Abstract Presenting language in small fragments hoping that they will one day automatically transform into fluent near-native talk may not be enough. This talk will highlight ways in which skilled performers achieve excellence and focus on practical activities promoting holistic language learning using a variety of free online tools. Rationale - Details of Talk The standard practice of the Foreign Language classroom is to present language in fragments, smaller chunks, or grammar McNuggets, as Scott Thornbury recently called then in a blog post on his A-Z blog. Teachers do so in the hope that these partial views of language will one be successfully synthesized to form a coherent whole in the learner's mind, hopefully resulting in fluent output. Research and experience have proved this inadequate. In this talk, I will be looking at the profiles of skilled performers, drawing analogies between what they do to achieve a polished and skillful performance and what this implies that foreign language learners ought to do in order to improve their productive skills – their performance skills, in other words, in the target language. Suggestions for practical classroom activities will focus on holistic language practices involving Sustained talk / long turns Connected writing Engaging learners in higher order thinking processes involving technology which promotes holistic learning rather than iterative practice motivating learners to acquire language through collaborative and meaningful projects using a variety of Web 2.0 tools.

1. Marisa Constantinides
CELT Athens

2. Grammar
“MacNuggets”
vs
Holistic Activities
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

3. Holistic or not?
Find someone who…
Picture Dominoes
Match words and meanings
Create a class survey
Make a video for a dialogue in
the coursebook
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

4. Pre-conditions for
holistic activities
No focus on specific language items
Mobilize wider areas of language
Task focused
With a tangible end outcome
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

5. Language as Skill
Skilled performer characteristics
Skilled performance is observable; analogies good for productive language skills

6. …appear fast but …
…not rushed or hurried
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

7. …look confident
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

8. Skilled Performers…
…make their performance
look easy and smooth…

9. Skilled Performers…
..can deal with the
unpredictable
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

10. …are aware of the effects
of their performance
on others
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

11. Skilled Performers…
…can deal with problems in their
own performance
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

12. • Fast confident
• smooth
• unrushed
• can deal with the unpredictable
• aware of effect
• aware of faults
• able to fix
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

13. • repetition
• rehearsal
• knowledge
• awareness
• confidence
• flexibility
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

14. @Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

15. A caution
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

16. Some Ideas
for holistic
activities
Digital and non-digital too

17. Collaborative Stories
http://storybird.com/books/my-friends-and-their-pets/
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

18. Picture Karaoke
Connect pics to make a story – 1 minute per picture
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

19. Picture Karaoke
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

20. @Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

21. @Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

23. @Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

24. Holistic
Speaking &
Writing with
Texts
Before or in response to text
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

25. Ask as many questions as you can about this headline
TV reporter speaks about
speech problem at
Grammys
Your teacher will answer with a Yes or a NO
Then watch the video
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

26. After you watch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-6Vlqi4u20
Write the story! What do you think happened?
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

27. Publish
your
story
Newspagper created at www.fodey.com
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

28. Now Read the article
 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/18/serene-branson-speaks-abo_n_824939.html
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

29. Expansion activities
e.g. Ask as many questions as you can about this picture
Then
Then
read the
read the
article on
article on
the next
the next
page
page
and
and
check for
check for
answers
answers
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

30. You win a
You win a
point if the
point if the
text does
text does
NOT
NOT
answer the
answer the
question –
question –
you lose a
you lose a
point if it
point if it
DOES 
DOES 
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

31. Rewriting – adding new
‘facts’
Students embellishing original text using
an online synchronous tool
www.primarypad.com
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

32. Music Videos
Working With
the Lyrics
Before they hear the song or read lyrics
Great for poetry, too – Ss write their own
stanzas first, then read poem
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

33. • www.worldle.net
• www.imagechef.com
Use all the words and write some song lyrics (or the
story in the song)
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

34.  You were my sun
Listen to You were my earth
But you didn't know all the ways I loved you, no
So you took a chance
song & And made other plans
But I bet you didn't think that they would come crashing down, no
compare You don't have to say, what you did,
I already know, I found out from him
Now there's just no chance, for you and me, there'll never be
to own And don't it make you sad about it
You told me you loved me
lyrics or Why did you leave me, all alone
Now you tell me you need me
When you call me, on the phone
story Girl I refuse, you must have me confused
With some other guy
Your bridges were burned, and now it's your turn
To cry, cry me a river
Cry me a river-er
Cry me a river
Cry me a river-er, yea yea
Song Cry me a River by Justin Timberlake
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

35. Improvise - Speaking
And then later may be writing

36. Story-Making Machines
Places
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

37. People
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

38. Objects

39. Situations
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

40. Rory’s Story Cubes
Rory’s Story Cubes
Buy or make your own
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

41. The Brainstormer
iPhone or
iPad app
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

42. Animations – voiceovers- videos
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

43. Make a Truth
or Bluff Video
story
Idea from http://www.bluffbust.com/
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

44. Xtranormal
Click on link to watch animation made by Ss
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whxgjY7vOus
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

45.  Bombay TV
http://www.grapheine.com/bombaytv/movie-en-4072846d6bc97b41c3e99534761a02ca.html
 www.goanimate,com
 http:/goanimate4schools.com/public_index
 www.xtranormal.com
Guess who I am video
Made with iphone – ipad – pc camera
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

46. In Plain English Videos
Zombies in Plain English Example
Made with cutouts on a whiteboard

47. Check out http://www.voxopop.com/topic/01e47f24-f9c4-4681-8f0d-1dc164957624
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

48. Guess & tell the story
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

49. Record your story on my VoiceThread
https://voicethread.com/?#u487109.b1088943.i5822622
you may have to register to view my voicethread
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

50. Great storyBoard
Can also be done online – compare with story in this post
http://marisaconstantinides.edublogs.org/2010/10/27/animated-stories/#.U
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

51. Vokis
Vokis
Children
Record their own
Voices or type
text and hear
it spoken
http://www.voki.com/pickup.php?scid=1995505&height=267&width=200
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

52. Class Blogs
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

53. @Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

54. @Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

55. @Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

56. @Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

57. Higher vs
Lower Order
thinking
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

58. Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy of
Educational Objectives
Higher Order
Thinking Skills
Lower Order
Thinking Skills
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

59. Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy of
Educational Objectives
Higher Order
Thinking Skills
Lower Order
Thinking Skills
@Marisa Constantinides CELT Athens - info@celt.edu.gr / 2013 / www.celt.edu.gr/

60. My email marisa.constantinides@gmail.com
Twitter @Marisa_C
My Centre www.celt.edu.gr
My Blog http://marisaconstantinides.edublogs.org/