which reminded me of us teachers doing the same things in our classes. Also, comedy is often produced from the subtlety and intricacy of language and as a language teacher I really enjoyed some of the puns and witty remarks.”

Marinko from Croatia.

Irena

“It was great to see live English comedy. Everybody was having fun and it was good  to relax after hard work (teachers need that, too ”

Irena from Croatia.

“Well, we heard genuine English humour and could test both our language & culture… Some people of my generation said it was too loud & too much dirty language… but, like always, degustibus… Most of the people liked one guy in particular, the ladies will remember the number of his room on their death bed! They were refreshing, genuine and every conference should have something like that!”

Višnja from Croatia.

Višnja

Ksenija getting some relaxation with Alfie and Jeff

“I think that people at the conference need relaxation after the whole day of working, sitting, listening…and there is no better way than LAUGHTER!!  People expect HUPE to be fun, and not only hard work…
So, that was the main reason for inviting them…Also, you know that we always try to have smething new at HUPE, so I BET it was really something BRAND NEW!! It was a bold thing to do but having guts paid off well!”

Ksenija from Croatia.

London Calling Live

And here is some of the show for your enjoyment or to enjoy again:

Nino Bantić, a Croatian journalist working in London and the guy who brought the comedians to Croatia, believes that stand up comedy is an important part of British culture and well worth exporting. “When I was a student we were not

Nino Bantic, the driving force behind the whole event

only learning just the English language but about English culture, this language that is quite alive… but stand up  is also an important part of English and British and English speaking culture and I think this is a natural choice.”

What is obvious is that lots of people liked it at the HUPE conference and I think if you have a session after the stand up where people have a chance to talk to the comedians about stand up comedy then that would be an added attraction enriching and deepening the whole experience.

Rapport, Reflection, Risk, Respect, Empathy, Spontaneity, Humour and Hrvatska

The areas of developing rapport, spontaneity, empathising with your audience, respecting your audience, the role of humour and laughter, pushing back the boundaries and moving into areas which involve a certain amount of risk but which engage and involve people and getting people to consciously reflect more on everyday familiar things, but from a different perspective, are areas which we as teachers certainly share with stand-up comedians. And it may be that we have a lot to learn from each other, especially when we go to other countries and enjoy their hospitality.  And wasn’t it Lidija who said the more we laugh the longer we live?

Jeff captured us on camera at end of the gig and got us to do a Mexican wave. If you were there, click on the photo and see if you can find yourself and if you weren’t there click on the photo and see if you can see any of your friends. Can you spot the Welsh linguistics professor who’s still thinking about following Jeff on twitter?

Jeff's photo of us doing a mexican wave at the end of gig

Finally, this was the interview I did with Jeff, Paddy, Nino and Vince before their next gig in Rijeka. Am looking forward to the next ELT event with some stand-up comedy,these guys would,I’m sure,be definitely interested in bringing their wicked, playful,charming and engaging brand of humour to your conference at the mere drop of a glass of rakija,a bite of burek or a strong shot of coffee in one of those wee squirrel cups Paddy has grown to love so much, provided he doesn’t mix it with too many chestnuts.

Hvala za zve! Stand up ELT, comedians and teachers of the world unite, where will the next ELT comedy be…… Čakovec?

Mark x

A book I read and re-read many times and used in my methodology classes with students in Czecholovakia in Pardubice and Olomouc after the revolutionary changes in 1989/90

Following the death of Václav Havel many things have been flashing through my mind, recalling those monumental days in Olomouc and Prague in November and December 1989.   Over the last 24 hours I’ve been in touch with several people who experienced that time together, some of them are teaching, some are in journalism but all of them were heavily influenced in their attitudes and values by what happened when they were involved in shaping the future of their country during the university strike.

Students on strike in 1989 in Czechoslovakia

During the revolution, although the students were on strike, the classrooms came alive.  They drew and painted posters,produced a student newspaper almost every day and held meetings about the strike. In fact, the students were actually more active and involved when they were on strike than they had been before! I found myself thinking that the task of teachers after the revolution will be  to try to harness the same kind of energy that was there in the making of the revolution for the purposes of  English language learning and English studies in general.  In those six weeks I learned a lot about what my role should be as a teacher afterwards and those events have  informed my teaching methodologies ever since.

I felt that I had gained an enormous amount from the revolution and afterwards asked a group of students what they themselves had gained from the whole experience of  taking part in the strike and this was one of the replies I got:

One personal anecdote from one of my students

“It was all very dramatic for us: the work at school, typing, painting, drawing posters, going to villages and towns in the whole of Moravia and talking to people, taking part in demonstrations and meetings at the theatre, in the hostel and in the sports hall. Every day nearly the same.  But during the month I learned and got to understand a lot of things.

I understood the meaning of some phrases and words which had been empty for me until then. I think I have learned (a bit at least) to listen to people, to consider their opinions and mainly to tolerate other opinions. And generally we have learned how to discuss, thinking while speaking and hearing, not to be scared of voicing our own opinions. I am proud of being a student now.”

I  know that those were very special conditions back in 1989 but the skills which were developed during that strike amongst students are the same kinds of skills and values that I think are central to teaching and teacher development today.

Linking the revolution with the English classroom

When I returned to Czechoslovakia in 1992 after doing an MA in ELT at Lancaster University and writing my dissertation on teacher development in Czechoslovakia there was one quote I always used to use and work with in both pre-service sessions and at conferences. It was a quote by Václav Havel and one we used to discuss at length. I think it is still relevant in teacher training today. I am convinced that English can  be a subject which develops the kind of critical thinking and involvement in civil society which Václav Havel was  trying to encourage.

The student newspaper in Olomouc which came out almost every day following the beatings in Prague on November 17th

” The most basic sphere of concern is schooling.  Everything else depends on that.  What will our schools be like?  I think that in ten years they should be fully reformed and consolidated.  The point, understandably, is not just the reconstruction of school buildings or the supply of computers and new textbooks.  The most important thing is a new concept of education.  At all levels schools must cultivate a spirit of free and independent thinking in the students.  

Students during the strike in Olomouc co-operating and reflecting on the changes in their society in the way Havel would have wanted

Schools will have to be humanised, both in the sense that their basic component must be the human personalities of the teachers, creating around them a “force field” of inspiration and example, and in the sense that technical and other specialised education will be balanced by a general education in the humanities.

Students in Olomouc taking responsibility on the eve of the student strike that led to the revolution in Czechoslovakia

Posters of Václav Havel were everywhere in the last two weeks of 1989 and people were encouraged to sign them if they supported him becoming President

The role of the schools is not to create “idiot-specialists” to fill the special needs of different sectors of the national economy, but to develop the individual capabilities of the students in a purposeful way, and to send out into life thoughtful people capable of thinking about the wider social, historical, and philosophical implications of their specialties.”

Václav Havel 1992

Two of my former students in Olomouc had this to say in the last 24 hours

” I was crying all day long yesterday because it all came back. If you haven’t been through it, if you haven’t felt the atmosphere penetrating your skin, you can’t understand as the experience was so unique, that’s for sure.” Lenka

Chatting yesterday with one of my former students from Olomouc 1989

It has been a long time since I last wrote on my blog and I think it’s to do with changing circumstances. I have taken a year out from teaching in Budapest and have been dividing my time between being with my mother in Wolverhampton and developing materials for courses at SOL in Barnstaple where students come, mostly from Central and Eastern Europe, for a 10 day immersion course in British language and culture. I’m also taking a break from my role as co-ordinator of Hungary’s IATEFL Culture and Literature Special Interest Group, it was in IATEFL-H’s mELTing Pot that this first appeared.

Last summer I was working on two teacher training courses and have been reflecting on what makes those courses effective and enjoyable. This blogpost addresses these issues. Some of the things are just as valid on any teacher training courses and some are specific to a summer experience.

“A summer school doesn’t work without people who are there for you, care for you and help you. All in all, ingredients on their own don’t make a dish, but putting them all together you can make a delicious meal.”
I have taught on summer courses every summer since 1991 in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Serbia, Romania, Russia and Britain and drawing on that experience I’d like to 1) give practical examples of what seems to create a quality, rich and relaxed learning environment and 2) address what a process approach to a summer school might be. Earl Stevick argued that what goes on between learners is the most important part of what goes on in a language classroom. Similarly, during a summer school, if you adopt a process approach, attending to what goes on between sessions and between days might be the key to a course’s success.

mixing ingredients

The “meat” of a summer course is traditionally seen as the pre-prepared sessions which tutors bring to summer courses. I have now come to realise that concentrating on getting the meat right might not be the key ingredient of a summer school. 10 years of my life were spent as a vegetarian and I’ve never liked the “meat metaphor” to describe the main element of anything anyway. I prefer the idea of a risotto, partly because of my love of Italian cookery and partly because the success of a risotto is to do with how much something is stirred, when it is stirred, how it is garnished, what is sprinkled over it and when. How things are glued together and recycled will depend on constant attention to the unfolding of the course process, much in the same way as being attentive to when we add and blend in herbs and spices in a risotto.
There isn’t a recipe for the success of summer courses but what follows are some ingredients which seem to help the process along. I have included some relevant comments by teachers to exemplify and illustrate key aspects.

I. Creating a stress-free atmosphere

1. Balancing work and relaxation

Teachers who attend summer courses have usually just finished a hectic and exhausting term and see summer courses as partly holidays and we need to bear this in mind in any preparation. A recurring issue is striking the right balance between content, time allocated to reflection and time for relaxation. Summer schools are places where teachers can share common concerns and gain strength and a sense of optimism from being together, in the knowledge that they are not alone and that their concerns are not specific to their own teaching contexts. Being freed up from family roles and responsibilities allows space for these issues.
“On our way to Lynmouth, I talked to one colleague and I found that we have so much in common, discussing even a delicate private matter and getting the best advice like we have known each other for ages, a benefit from a 10 minute informal talk.”

