7 Tools for Truly Effective Training Courses

Here you can download the resource documents presented in my talk “7 Tools for Truly Effective Training Courses.” You’ll find tools that can help you better organize your business English courses. They allow you to keep track of material covered (even if it just “emerges”), make sure you and your trainees know what you’re working towards, and ensure that your clients stay happy.

These tools have all proven effective in my own business courses. They help save time and energy and help you build coherent and effective courses. And if you’re wondering why the title of the talk claims there are 7 tools, but you only see 6 downloads, wonder no more! The 7th tool is a technique, not a document, but you’ll have to see the talk to find out what it is!

1. “Zero session” interviews

2. Needs discussion questions

3. Program storyboard

4. Lesson record

5. “The module that was”

6. Course log

In my talk at the 2014 TESOL France Annual Colloquium, I’ll explain how the documents work and how they’ve helped me to stay on top of the training courses I manage. In the meantime, feel free to post a question in the comments section and I’ll happily respond!

And of course, if you have any suggestions for improving any of the documents, please share it! We work better when we work together!

 

“Yes, and…”: Improv theater techniques to build creativity and speaking skills

Here you can download the list of resources I frequently turn to when looking for improv activities for class. This is the list referred to in my talk “Yes and…”: Improv theater techniques to build creativity and speaking skills.

A few activities I often demonstrate in this talk:

No-language warmers:

“Beat out that rhythm” from Maley & Duff, 1985, p. 53

“Emotional mirror” from http://improvencyclopedia.org/games//Emotional_Mirror.html

Verbal warmers:

“Metronome” (used in my improv theater group, but I haven’t found where it comes from)

“Using Lines of Dialogue” from Bernardi, 1992, pp. 127-136

Ways of Improv:

“Segmenting” from Spolin, 1999, p. 22-23

“Fishbowl” adapted from Wilson, 2012, pp. 50-51

Click here to download the annotated resource list for “Yes and…”: Improv theater techniques to build creativity and speaking skills by Christina Rebuffet-Broadus

If you have any suggestions for the activities or just want to share how they went in your classroom, please do so! I’d love to hear from you!

 

The Big Picture: Teaching Grammar Holistically and Visually

Here you can download the explanations on how to do the activities I demonstrated during my talk titled “The Big Picture: Teaching Grammar Holistically and Visually.” The documents contain a little background info on each activity, the materials needed, step-by-step instructions, plus ways of adapting the activities to one-on-one or group lessons.

Click here to download activity procedures for “The Big Picture – Teaching Grammar Holistically and Visually” by Christina Rebuffet-Broadus

So far, I’ve given this talk at:

TESOL France Grenoble, Oct. 12, 2013

IATEFL Poland, Lodz, Sept. 28-30, 2013

If you have any suggestions about the activities or just want to tell us about how they went in your classroom, please do so! I’d love to hear from you.

Want more? Click here for 7 reasons to use Cuisenaire rods in the Language Classroom