2. Setting the mood by pre-course communication between tutors and course participants

A process approach to summer courses will involve constant discussions with tutors both before and during the course. Writing to course participants beforehand and asking them to do a pre-course task is a nice way of gently getting teachers into the mood of the course. This might involve reading an article of relevance to the course and commenting on it. Asking teachers to bring photographs or objects of personal interest to be used in sessions or just welcoming them to the course with a kind message and expressing how much you are looking forward to working together can also be part of a pre-course message. You can also provide information for teachers and be available online to reassure them about things they might be unsure of.

Hiya everybody,

Just wanted to say that I’m really looking forward to meeting you all next week on our course. Devon is an enchanting place. I spent my holidays there every year from the age of 2 to the age of 16…..

Hi Mark,
I got your message, thank you for the nice words. As this will be my first time in England, you can imagine how excited I am. Counting the days,
M

3. Getting to know each other and learning names

All courses include “getting to know you” activities. These may involve getting teachers to meet each other and write down where people come from, a good teaching experience they have had recently, a band they like, or something interesting they have just read.

Teachers can arrange themselves into a map of where they come from. This year in the four corners of our map we had teachers from England, Bulgaria, Morocco and Poland. They then said who they were and where they come from. You often hear people asking whether the group is good or not, but tutors also have a role to play in promoting good group dynamics, even on courses which only last four days and good beginnings can contribute to this.

Where is Madedonia in relation to Serbia and the Czech Republic?

“I liked the idea of recalling positive experiences in the warmer (remembering a good lesson). I’ll definitely use something similar in the warmers after the summer holidays.”

Learning names and using people’s names appropriately is always good. Name cards are sometimes used on courses, although they may lead to not investing the time and effort which is usually needed to memorise and use names.
Time spent in between classes and on the first two evenings can be devoted to this by regularly consulting the list of course participants and trying a bit harder each time to make sure you know who is who. This year we took photos of all the teachers on the first day and on the second day projected them and got people to identify everybody.
“I love being here and I appreciate all the effort on the part of the tutors to get everybody involved”

4. Playing music on courses

The value and importance of music on a course

Music has a huge influence on the mood of a summer course. I sometimes have a tendency to play music too loud but greeting people in the morning with songs like “Good day Sunshine”, “Raindrops keep falling on my head”, “ It’s a beautiful day”, “Manic Monday”, “Friday I’m in Love”, can be very welcoming, played on the appropriate days and at appropriate moments. Playing music in between sessions also has its place but we should be sensitive to when silence is best. Songs can sometimes become soundtracks to courses which come up either in sessions or as part of social events and which can then be sung on the last day. My own examples of this have included “Falling Slowly”, “Streets of London”, “Steal Away” and “Green Grow the Rushes O”.

“Using music was so relaxing for me because sometimes I feel very nervous”

5. Paying attention to timing and breaks

I have never experienced a course where there haven’t been people who have been upset at tutors going on too long in sessions and eating away at precious break time. When you are working with process this isn’t always easy and I have been guilty of this on many occasions. However, I also know that sometimes deviating from the pre-planned programme or taking a break in the fresh air is best. Giving up a session might also sometimes be the best course of action when working with process if a fruitful discussion emerges.

This should be negotiated openly and sometimes voted on, preventing resentment from building up throughout the course. If teachers are able to make choices they feel empowered. Taking feedback early on can also be very informative for tutors. This might be best done either informally, if you don’t want to make a big issue of something, or you might choose written feedback at the end of the second day.

providing fruit on courses

Providing fruit during breaks or during classes is always appreciated. This may be passing round grapes, cherries, strawberries or blueberries or whatever is in season. Sometimes teachers share their own fruit. On one course I made the watermelon the actual content of the session, teachers tasted it and we looked at literature about watermelons. In the final poster summaries of the course a nicely coloured red and green watermelon featured on all posters: an example of the power of VAKOG and engaging all the senses! (Namely: Visual, Auditory, Kinaesthetic, Olfactory and Gustatory.)

“It was so nice to go for a five minute walk, to have lunch together in Cafe Libri, to talk to local people there.”

II. Reflecting on and recycling course experiences

Keeping course diaries which tutors may look at informally during the course and then go through and comment on at the end of the course can be an excellent way of getting teachers to reflect. The content and structure will depend on the nature of the course but reflections on new experiences and implications for teachers’ future classroom work are likely to feature on most summer courses.

“Writing diaries is a great idea not only for making interesting or important academic notes but also for remembering certain moments, feelings, people and situations”

Reflecting and making sense of daily experiences

The use of course photos and videos in breaks or at the beginning of the following day is a useful tool for developing course cohesiveness. This might involve regularly projecting photos and videos of the course taken by both course tutors and course participants as part of the beginning of a session or as background to breaks. It is wonderful to see the smiles and laughter on teachers’ faces when they see moments they have experienced collectively. Making the teachers themselves and the content that they generate part of the course itself helps teachers to feel part of the course rather than just having “input” projected onto them.

Leaving space for teacher contributions every morning and giving different participants opportunities in pairs or threes to review the previous day’s work in the form of a poster, powerpoint or pictures is also good recycling. This might involve reviewing new language, new teaching ideas or memorable course moments.

“Filming was great, seeing myself in the videos and then using them for different purposes worked really well.”

III. Being inspired by and drawing on the participants and their culture

1. Giving teachers opportunities to introduce their own culture

On courses where there are teachers from different countries it is always good to create space for talking about their cultures. Singing evenings are good for this. I often work with teachers from the countries of ex-Yugoslavia and it is always heart-warming to see teachers singing songs together which they love and have in common. Cooking together can also be great for this.

Teachers from Serbia and Croatia joining together singing at our folk night

For instance, this summer teachers showed us T-Shirts, dresses, flags and banknotes  from their different countries. ELT courses are not just about ELT, they are also about learning about each other and each other’s countries.
“The group is great, the people come from different countries so we can share experience from our countries and we can compare our countries”

Explaining one's own T-Shirt to the other course participants

2. Celebrating birthdays and anniversaries

If anybody has a birthday on the course, which they invariably do, it’s a good idea to acknowledge and celebrate it. On the last course I was on, the teachers organised a party for Ahmed from Morocco. It was a wonderful initiative and contributed greatly to the cohesiveness of the course. Other anniversaries might also be referred to such as July 4th and the birthdays of famous people.

“We celebrated Ahmed’s birthday with his host, John. His home made birthday cake was so delicious.”

IV. Better communication between tutors and course participants alike

1. Noticing teachers’ moods and responses to the course

On any course there are different ages, levels of English and levels of engagement. Some people experience the course as more tiring and others won’t be feeling good for whatever reasons at any given moment and some might be struggling with being away from home. We don’t need to know everything but we need to be attentive to how people are feeling and respond appropriately.

Making an effort to spending an equal amount of time with people might be a part of this. Obviously tutors will get on better with some people but at the end of each day checking the list of teachers and seeing who you have spent time with is likely to help you in deciding who to give more attention to at future “in-between” moments.

There isn’t enough time on a summer school to go through Tuckman’s group cycle of forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning but there is forming and adjourning, and there may be a moment of storming where resolution of group conflict might be necessary.

“I would say your ‘every person matters philosophy’ works brilliantly as each person in the group feels rewarded and supported”

2. Communicating and co-operating with other course tutors

Regular communication with other course tutors about the content and process of the course is crucial. Course participants need to see that tutors work well together and misunderstandings, which always occur between tutors, need to be talked through. Even tutors who have a very similar concept of how summer schools should be run will need to work through conflict and it is vital that time is found for this. Some element of team teaching can contribute to this.

3.The use of people’s mother tongues

Giving teachers space to speak their own languages is obviously necessary, it can be tiring speaking English all the time. Some teachers might feel excluded from conversations if they do not share the other teachers’ mother tongue, so intervening can be helpful, but the teachers often realize this themselves.

“There is only one thing that I’m sorry about which is that some people use their mother tongue quite a lot. I don’t think it’s appropriate to do this in a multicultural environment where English should be spoken and used.”

4. Socialising with the teachers between and outside sessions

Knowing when to leave teachers alone and when to engage with teachers in coffee breaks, at meal times or on excursions can be important. No tutor is the same and some tutors love going off with teachers and having a smoke while others like being quiet in the classrooms, gathering strength for the next session. What I do feel though is that being generous with your time and being available for teachers outside the sessions is one of the responsibilities of being on a summer school. On residential courses a willingness to stay up late might also be desirable! On two Serbian summer schools I remember us offering late night films for those who were interested.

Spending time on walks together

The social aspects of summer courses can be just as important as the pedagogical aspects and a willingness to join in these activities by tutors and course participants contributes to a cohesive fun summer experience. For instance, I once saw a great pub quiz by Philip Kerr, and Verissimo Toste did a brilliant illustrated talk on his visit to Mozambique. Success of the evening activities usually depends on audience participation and interaction and doing a quiz at the end which draws on the course itself is perfect for that as well as being learner-centred and a good review of the whole course. As one of the quiz activities I have sometimes used pictures of the teachers showing a bit of tongue or necklace  from which their identity should be guessed.

“The pub quiz was brilliant, full of good ideas, highly competitive and in a really nice atmosphere. The ‘Picture Quiz’ was just great! Really motivating, bringing people closer to each other. I will try it with my new class after coming back from our class trip at the end of August. Thank you for organising this, it was great FUN!”

5. Providing proper closure to courses

Having ceremonial beginnings and endings gives a satisfactory sense of both accomplishment and closure. Some courses fizzle out as people drift away without proper endings. I’ve found creating group posters which capture the essence of a course effective in this. As an activity, teachers can then vote on the best poster.

This summer, Uwe Pohl, my co-tutor, made coloured cards for teachers with their names on each one. Each teacher drew a card with somebody else’s name on it and they were invited to write a gift for them and say why they were giving it. It was a lovely activity and many people were very moved by what people had given them when they read it out to the whole group. I was given a picture of Ukrainian storks with “Made in Ukraine” written on it, as I had worn a “Made in Poland” storks T-shirt. The teacher had noticed this about me and thought I’d like it as a present. I did!

If there are certificates to be given out, tutors might share this task, as well as singing a song, having a drink and sharing a few nibbles. It is the end of the summer school but it won’t be the end of people’s newly found friendships or even professional co-operation. Creating appropriate channels to share both personal and professional concerns will extend the summer school experience and keep precious memories alive and keep people in contact with each other. This might be done on Facebook or another internet site.

Final Thoughts

Working on summer schools is one of the most satisfying professional experiences that I have had throughout my career as a teacher trainer and I am still in touch with people who were on summer schools I taught on 15 years ago. It’s good to go the extra mile and be 100% immersed in the summer school experience. I’d like to end with a comment from one of the teachers which I received inscribed in a book, “The Still Point” by Amy Sackville.

Dear Mark, It’s difficult to capture in words what this course has given to me. During these days I felt like being ‘at the still point of the turning world’. Being with you all was a really exceptional and inspiring experience. Thank you. Barnstaple, 23rd July 2011.

And finally the sea and in particular the Atlantic Ocean is very special for teachers from Central Eastern Europe and being by the sea and reflecting on its role in British society and British history is a key ingredient of SOL courses in Devon as you can see in the responses of these teachers from Serbia and Croatia in the video.

The linguistic,cultural and educational benefits of learning English abroad.

How do we greet people?

When I arrived in England I thought I knew English. After I’d been here an hour I realised that I did not understand one word. In the first week I picked up a tolerable working knowledge of the language and the next seven years convinced me gradually but thoroughly that I would never know it really well, let alone perfectly. This is sad. My only consolation being that nobody speaks English perfectly.

These were the words of the famous Hungarian Mikes György or George Mikes in English from his little book “How to be an Alien” In it he describes his observations of both the English language and the culture he encountered as a journalist when he was there as a young man. In order to write his little book he kept a diary of all the interesting little things he noticed and then turned them into a kind of “What are the English like as seen by a Hungarian”. While the book is fairly dated now it is still an entertaining read and can be a good springboard for discussing how we get to know languages and cultures better.

My own formative experiences of getting to know other countries and cultures

I have often wondered how I myself got into languages and travelling and I can point to two very formative experiences that I had, one at the age of 10 and the other at the age of 16.

School at Sea

In the 1930’s cruises for schoolchildren were pioneered in Britain using troopships that were not used during the summer and in 1967 for the price of £29 then, I was lucky enough to take part in one of these educational experiences. At sea, on the way to Norway we had lessons about where we were going to in classrooms on board ship and when we were in Norway, after being on land all day, in the evenings we wrote up our logs or diaries recording our experiences when we weren’t enjoying Norwegian folk dancing.

For all of us it was the first experience of foreign travel and the educational value was considerable,  we were exposed to history, geography, other religions, bits of Norwegian, the fact that there was another currency, and on some trips, to Egypt for example, children witnessed terrible poverty leading sometimes to life-changing attitudes towards life and the world.

We went in May during term time. I’d love to know now who organised it and how many schools were contacted about the scheme. I went to a little primary school where we had a fairly even mixture of children from working-class and middle-class backgrounds.

M.S. Devonia the ship I went to Norway on in 1967

I was only 10 when I went on the M.S. Devonia to Norway and was introduced to Norwegian stave churches and outdoor markets. It was the first time I saw live fish in a tank for sale in Bergen and we were also taken to the composer Edvard Grieg’s grave and his summer residence. It was my first trip “abroad” if you don’t count Wales, and the first time I was made aware of another culture and language.

My German experience

That ITT machine which I remember playing Abba's Waterloo, Terry Jacks' Seasons in the Sun and Je t'aime..moi non plus! Ahhhhhh. All hits of spring 1974

At the age of 16 I had the good fortune to spend 10 weeks in two West German families and went to school there and got to know a very different school culture from the one I had been used to, without school uniforms and “sitzenbleiben”, a strange idea for me, that if you didn’t get the necessary marks you had to “remain sitting” and do the whole year again.

In the families I stayed in I saw a dishwasher, a breadcutting machine  and an ITT cassette recorder for the first time, as well as being told to comb my hair properly before breakfast and take my shoes off when I entered the house.

“The families I was staying were both well-off, one a “Zeit reading” forester and the other an architect. I was wowed by machines to cut bread and an ITT cassette recorder. The daughter of the family, Daniela, had got an ABBA tape and the Swedish group had just won the Eurovision song contest with Waterloo. I was so jealous, not of the bread machine but of the cassette recorder. At home we’d only got one of those reel to reel things and this ITT machine looked so cool.

These experiences were the most formative experiences of my earlier years and they raise the question of how we can create experiences for young people which involve engagement with other cultures, learning about them and which in turn potentially lead to a better understanding of your own culture.

With the German experience, I came back not only much better at German, but much more motivated to learn more German. It also whet my appetite for travel abroad in general and I think I can safely say I would never have gone on to study languages at university without that experience. It was a very influential period of my life. On returning my German teacher remarked in my school report: “His sojourn in Germany has added a new dimension to his German studies.”

The role of ethnography in organising trips abroad

Bronislaw Malinowski meeting the locals on the Trobriand Islands , just like our teachers in Devon

Bronislaw Malinowski, who was born in Krakow, is known as the founder of social anthropology. He is also remembered as the father of the functionalist school of anthropology as well as for his role in developing the methods of anthropological fieldwork. Malinowski is famous for his studies conducted among the Trobriand Islanders whose marriage, trade, and religious customs he studied extensively.

We owe a lot to Malinowski and the advantage of an ethnographic approach is that it combines the analytical and the experiential (or the cognitive and the affective). “The ethnographer is participating, overtly or covertly, in people’s daily lives for a period of time, watching what happens, listening to what is said, asking questions – in fact, collecting whatever data are available .” (M. Hammersley & P. Atkinson)

We can encourage students and children to do exactly the same thing when they are away somewhere on trips, even trips within their own countries. An application of ethnography and a good teacher can help students to get the most out of language learning and cultural experiences by equipping them with the techniques, support and encouragement necessary for turning a more passive tourist experience into one where they begin to understand the other country, their own country and themselves better.

Aims of organising classes which prepare students for a trip abroad

Increasingly, it is becoming more possible to take students to Britain for short periods and the value of structuring these experiences in order to maximise the learning is enormous. 15 years ago I supervised a student dissertation in the Czech Republic of somebody who took a group of young teenagers to Britain. She saw fieldwork as an integral part of the trip and before the students went she organised 8 preparatory classes beforehand. The aims of the 60-minute sessions were:

* to get to know each other better, to work on building the group and to set up a good working atmosphere (students of  different ages and from different classes were asked to work in groups or pairs that were often changed).

* for the teachers to find out how much the students already know about Britain to be able to work with them on that basis.

* to work on a variety of topics about different aspects of life in Britain (using photographs, articles, magazines for  young British people, extracts of films and documentaries and maps.

* to get the students to think about the same aspects in the Czech Republic and to get them used to consciously make comparisons between the two cultures, as one of the  techniques used for observing and analyzing the target culture.

* to get them used to the habit of keeping diaries (writing a  diary about the seminars, adding pictures or newspaper articles about things concerning Britain).

* to practise doing interviews, helping them with thinking  about the questions they might be interested in finding out once they had the chance to talk to British people.

The three following quotes are from three of the children who were asked about the pre-trip classes during the visit to Britain.

Johana (14): “During the seminars I learnt that I do not have to worry about speaking.”

Petra (15): “My father also liked the idea of seminars. So, he decided to give me the money to go to Britain. We had seminars with our teachers and we had a diary and wrote there what we think.”

Barbora (13): “I did not know about ethnic minorities living in Britain before the classes we had before we went to Britain and now I know and I can ask people here about them.”

While in Britain students were encouraged to keep their diaries, writing down what they were doing, what they saw, who they managed to talk to, what they thought of it and how they felt. Sticking pictures, tickets or drawing into their diaries were welcomed. Every evening there was a 30-minute ‘diary-time’ to note the interesting things they had noticed both linguistically and culturally.

Lollipop lady, or is it a school crossing patroller now or not? Ask and find out!

Lenka (15) evaluated the activity: “I have never kept a diary before. I like it, I write what I want.” “On the way to the Victorian Pier, which was our next destination, we saw a ‘lollipop lady. She is a woman and she has got a big sign ‘stop’ and she stands in the middle of the road when children want to cross the road and she stops the cars.”

One of the visits to a school Zdenek describes his feelings in a very imaginative way: “In the morning we visited their assembly. I felt very embarrassed, because all children were wearing uniforms, only our group ordinary clothes.” This is an example of where a child decentres and becomes more aware of their own culture, not so much as an alien but somebody who can distance themselves from their own culture.

My experience with working with Central and Eastern European teachers over the summer

Sharing one language

Last summer I worked with two groups of teachers from 12 different countries mostly in Central and Eastern Europe in Barnstaple with SOL (Sharing One Language), an organisation founded by Grenville Yeo in 1991 to facilitate more educational experiences both ways between Central and Eastern Europe and Britain.

One of the courses was very much about giving teachers an ethnographic experience of England and getting them to think about how they might structure such an experience for their own teenage students. The teachers ended up talking to lots of people, including lifeguards on the beach, in order to find out more about the local community and the values and beliefs under the cultural iceberg which go beyond what is observable. These structured tasks slowly built up the teachers’ confidence in talking to people and deepened their understandings of the culture in which they were immersed for the 10-12 day period. These were some of the final comments by Alena from Slovakia in the evaluation relating to the usefulness of the activities we had done on the course.

The Croyde lifeguards the teachers interviewed last year, will they be the same this year? This was one of the highlights of our course!

“Talking to people to learn about the local environment, habits, jobs (like the lifeguards). Talking to people to find out what local or national institutions do like the National Trust and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Asking people real life questions such as directions. If I brought my students I’d exploit the time mainly for talking and using English in everyday conversations.”

It can be very useful to get students to ask simple questions like: “What’s the time?” and “How do you get to…” over and over again, so that they hear different variations and accents, all of which contributes to building up their confidence. And of course one of the important aspects of being abroad is to take photographs not only of the famous sights but of signs and unusual things, all of which can be a rich source of debate and language

What does this mean?

learning.

This year I am doing these courses again and on one of the days we will be visiting an art exhibition in Torquay. How many times have you seen groups of teenagers in galleries, bored by the whole experience waiting to get out of the gallery and not enjoying the visits at all? Art offers enormous opportunites for linguistic, cultural and educational development in young people but sometimes we fail to exploit the learning potential in these experiences by not structuring the visits in a way which leads to more engagement on the part of the students with interesting tasks, worksheets and projects in general. This is one of the issues we will be discussing on our visit to the Devon Riviera, together with an exploration of Agatha Christie and her life!

Developing intercultural skills

In 1998, Uwe Pohl (the guy who I will be working with on our fieldwork course in Devon next week) and I took a group of Hungarian school teachers to Britain to meet lots of people, to take photographs and to get a deeper view of British society with the aim of developing materials back in Hungary and an approach to language learning which is more ethnographic and focused on the community than behaviouristic. We ended up writing a book called “Zoom In”, the aim of which in part was to get students to be both researchers of culture and language and not just behaviouristic language learners. It is based on a thoughtful, cognitive approach to language learning and one which explicity compares the culture the students/teachers come from with British culture in search of deeper understandings, an understanding of cause and effect and a more empathetic view of the world in general.

Typical field work tasks such as exploring portmanteau words with host families

One of the little tasks I will be getting the teachers to do next week will be to explore the word “staycation”. Portmanteau words are a lot of fun, Lewis Carroll developed them, James Joyce turned them into a fine art across languages in Finnegans Wake and they are a characterisic of the changing face of the English language, (e.g. blog, glog, webinar). With “staycation”  it will be good to find out from different people how they would define the word and what they think of it. If it’s used, who uses it? Is it used more in written or spoken English? Is it used more by working-class or middle class people? Is it used more in some regions rather than others? It should be a lot of fun. Curiosity for and exploration of other languages is one of the delights of learning about the world and it is our job,as language teachers, to develop and encourage that same curiosity in our students.

An unforgettable experience

All in all in terms of developing motivation, an ethnographic trip to another country can be an invaluable step in changing somebody’s life for the better, it certainly was for me when I went to Norway and West Germany. I was helped not to be an alien but how to participate in our common European culture in a more equal way and in a way in which I wasn’t saying because things weren’t British it didn’t mean they were worse. I stopped wondering why people drive on the “wrong” side of the road a long time ago! At the age of 16 I was taken to the border which divided East and West Germany.

The tower I climbed when I was 16 and peered into the German Democratic Republic, a country I would find myself living in for 4 years 6 years later

“ Two years after the wall in Berlin was built in 1961, a tower was built in Bodesruh where my host family took me. From the top you could see miles into GDR territory. At the foot of the tower there was a map of the old pre-Second World War Germany, which was later to be partly dismantled, removing the parts that now belong to Poland and the Soviet Union.

Growing up in Wolverhampton, there was no real awareness of frontiers being moved or anger at having lost territories in the past. I had never met anyone who was either angry about or suffering from the lost British territories of the Indian sub-continent. I didn’t know families who had been divided by borders as I became aware of living close to the East/West German border. The day I went up that tower nobody was there to watch me in the way that the world watched when J. F. Kennedy spoke from the balcony of the Schöneberg town hall in West Berlin on June 26th 1963, 11 years earlier. For me though, this was a life-changing experience, although I didn’t realise it at the time.

I hadn’t been aware of the division of Europe, I’d given up History at school at the age of 14 and somehow I felt uneasy about what I was peering into from the top. Walls and fences cut through dense forest and marked the border between East and West.

East Germany was not a part of my families’ world any more but somehow, though, after peering over what some people called the Iron Curtain that day it had become part of mine. For a young guy  just turned 17, that landmark was as important as anything that I had seen in my time away from England so far. It bothered me. 6 years later I found myself living in the GDR as a student in Rostock on the Baltic coast.

If we can structure experiences for our students that challenge their existing ways of seeing the world and motivate them to learn English more then we might achieve more in ten days than in a whole term’s work. Going abroad changed my life for ever and without that experience I certainly wouldn’t be doing the course in Devon next week in the way that I will be doing it and I certainly don’t feel like an alien here in Hungary now!

We’re all going on a summer holiday, although it’s still the case that most people in the world don’t have holidays:(

It’s June 26th today and many people will be packing up for summer now and finishing their courses. Just let me take this moment to say how much I’ve enjoyed writing the blog this year and through it and twitter I feel more connected to the ELT community worldwide than ever before. Thanks to everybody too who has made the time to read my posts.

This is the year I well and truly flipped, as if I hadn't flipped before

One of the highlights of the year for me was using a flip camera to interview people at the ISTEK conference in Istanbul this year in the role of roving reporter, and next week in Devon I will be doing the same, interviewing local people to find out about their lives and to listen to the language that they use and encouraging our teachers to do the same.

Finally, Mikes György wrote “How  to be an Alien”, I certainly don’t feel like an alien in Hungary and I hope our teachers don’t feel like aliens in Devon next week, in the end what unites us is far more than what divides us and far more important than what makes us different.

This classic photograph of the Earth was taken on December 7, 1972 by the Apollo 17 crew travelling towards the moon. What can you see?

A week tomorrow I will be swimming in the sea here. I wonder how many of the teachers will be joining me?

The beach and the sea where I will be taking the teachers too next Monday afternoon at Woolacombe North Devon

Mr Farthing in Kes listening to his student Billy Casper, the only teacher to do so in the school

I really enjoyed reading Fiona Mauchline’s post “Teach Teens Unplugged. Why on earth?!”  post today”.

Through unplugged teaching you can reach the person…….and the person can “reach” you

In her article Fiona wrote:

“Unplugged, or dogme, teaching is about dialogue. It’s about supporting students so that they can express themselves. It’s also about listening. With adult language learners, you listen to their language and their stories, show an interest, identify needs, build a lesson, help them construct knowledge. But with teenagers, although the process is essentially the same, it goes beyond just feeding in language to a hungry human. Through unplugged teaching, you can reach the person; you can provide the teen with an adult figure who listens, tells stories, supports them in their studies and ‘needs’, you can help them access their imagination, build their self-esteem, scaffold their need to hear ‘I can’ ringing out from their inner voice.”

I’m always surprised at watching classes in Secondary Schools when students are using books which were actually written for students above the age of 18, they don’t work conceptually, they are outside young people’s experience and they often obstruct rather than aid language learning.

My Seconday School group at the age of 18.

I was reminded too today of the memorable moments that I always ask students to come up with at the end of my courses and why they were memorable. This was what a fifteen-year-old Hungarian student came up with at the end of a year we had spent together in a Secondary School classroom.

Things I learnt

Eminem’s “Drips” would never have appeared in a coursebook, the parsnip approach to publishing ensures that nothing like that is allowed. Parsnip is an acronym which  stands  for : no politics, alcohol, religion, sex, narcotics, isms or pork. See Luke Meddings’ article here.

One of the liveliest discussions we had was on the Iraq war

The discussion we had on the Iraq war was very lively and I had found an article from my local Wolverhampton newspaper “The Express and Star” in which an 18-year-old soldier had been killed. We discussed the rights and wrongs of war and how they would feel if they had to go to war or if their boyfriends had to go to war.  On the topic of festivals,when it was Hannukah three of the students did project work on it. It turned out that all three had Jewish backgrounds. One of them invited me to a Hannukah celebration, which I went to on my way home from work one cold December evening and after that, unsurprisingly, we got on even better in the classroom than we had done before.

The power of music in the classroom

Using the music that students like in the classroom and making sure that everybody’s music is listened to throughout the year is a crucial variable in classroom dynamics, it brings in a contemporary element and it is something which, for copyright and being-up-to-date reasons, will rarely appear in traditional coursebooks.

Moving away from the coursebook, even the coursebooks that we like

Zoom In, a coursebook focussing on intercultural skills for Hungarian teenagers

Interestingly, all the memorable things this student came up with were things which weren’t in the coursebook we were using, which was a coursebook that I myself had written with a German and a group of Hungarian teachers which actually focused on the world of young people. It was a coursebook which I was proud of and which I enjoyed using but the fact that the majority of the year we spent together was on issues generated by what was happening in the world and the interests of the students themselves was a sharp reminder of the freshness and appropriateness of “unplugged” conversation.

To me this seems to indicate that Fiona’s belief that we have a role in supporting students needs, bolstering their self-esteem and being a sympathetic listener are all spot-on and a part of teaching unplugged.

Being a sympathetic listener

In my teacher training role the best film I know of and use to develop these skills is “Kes” by Ken Loach. I still have the orginal poster on the wall of my flat and it is a film I never ever tire of and one which I will always use on teacher training courses. Thanks Fiona for the post, these things are so important and while there are many technological devices which can aid learning in the classroom your post has reminded us not to forget one of the main functions of a classroom in school where teenagers are the people we teach! Listening to teenagers and teaching teenagers to listen in our modern, mobile, multitasking world remains a major challenge for teachers today. I hope there are ways of combining the best that hand-held devices have to offer with a pedagogy that is rooted in students learning from teachers and teachers learning from students. I am sure there is.

Billy Casper, the 14-year-old boy whose only love was his bird Kes. The time his teacher went to watch him in the field and in the shed is one of the most moving moments in British cinema involving a teacher and a student

elt tweet eurovision

Last night was Eurovision again. Was fun tweeting last year and fun last night too. This is an edited transcript of the tweets just before and during the voting to give you a flavour of what a few ELT tweeters were getting up to last night.  Good to see people in a non ELT environment tweeting about non-ELT things.  Hope I’ve managed to capture some of the flavour of it in my eurovision roving role…….Greetings from a rainy Budapest!

marekandrews

so who’s gonna do the transcript then? #eltchat #eurovision

harrisonmike

LOL RT @marekandrews: so who’s gonna do the transcript then? #eltchat #eurovision

esolcourses

RT @marekandrews: so who’s gonna do the transcript then? #eltchat #eurovision Ha Ha!

Shaunwilden

@marekandrews I assumed you were the roving reporter so you’d do it #Eurovision #eltchat

Marisa_C

RT @esolcourses: @bcnpaul1 @Marisa_C for the next hour, my tweets will be devoted to #eurovisionchat let’s be very rude!

vickyloras

@annabooklover Bless you Anna,you’ve made my evening with your tweets : ))))))

Marisa_C

RT @RenataWilmot: Love the dress, love the boots, love the attitude! #eurovision great voice no song though

@bcnpaul1 or what can #eurovision do for ELT ? #eltchat

RT @suzelibrarian: They should have captured Bin Laden and made him watch this instead. #Eurovision te he he he he

marekandrews

long black boots, black gloves and a blank song..nice purple nebula #eurovision

i can, i will, i know eurovision for beginners #eurovision

TEFLPet

@SimonGreenall Lol I saw your Lena tweet and can only second it. Nobody in Germany likes Lena any more. Wish I could watch TV with U guys!

ShellTerrell

@theteacherjames who you rooting for? hear Belgium entry just funny !

theteacherjames

I like Iceland. Buy one get one free. #jokefortheBritish #ELTeurovision #eurovision

Marisa_C

RT @Mazi: Spain please sing in Spanish and not English #eurovision Super !

thornburyscott

Spanish! #eurovision

Shaunwilden

@thornburyscott Well spotted

annapires

Son won’t let me watch #eurovision, but I’m enjoying following PLN tweets. You guys are hilarious! So who are the favourites so far?

TEFLPet Am deeply ashamed that they made Lena compete a second time. She has no talent, just good looks

SimonGreenall

Serbia. now this is my kind of music. 70s #eurovison

marekandrews

so this is my tip, uplifting, celebratory, hairspray inspired or not who cares?#eurovision

Shaunwilden

Oo hang moldova maybe your vote isn’t secure, this Serbian number is quite boppy #Eurovision

ozsolmaz

What’s that Serbia? I expect Balkan countries to have a touch of ethnicity in their music. This is not Serbia! #eurovision

TEFLPet

@vickyloras Don’t fret about Greece We all know that the rest of the Greek population can sing.

thornburyscott

Full marks to Serbia #eurovision

esolcourses

RT @fionamau: RT @SimonGreenall: Serbia. now this is my kind of music. 70s. Not too bad ] yep. Agree

thornburyscott

Since when has English been all triphthongs? #eurovision

Marisa_C

RT @josepicardo: Gosh watching the serbian entry is making sicker than a prezi #eurovision Now THAT’s an elt comment!

Serbia's Prezi

SimonGreenall

Went to Tblisi once. As I remember it was just like this. #eurovison

theteacherjames

Georgia, like Limp Bizkit, with the accent on the limp. #ELTeurovision #eurovision

Shaunwilden

I’m voting for moldova, the cones edge the 60s #Eurovision

Marisa_C

@SimonGreenall #eurovision what do u expect wiv this ELT crowd? We all have very bad taste

esolcourses

@TheEngTeacher @bcnpaul1 @Marisa_C this year’s #eurovision chat poll is now open… who would you like to vote for?

Marisa_C

I ain’t voting for anyone #eurovision; I refuse about 10 hours ago via TweetDeck

thornburyscott

Well, if it’s about looks, then it’s Sweden closely followed by Greece #eurovision

thornburyscott

On the other hand, if it’s about modal verbs then it’s UK #eurovision

theteacherjames

@Shaunwilden Respect to you and your fine taste in music / comedy. #Eurovision #ELTeurovision

SimonGreenall

“@bethcagnol: #eurovision” Don’t agonise, vote Moldova and catch up later. trust me.

ericbaber

So I missed #eurovision; that’s 2 or whatever hours of my life I had that you lot will never get back! (Mind you, eurovision vs ironing…)

SimonGreenall

“@ericbaber: So I missed #eurovision ironing. Lucky! I just kind of feel grubby.

esolcourses

RT @Shaunwilden: @ericbaber 2 hours with a bottle wine, cheesy music and loads of PLN pals def beat the ironing #Eurovision

marekandrews

1 Serbia 2 Moldova 3 Italy…….not that that will be the result though. #eurovision

bethcagnol

Slovenia still has my vote. #eurovision. Iceland was like watching the British version of “The Office” sing musical theater.

thornburyscott

Don’t want bang on about it but only France, Spain and Serbia sang in their own language #eurovision

cgoodey

@thornburyscott So did Ireland and UK #eurovision

thornburyscott

Yes, and Ireland too I guess. #eurovision

SimonGreenall

@thornburyscott:but only France, Spain and Serbia sang in their own language #eurovisionso, 3 course book markets left. Excellent.

marekandrews

@SimonGreenall Hungarian sang in both Hungarian and English

ericbaber

Moldovia gets my vote, definitely!! Like the Pogues with a bit extra on top from what I can tell from clips #eurovision

bethcagnol

@SimonGreenall You gave GOT to be kidding me. Moldova?? Really?? #eurovision

Shaunwilden

@bethcagnol On c’mon they got cones on their – cones, who wouldn’t vote for cones #Eurovision

The now famous Moldovan cones

bethcagnol

@Shaunwilden Well, you have a point. Cones made Madonna famous. #eurovision

to make her hair do that? I want one for my #IATEFL conference talks! #Eurovision

SimonGreenall

“@ericbaber: @SimonGreenall Have a good wash and I’ll pop round with the iron really? Thanks!

ericbaber

‘twould appear my PLN agrees that Moldovia is the way to go. Wonder what that says about Moldovia, me, or my PLN… #eurovision

thornburyscott

@fionamau oops! Yes, and Ireland too I guess. #eurovision

ericbaber

“@bethcagnol: Where did the girl from Georgia get the fan to make her hair do that? I want one for my #IATEFL talks! #Eurovision” Noted.

theteacherjames

@ericbaber Moldova is the only choice, it’s clear to everyone I think #eurovision

lauraesol

#eurovision will we be political this evening then

Marisa_C

I can’t even be bothered to find out who won #eurovision

Marisa_C

Lots of boring strategic voting now #eurovision

Shaunwilden

No way Cyprus gave Greece 12 points, well that’s a surprise #Eurovision

Marisa_C

Cannot believe Greece is in the lead #eurovision

annabooklover

Our interpretation of Greece leading: they are voting us out of mercy…#eurovision

• vickyloras

@ozsolmaz Definitely!I meant whyyyy are they actually giving us points,it was a terrible song : ))))

harrisonmike

I think they should use First Past The Post for #Eurovision, right?

ericbaber

So pleased Graham is giving us his views on presenters’ hairstyles. That means a lot coming from him. #eurovision

annabooklover

@Shaunwilden Greek people are praying too Shaun! #eurovision

lauraesol

#eurovision is she a bridesmaid

bethcagnol

Hm…Kate Middleton’s plan B.

harrisonmike

@ericbaber Only watched #Eurovision when Wogan commentated. Not really interested without his dry observations…

bethcagnol

I can’t believe France has 25 points. #eurovision

brad5patterson

@esolcourses @fionamau im lost. What’s this eurovision stuff ? Something else 2 look forward 2 ?

vickyloras

Is Greece actually fourth? Unglaublich! With that song?!? #eurovision

ericbaber

@harrisonmike Never really watched at all! Still haven’t, come to think of it. Why am I watching the vote?! PLN pressure?! #Eurovision

annabooklover

It was great watching with all of you! Good night everyone! #eurovision

SimonGreenall

“@bethcagnol: OMG. UK voted for Moldova. You guys must have a thing for cones. #eurovision” We have a lot of motorway cones.

harrisonmike

@ericbaber Personally, thanks to Twitter – no need to watch #eurovision or England football matches!

bethcagnol

Jak mogłes mi to zrobić? Poland didn’t vote for France. #eurovision

lauraesol

#eurovision thats it. Lost the will to live. The best rubbish isnt winning

theteacherjames

@bethcagnol We have a sense of the ridiculous. It’s what we do. #eurovision

bethcagnol

Dude, that guy from Sweden has a fabulous American accent. #eurovision

bethcagnol

@theteacherjames Oh Lord. When is taste ever a factor in voting for #eurovision contestants?

theteacherjames

@bethcagnol Tell that to the rest of Europe! #eurovision

Britsmiles

Predictable and boring. Goodnight all

chiasuan

@harrisonmike Was the UK entry Blue? I thought it was Jedward, judging by the comments on Twitter…

harrisonmike

@chiasuan Jedward were for Ireland.

theteacherjames

Boooo! Booooo! Boooo! Stop voting for your neighbours! #justjealousbecausenobodylikesus #Eurovision #ELTeurovision

chiasuan

@harrisonmike Oh I see. Who’s winning now? Is Blue or Jedward any way near the top? Is Blue doing better than Jedward?

harrisonmike

@chiasuan No idea, sorry! #amblogging =)

ericbaber

Hey, one of them is called Eric! He gets my vote. Don’t know what country he’s from though #eurovision

bethcagnol

Someone once told me that the Italians are the French in a good mood. #eurovision

theteacherjames

Only one country not speaking English I notice, quelle suprise… #ELTeurovision #Eurovision @bethcagnol

bethcagnol

@theteacherjames Yeah! What’s up with that!?!? #HeyFranceStopMakingMeLookBadonTwitter!

bethcagnol

Hey wait a sec…she looks a heck of a lot like the Duchess of Cambridge. #eurovision

bethcagnol

Two “pity points” from Portugal to France. #eurovision

SimonGreenall

“@bethcagnol:… looks a heck of a lot like the Duchess of Cambridge. #eurovision” Still can’t help thinking Duchess of Cambridge is a pub.

SimonGreenall

# Be still my beating heart. Oh no, it’s OK, it’s Dusseldorf.

lauraesol

#eurovision why cant the uk win. I want to go.

thornburyscott

Something heartwarming about this show of solidarity between neighbours, given usual mutual antipathy #eurovision

fionamau

@SimonGreenall What did Azerbaijan sing? I saw it but don’t remember it. Was it the one about Ever Nasty Love?

patjack67

#eurovision Time for Ireland to leave the Euro

theteacherjames

6 points Ireland? Thanks for nothing. #ELTeurovision #Eurovision

lauraesol

@fionamau @SimonGreenall who cares now?

lauraesol

@Amandalanguage i love eurovision

Amandalanguage

@lauraesol me too … Loving all the kitsch n weird votes

vickyloras

Ooooh Switzerland last…ouch #eurovision

ericbaber

Didn’t realise Azerbaijan was in Europe.

Azerbaijan, the most Eastern part of Eastern Europe, coloured grey on the Western shore of the Caspian Sea

SimonGreenall

“@fionamau: So…… What’s the capital of Azerbaijan? …….” easy. Erm.

annapires

@fionamau Baku. Googled it.

patjack67

Well done Azerbaijan!

theteacherjames

If #Eurovision proves anything, it’s that the UK has no friendly neighbours. Even the Irish don’t like us that much.

ericbaber

Erm… They can’t sing #eurovision

CeciELT

@SimonGreenall Reading the tweets…. will definitely plan to watch it next time…too funny! #eurovision

chiasuan

Just saw a summary of Eurovision on the news!

theteacherjames

@Jonny_1988 @vickyloras @TheEngTeacher @bethcagnol @thornburyscott @ericbaber @ShellTerrell Respect to the remaining ELT #eurovision viewers

SimonGreenall

#eurovision That’s it, all over for this year. Thank you to my PLN for your company. I really must get a life.

theteacherjames

@vickyloras Yes, it was more enjoyable than most of the songs!

vickyloras

@theteacherjames Hi James!That was fun again this year…missed a couple of people but it was good : )

ALiCe__M

RT @fudgecrumpet: Wikipedia crashes as everyone tries to work out where the hell Azerbaijan is.

charltonbrooker

Right. I’m off. So night night. Can you imagine how shit Eurovision would be if it was good?

Terry Wogan  and Political Voting

terry wogan and political voting

Finally, Graham Norton was the host of Eurovision last night in Britain, I was watching the Hungarian coverage so I didn’t get to see him but Terry Wogan used to do it in Britain and then gave it up because of what he saw as “political voting”.

In 2008 on his retirement from eurovision he said this.

“The elephant in the room was our singer Andy Abraham’s colour. East of the Danube, they won’t be voting for any black singer any day soon. Those who care about the contest will have had it up to here with the blatant political voting from the former satellites of the USSR that awarded this year’s event to Russia, and the even more scandalous lack of votes for the UK entry.”

Eastern European diplomats in London denied that racism had played any part. Irena Dimitrova, Bulgaria’s cultural attaché, accepted that there were very few black people in Bulgaria but insisted that race was not a factor. She said: “We are a very serious country when it comes to our music. We are very well educated musically and we like black music.” Eerik Marmei, the deputy head of the Estonian embassy in London, said: “I would say the accusation of racism is totally rubbish.”

I  despair at much of the coverage of “Eastern Europe” in the British media, and have been teaching courses on “Eastern Europeanness in the Media” in my university in Budapest for a while now and one student wrote her MA thesis on it. Comments like this from Wogan, a senior and popular media figure, only serve to deepen prejudice. Wogen is actually Irish and should know better about stereotypical depictions, particularly in the light of the experience of his own country.

The Real Politics of Eurovision

In 1968 Franco bought votes to win the competition to bring it back to Spain, in 1970 after Dana’s victory in Amsterdam she was flown from Dublin to Derry in an Irish plane into “UK” airspace on the island of Ireland for the first time and Nicole won for Germany in Harrogate in 1982 with a song called “ein bischen Frieden” a little peace at a time of heightened tension in Europe with Cruise Missiles and the Falklands War. The whole thing was started in 1956 to unite broadcasters in Western Europe but also to strengthen Western Europe against Eastern Europe. In 1961, the year the Berlin wall went up Eastern Europe started its own song contest in Sopot Poland on the Baltic coast.

In 1998 in the town of my birth Birmingham, the Israeli transvestite Dana International won and the Birmingham promoter of the event gave the first rows to the Lesbian and Gay community, since then Eurovision has been a very important event in the LGBT calendar transcending both national and nationalisitc boundaries.

Check out this programme for more on all of this, an excellent history of Eurovision.

One of my friends wrote to me yesterday on facebook saying: “I’m a bit mystified regarding your current Eurovision obsession!”

Well, it is a big European cultural phenonemon and apart from being a lot of fun, it also reveals values, beliefs and prejudices which make it worth having a look at. I did a bit on it in class last week looking at who votes for who and why and this is a great tool to work with.  Roll on next year, really enjoyed the craic last night and if the UK want to win with a boy band they’d better ask Take That.

Tony Buzan and Mindmapping

Alfred Korzybski

Polish-American scientist and philosopher Alfred Korzybski is famous for saying that “the map is not the territory,” based on the idea that an abstraction derived from something, or a reaction to it, is not the thing itself.

And it was Korzybski’s work that inspired Tony Buzan to come up with the idea of mind mapping based on Korzybski’s ideas of general semantics. Today mindmapping is popular tool for recording and making sense of talks and lectures as well as a way of thinking about ways of solving problems and organising information in general. I teach it to first year university students to offer alternatives to  more linear ways of processing information and yesterday a very colourful mindmap came up on twitter, tweeted by Jeremy Harmer listening to a talk by Alan Maley at the APPI (Portuguese Association of English Teachers)  conference in Lisbon.

Tweets about Alan Maley’s talk

This is a record of Jeremy’s tweets and pics during Alan Maley’s plenary session together with requests from both me and Ceci Lemos.

@Harmerj  My companion Jane Harding is doing a wonderful mind map in different colours to take notes from Maley’s talk. Awesome

Jeremy's first twitpic of Jane's mind map of Alan Maley's talk

They say that a tweeting person next to you at a talk is distracting. But what about this?!!!!!

I was impressed by the mindmap and asked Jeremy to take a picture of the final mindmap.

@Harmerj take a pic of the finished product too Jeremy,wd be good 2 see how well we can reconstruct Maley’s talk from it compared to tweets!

CeciELT

RT @marekandrews @Harmerj take a pic of the finished product too Jeremy. I second that Mark!

Maley questions the ideological correctness of leaner-centredness. think he means that TEACHING works

Alan M waxing lyrical bout guy cook’s translation bk -justifiably IMHO & wants 2 revisit drills, grammar, dictation, repetition

If you commit memorable texts to memory you remember them!! Maley

@marekandrews will try 2make Jane stick around for me 2take photos of her mind maps! But serious point about tweeters vs note-takers!  in reply to marekandrews

Everything on earth can be done in an interesting way! Alan Maley having rambling good fun (and wisdom) here

Reading is your best bet for out of class learning says reader-writer Maley. Agree.

Maley mentions silent way, cuisenaire rods, TPR etc. Not often they get into current talks!!

@marekandrews ok, reconstruction of Maley’s talk via mind map (not twitter) starts here http://lockerz.com/s/99221811 in reply to marekandrews

Jane's final mindmap of Alan Maley's talk

@marekandrews and here’s the second! http://lockerz.com/s/99221958 via Echofon in reply to marekandrews

@Harmerj that’s great Jeremy, thanks very much and thank Jane very much too, tell her it’s fabulous, looking fwd to looking at it in detail.

Value of other people’s records of talks?

In secondary schools in Hungary people used to “indigo” their notes for other people. In the days before photocopiers, people used to take notes with carbon paper between two pieces of paper to get an immediate copy of one’s notes for somebody else who was absent for whatever reason.

At my own university it is common practice for students to borrow other people’s notes on lectures they haven’t been to, so that they can revise for and hopefully pass exams.  I wouldn’t mind betting that most students miss more than half of the lectures they are timetabled to attend, deciding to use their time more profitably doing other things.

I read somewhere that 90% of notes taken at conferences are never looked at again.  From my own experience and talking to others about this, there is probably more than a grain of truth in this, but we still do it. Notetaking as a way of making sense of what somebody is talking about is an old practice, some people tweet to do this now, although I do know people who say they can concentrate better and retain the main points by not writing anything down whatsoever.

Sharing experiences and making them available to others

What is clear now though is that on blogs and twitter many people are passing on their reports and thoughts on talks and conferences that they go to, as well as the brilliant write-ups of the Wednesday #ELTchat  discussions on twitter. This is a great resource for others to feel part of something they couldn’t be physically a part of and also a way of making sense of something that you did go to yourself and seeing it from somebody else’s perspective.  In the past we had to wait several months to find out these things, IATEFL has been producing a wonderful little booklet with reports of talks from the people who gave the talks themselves for many years now. Everything is so much more immediate now and without any external selecting and editing.

The value of sharing

I loved following IATEFL Brighton online through the British Council’s team and  I also enjoyed reading other people’s tweets although there weren’t as many this year partly due to the WIFI problems. More than ever before in our profession, through Web 2.0, we have the means to share more than ever and to feel part of an international community.

When I saw Jeremy’s pic of the mindmap my immediate thought was to think about how useful it might be for others.  I also wondered whether it was better than getting tweets, other than it being a great photo of the way that one person was making sense of a talk they were listening to. First though I wanted to see if I could find out anything about the talk online for a bit of background information.

Accessing the APPI Website

Alan Maley in action

I checked the programme on the APPI website and this was the topic of the talk.

The 25th APPI conference

Plenary Alan Maley Leeds Metropolitan University, UK (sponsored by the British Council Portugal)

Reculer pour mieux sauter: lessons from the past

For much of the 20th century, practice was dominated by a paradigm of monolingualism which involved the rejection of ‘traditional’ practices, such as translation, rote learning, repetition, reading aloud and the like. I shall challenge this situation, and suggest ways of re-valorising at least some of these practices in the new 21st century context. Lecture – all Applied Linguistics – Language Teaching.

Being part of an online community

In the old days I wouldn’t even have been aware of this conference and it is only through twitter and hearing about it for the first time through Anna Pires last year that I know about it now. This is a great thing about our profession nowadays but based on my knowledge of teachers of English in Hungary over 95% of teachers are not part of this online community and for me it is a challenge, through both preservice and inservice work, to make this online resource and online community more accessible and inviting for more teachers who might enjoy it and benefit from it. I think we all have a role to play in this.

Making sense of the mindmap

Before even looking at the mindmap I obviously bring my knowledge of Alan Maley to it and that too contributes to my reading of it. I’ve never met him, I know he is Ken Wilson’s hero and I’ve done a series of workshops for OUP on the resource  books which he is the series editor of. I have read an  interview with him on his life in ELT which was great and I have a very open mind to what I’m going to read.

Stevick and Prahbu

Lessons from the Past

This is just one small part of the mindmap but from it I can see that what this talk is about is “Lessons from the Past”, something I found out afterwards too by looking at the APPI website.

I can see too that  Earl Stevick and N.S. Prahbu were both worth mentioning for Alan. Jane also considered it important to mention them. As Korzybski said  “the map is not the territory,” but for Jane to think it worth mapping and for Jeremy to think it worth taking a picture of that map suggests that it might be worth looking at. Following somebody’s tweets tells us as much about the tweeter as it does about the talk that is being tweeted and some people might find that valuable in itself.  That, after all, is why we prefer reading some journalists to others.

Stevick and Prahbu are both key figures in the history of ELT and for me it was good to be reminded of their contributions. Alan Maley interviewed Prahbu in the past and the mindmap shows that his belief in there being no best method is probably as dear to Alan now as it ever was. It was also good to see the book “Memory, Meaning and Method” mentioned, a classic by Stevick and a seminal work for any English Language teacher.

The mind map and the tweets

I could go on in looking at the mindmap but all I want to say is that it was worth seeing it and it did bring the talk closer to me as did Jeremy’s tweets two of which were  “Alan M waxing lyrical bout guy cook’s translation book -justifiably IMHO & wants 2 revisit drills, grammar, dictation, repetition” and “Reading is your best bet for out of class learning says reader-writer Maley. Agree.”

Concluding thoughts

In the end we belong to a very vibrant community of teachers who are committed to sharing our experiences and that is incredibly valuable. It’s like being on a permanent, extended MA course for me. Whether it is a mindmap, a tweet, a report of a conference or whatever, it can all potentially contribute to us making sense of our profession better.  Some of us prefer some channels more than others but in the end more people wanting to share their insights and observations can only be good.   And this blogpost is an example of that.  You’ll be able to see the talk online anyway here but it doesn’t mean that it’s not worth reading about how other people try to make sense of it all online, that’s what we do anyway in the bar afterwards when we are there and online we can often capture these things in a much more reflective way.

Broadening our online community

For me the main issue is how to broaden this community which we all enjoy and that requires good teacher training, enthusiasm and time spent with people who don’t automatically see the benefits of  this kind of teacher development. But those were questions we were asking anyway pre-web 2.0. about any kind of ongoing teacher development. Thanks Jeremy for tweeting the mindmap and thanks Jane for its creation!

Jane Harding with yet another mindmap!

]]> http://markandrews.edublogs.org/2011/05/07/not-just-tweeting-talks-but-tweeting-mind-maps-of-talks-the-benefits/feed/ 4 http://markandrews.edublogs.org/2011/05/05/the-alternative-vote-intercultural-education-and-the-elt-classroom/ http://markandrews.edublogs.org/2011/05/05/the-alternative-vote-intercultural-education-and-the-elt-classroom/#comments Thu, 05 May 2011 12:31:04 +0000 markandrews http://markandrews.edublogs.org/?p=3276

Yes or No

Today only the second ever referendum will be held in the history of the British state.  It is also the first time the result will be binding on the government.  I remember the first one when we had to vote on whether Britain should continue to be a member of the European Union or the European Economic Community as it was known in 1975.  I was at school at the time, just turned 18 but remember nothing about learning about it in the classroom.

Referendum Question

nice pic that was passed around on twitter today via @andrewbloch

Based on the Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition agreement, the referendum is to be a simple majority yes/no question as to whether to replace the current First Past the Post (FPTP) electoral system used in general elections with the Alternative Vote (AV) system. The question posed by the referendum is:

NO to AV or YES to fairer votes?

In Wales the question on the ballot paper will also appear in Welsh.

Ar hyn o bryd, mae’r DU yn defnyddio’r system “y cyntaf i’r felin” i ethol ASau i Dŷ’r Cyffredin. A ddylid defnyddio’r system “pleidlais amgen” yn lle hynny?

Using the front pages of newspapers in the classroom

The press has been very active in the campaign and these are some of the front pages of the British newspapers today. It is part of British culture at election times that editors of newspapers are never shy of directing their readers in the direction of who or what to vote for. Analysing front pages of newspapers on significant days is a great task for students in the ELT classroom and today’s papers provide engaging learning opportunities for noticing and compare and contrast activities. How much space is devoted to AV? What is the newspaper’s position? Which other issues are highlighted on the front pages and why?

It is only “The Independent” that puts the views of the three party leaders on the front page of its newspaper.

According to David Cameron, the British Prime Minister:

Cameron and AV

“It would be wrong for Britain, it is obscure, it is unfair and I believe it would be a backward step for our country”

According to NickClegg, Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the Liberal Democrats  ” If

Clegg and AV

you want something a bit fairer , a bit better, which makes all politicians work a bit  harder for your vote then vote yes”

And according to ED Miliband, leader of the Labour Party

“In the 10 minutes it takes to vote you could change British politics for the better.”

Miliband and AV

Over 85% of newspapers sold today in Britain support the continuation of the present system and against AV. My own views are well represented by Caroline Lucas, the only Green MP in Britain

The Green Case for AV

“The Green party has been fully supportive of the Yes Campaign, on the basis that it represents a step towards strengthening our democracy – and because we think it’s right that MPs, who will need to secure at least 50% of the vote to be certain of winning, will have to reach out more widely to keep voters’ support.

The current first-past-the-post system was designed for a different age, when 95% voted for the two main Westminster parties; at the last election this fell to 65%. Today, as there is ever greater pluralism in our politics, it’s clear that we need a reformed voting system that delivers fair representation.

To my mind, there is no doubt that AV is an improvement on FPTP, which will give the public a greater voice, reduce the likelihood of safe seats and tackle the cynicism of large-scale tactical voting.

While it’s no secret that many of us would have preferred a system of proportional representation, that option is not on the ballot paper. We should not let the best be the enemy of the good.

Whichever way you look at it, a “No” vote would be interpreted by this government as a vote against change. It would maintain the status quo and set back the campaign for wider constitutional reform by at least a generation. From a democratic perspective and from an environmental one, this is a setback we can ill afford.”

Caroline Lucas, fair(er) votes are worth fighting for

An integral part of intercultural education in ELT

The arguments for and against a change in the electoral system can be found here.  An analysis of the front page of the British newspapers today along side the circulation figures might be an enjoyable and creative task in some ELT contexts.  As a part of citizenship and media education in Seconday Schools, both inside and outside Britain, this kind of comparative, contemporary and critical approach to  intercultural education has long been part of  British Studies projects within the British Council since the projects were launched in Eastern and Central Europe after 1991. It is also something I work on in the Applied Linguistics Department at ELTE, the university I teach in in Budapest.

Politics in class?

Some people argue that doing this kind of thing is being too political, however it can be argued that it is just as political not to do it. If it is desirable to have a well-educated society, then education for citizenship, part of which is knowledge of the electoral system, is an educational responsibility which all schools are faced with. Critical reading within a critical media programme within English language lessons with 17/18-year-old students is one place where this could and maybe should happen.

A cat-friendly explanation of the Alternative Vote System

And if you are still not sure about the AV system then this video will help you to decide how to miaoooooow and how we will have much happier kitties in the future. The dog has always won very easily in the past without actually having to put too much effort into it.

Education for citizenship for cats and humans alike, all stand to benefit

Education for Citizenship

]]> http://markandrews.edublogs.org/2011/05/05/the-alternative-vote-intercultural-education-and-the-elt-classroom/feed/ 0 http://markandrews.edublogs.org/2011/05/02/we-us-our-the-nation-osama-bin-laden-or-a-celebration-of-americanness/ http://markandrews.edublogs.org/2011/05/02/we-us-our-the-nation-osama-bin-laden-or-a-celebration-of-americanness/#comments Mon, 02 May 2011 09:06:53 +0000 markandrews http://markandrews.edublogs.org/?p=3244

Obama announcing the death of bin Laden

Taking topical things into the classroom

I woke up to the news that Osama Bin Laden had been killed, as many of us did this morning, and watched Obama’s speech and worked with it in class this morning. Only one person out of 11 had heard the news so it was one of those rare moments when everybody is really interested in hearing what has happened as it was actaully fresh news.  I played Obama’s speech first and then in groups the students discussed what it was mainly about. They came up with the idea of Americanness as its main feature.

This is the speech:

I had highlighted the words and expressions in red which focussed on this beforehand and worked through the speech systematically looking at the lexical chain which connects the words we, us our,the nation, American etc and tried to re-write bits using passivisation and seeing where those words could be left out, what they could be replaced by and how this would change the impact of the speech.

Discussion of the issues involved

Finally we watched a video of celebrating crowds at Ground Zero.

The last discussion was on whether it was a good thing that he had been killed and whether the world is a safer place as a result.

Grammar, Genre and Social Context

At Lancaster University on my MA we did a course called “Grammar Genre and Social Context” with Norman Fairclough who is well known in the field of critical discourse analysis and we did lots of work like this analysing speeches of famous people. It brought grammar alive for me and since then I have always enjoyed looking at grammar from the perspective of power, function and looking at alternatives rather than mere traditional linguistic description. Halliday rather than Chomsky!

I think this is a great way of analysing language. I did a similar thing with the two versions of Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s “Candle in the Wind” the latter version being more to do with what Obama was talking about this morning, a celebration of nationhood, rather than with Diana.

If you try working with these slides or with the speech in this way let me know how you get on. I really recommend it if you have a context where it would be appropriate.

These are the slides:

Tracey Emin's the Kiss on the front page of Saturday's Independent

The Kiss, by Tracey Emin

“It was the moment everyone was waiting for, because you want to know that it’s real. After that kiss, you realise it isn’t just splendour and pomp: it is two people in love. I’m talking about the second kiss, of course. The first one was so quick I almost missed it. The second kiss definitely looked like a snog; a proper kiss. They looked really naive and natural, like a child’s fantasy of a bride and groom. This was an incredible day of pageantry and, above all, Britishness.”  Tracy Emin

An incredible day of Britishness?

Britishness isn’t a neutral concept, it’s a contested concept and it is regularly debated in the press, on TV and on phone-in programmes in Britain.  The Britishness that was on show on Friday is a deeply conservative view of Britishness drawing on the legacy of the Empire, the aristocracy, inherited wealth, privilege and monarchy.

Understanding the role of the monarchy in Britain

In 1981 I was on a train between Berlin and Dresden when Charles married Diana.  In 1986, when Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson  I was on a campsite in Miskolc Tapolca in Eastern Hungary and on Friday when William married Kate  I did a lesson on the Royal wedding with a group of 12-year-olds in Szombathely in Western Hungary.

Through working for the British Council for 12 years on British Studies projects, understanding the monarchy and its

You wait years for a Royal kiss and then two come along at once

role has become a mainstay of my work, Linda Colley’s book “Britons, Forging the nation 1707-1837″ is a fantastic exploration of Britishness and a fantastic play on the word “forging”.   This weekend is one of those times when the British monarchy is in sharp focus on a world stage and a great opportunity to exploit in English language lessons.  In Friday’s lesson we looked at St Andrews University in Scotland, William’s  2.1 degree in Geography, Kate’s  2.1 degree in Art History and how they met up there. We looked at the Union Flag and it’s components and some pictures of Kate at school at Malborough College and William at Eton College.

I'm not a royal wedding mug, lovely use of the two meanings of mug!

We sang “Going to the Chapel” by the Shirelles and looked at some Royal souvenirs, both positive and negative about the wedding. If I could have next week with the same students I would have continued to work on the Royal Wedding using the front pages of Saturday’s newspapers as shown in this blogpost. With an older group (15-16) I would have looked at the school system in Britain using Kate and William as examples of people who went to very exclusive and prestigious schools and we would have ended up

Kate and Willliam's life on the mug

discussing the advantages and disadvantages for a society of private education. These are ambitious aims but they were part of the British Studies Secondary School Project I was involved in for 6 years and we ended up writing a textbook which included this kind of methodology.

Front page of Daily Telegraph on day after Royal Wedding, no text

The closest we have to a national day is Remembrance Day and the argument goes that celebration of Royal weddings is a way of having a national day.  On my facebook page I wrote this on Saturday:

“The dress featured the daffodil, shamrock, thistle and rose. A role of monarchy is to unite”the nation”from the “4 nations” which make up the “United Kingdom”.What if you don’t feel united at these”national” moments? Our national anthem, sung yesterday, celebrates God, Queen and Empire and as somebody who is not an Anglican,a Republican and not wanting to send anybody victorious anywhere, happy and glorious, I wonder where I fit in”

This provoked several comments including one from my former Assistant Director at the British Council who actually

"The Whole World Rejoices..Well Mostly" Does it?

oversaw the British Studies project which I mentioned earlier and which was about getting students to understand British society better by comparing it to Hungarian society and developing intercultural skills.   He said: ” Don’t over-analyse just enjoy”. I actually think it really is worth analysing these things and it is through analysis of events like Friday’s Royal Wedding that we can begin to understand how societies work, in particular British society and through which people of other nationalities can also understand their own through comparing theirs with Britain.

What is being British?

I had before worked in the Czech Republic 20 years ago on a similar British Studies project and still use the quotes in my teacher training sessions of two 14-year-old girls Dana and Ivana on answering the question what is British to discuss how you would evaluate cultural knowledge and cultural understandings.

I think the most thing British is the Queen.  Everyone in the world knows about her.  A typical British food is fish and chips and the typical British game is cricket. In Scotland men wear kilts and play the bagpipes.

Ivana 14

What is Being British?  Many different types of  people and cultures are British.  Many people think that in Victorian times it was better than now.  In the Czech Republic we haven’t got a Royal Family but Great Britain and other countries have Royal Families and it isn’t original.

One Beautiful Bride...One Great Day To BE BRITISH

I have had many rich discussions with teachers using these two quotes about how to measure cultural knowledge and tomorrow in class I will be using the front pages of the papers in this blogpost to deepen understandings and reflection on Friday’s event. It used to be said that in communist countries the press was always the same and that there were no alternative views allowed, in this context it is worth exploring what editors of almost all the daily newspapers chose to make their front pages yesterday.

Conservative Values, Conservative Wedding

It is no co-incidence that the Prime Minister David Cameron wanted to have a bank holiday to celebrate this event.  The values that the Conservative Party espouse are entrenched in a system which secures large amounts of inherited wealth, the private ownership of vast amounts of private land by a tiny minority of the poplulation, deference to authority, the (heterosexual) family and marriage as the preferred way of  living and an education system which ensures that 8% of children go to fee-paying “public” schools. Kate Middleton went to Malborough which now costs £30,000 per year,  William Mountbatten-Windsor went to Eton which costs the same. Both of the fees are considerably more than the top figure I found for the average annual salary in Britain of £24,000. The majority of people in Britain earn less than this amount. I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard over the last three days that Kate Middleton is just like us an ordinary girl from an ordinary background and the Northern Irish journalist Stephen Nolan in his fivelive programme said she was an ordinary working-class girl from Durham mining stock, way back when!

“It’s just about two young people in love. ” Is it heck!

Obviously we all enjoy the celebration of happy things and two young(ish) people in love is a happy thing. The other thing that Stephen Nolan said on BBC Radio five live last night was this:

William and Kate's Perfect Day

“It’s just about two people in love, it’s as simple as that.”  Come off it Stephen, if it was as simple as that then 50 heads of state being invited to a wedding which is turned into a bank holiday and is given wall to wall coverage by the media wouldn’t happen. And don’t go on about if we weren’t interested then 30 million people in Britain wouldn’t watch it on television. I watched it on television as did millions of others who don’t subscribe to the values of the Conservative Party but who are invited to go along with the perpetuation of those values, consciously or sub-consciously by the way in which the Royal event is managed, broadcast and packaged within the context of the contemporary British state.

Our United Kingdom

On Friday the Queen bestowed the titles Earl of Strathearn (Scotland) and Baron Carrickfergus, (Ireland) on William, in line with the monarchy’s role of uniting the different parts of the United Kingdom, echoing the flowers of the dress, the daffodill, the shamrock, the thistle and the rose to represent the United Kingdom. William of course has nothing to do with these places and is ironically Duke of Cambridge now, a university he “turned down” by going to St Andrews.  He also wore the uniform of the Irish guards in another symbolic act of union.

A different kind of Bank Holiday celebrating a different kind of Britishness

Many lives have been saved by the British National Health Service

We don’t have a national day, the Americans do on the fourth of July, let me propose the day after, the fifth of July for us. On the fifth of July 1948 the National Health Service was launched, (my Grandfather was a member of that government along with Aneurin Bevan who set it up),  with the proud expectation that it would make the United Kingdom the envy of the world. Tony Benn, who easily would have become Prime Minister if he had sacrificed his principles and put his Parliamentary career first has this to say about the National Health Service.

Sealed with a kiss - twice

“Even Mrs Thatcher said the National Health Service is safe in our hands, it’s as non controversial as votes for women. Nobody could come along and say ‘why should women have the vote’ because people wouldn’t have it and they wouldn’t have it in Britain they wouldn’t accept the deterioration or destruction of the National Health Service”

Well, today the National Health Service, a system which is based not on the ability to pay but free at the point of use and

40 pages of historic pictures and reports

paid out of progressive taxation is under threat. What better way of ensuring its continued existence than to make the day of its birth a national bank holiday.  We could all go out on the streets and have street parties and celebrate an institution which is really based on inclusive values of fairness and equality unlike the monarchy. This would also be a celebration of Britishness.

Poly Toynbee wrote in the Guardian on the day of the Royal Wedding:

“Few yet realise the scale of the conservative revolution in progress. Professors Peter Taylor-Gooby and Gerry Stoker have just revealed that by 2013 public spending will be a lower proportion of GDP in Britain than in the US. They write in the Political Quarterly: “A profound shift in our understanding of the role of the state and the nature of our welfare system is taking place without serious debate.” Can that really be done without rebellion? That will be the test of what kind of nation we are.”

It may be that through a rebellion to this huge shift away from the post second world war establishment of the welfare state that a more equal and egalitarian form of Britishness is established and an NHS bank holiday would have a great role to play in this.

Too political

I guess there would be opposition from  some people to this idea who would say it’s too political and we shouldn’t have bank holidays related to political events.  And they would be the same people who would argue for a bank holiday for the Royal wedding of William Mountbatten-Windsor and Kate Middleton cos that’s not political is it?

None of this analysis is any way meant as being disrespectful to anybody and also recognises that the Royal Wedding is a great source of pleasure and enjoyment for many people, not least of all for my dear mother. I myself am fascinated by the way my country manages these events, but it is a little arrogant to suggest that Britain does pomp and ceremony better than anyone else , although with the amount of experience of empire and monarchy it would be surprising if it wasn’t a thoroughly well-organised spectacle.

Camping out on the streets the night before the wedding

I also enjoyed watching the wedding and enjoyed reading about thousands of people camping out all night in a celebratory and communal way in anticipation of sharing something exciting. I have done the same myself to get into two Wimbledon tennis finals, an F.A.Cup semi-final and Morrissey’s first ever solo concert in Wolverhampton. I am also happy for a couple who have decided to commit themselves to each other just as I would be at any friend’s wedding. The point I’m trying to make is that it is a political event and it does have a role to play in the maintenance of a society which is still unequal and unfair for many people.

Just a Kiss

The monarchy is an important part of British history and of contemporary British society and we all enjoy kisses. I too like pictures of kisses. Gustav Klimt shocked the Royal Family with his art in his native Austria-Hungary on the Danube a couple of hours upstream from where I am here in Budapest. Now he is celebrated as a national treasure. This painting is one of the more acceptable for public consumption and one which Tracy Emin probably likes too. It is on the wall of my flat and a painting which has followed me around for many years. It’s called “The Kiss”.

“God save our gracious Queen, long live our noble Queen, God save the Queen, send her victorious, happy and glorious, long to reign over us, God save the Queen.” Lighten up Mark and just enjoy it!

The kiss by Gustav Klimt 1907-8