Page 23 - ELG1807 July Issue 459

will require some judicious adaptation and use to FEATURES & COMMENT
suit the individual needs of your class. OUT
But we’d also urge you to consider what your fun OF THE
activities are bringing to the learning process.
Will the first conditional dominoes game off
the internet really add something of value to BOX
the lesson? What exactly will students get out of
playing it? Could that preparation and class time be
perhaps better spent?
And looking at the bigger picture, how does the Don’t get mad, set
inclusion of these fun activities connect back to
your students’ needs and their learning objectives?
Claim #3: Young learners get easily up a co-op
distracted and lose interest quickly, so using
fun games and activities will ensure I keep
their attention and interest. If ELT professionals work together, they
It’s true that young learners do not choose to be can demand better pay and conditions
in the classroom, and it’s a decision that is mostly
likely imposed on them by their parents. and improve their skills
Managing a class of young learners can be
challenging for many different reasons but the
solution may not lie in the use of fun team games, Four people working in ELT in As freelancers, our members
points systems or a favourite class game. Barcelona, including myself, set can work with whoever they
In fact, this can lead to students only wanting up the Serveis Lingüístics de like, but often they find clients
more of these types of activities and little else. Barcelona co-operative in 2014. with big demands – and that’s
It was a reaction to the when the co-op can step in. We
What about assuming disdain shown towards ELT as a act to some extent as our own
that young learners can profession where we are based, agents, but the ‘cut’ we take
and to the consequent precarity
goes straight back into the pot
cope quite happily without which comes with teaching in for the benefit of all.
private schools.
the classic EFL fun and I’m sure there are still many Setting up
ELT professionals working all
games? around the world who feel as we the co-op was a
did then. reaction to the
We wanted to become our
What about assuming that they can cope quite own bosses, but also enjoy a disdain shown
happily without the classic EFL fun and games? support network of like-minded towards ELT as a
What about using challenging lesson content professionals who want to
that appeals to their world and interests? For improve things for the collective profession and
example, look to science, the arts and the natural of teachers and students, not
world for content that will draw them in. just themselves. the precarity of
If your young learners are genuinely interested in When we started the co- teaching in private
the subject matter of the lesson, and this is coupled operative of freelance language
with clear expectations of classroom behaviour and teachers, translators and schools
consistent follow-up from the teacher, then there is materials writers, we had just
the right atmosphere for learning to take place. €3,000 and two main objectives: Our co-op is now 17
A Call for Action to improve both our economic members strong, including some
Our Call for Action is to everybody working in conditions and our technical international members who
ELT: teachers, trainers, bloggers, global institutions, abilities. share our vision. It’s an ongoing
hosts of teaching material websites, managers, Addressing the first aim, project that has got so far on
publishers, material writers, and more. we’ve set our own minimum minimal financial investment
We ask you to discuss this open letter and our rates, attracted well-paying and a lot of time and love, but
questions, not just with those that you work with, clients, and saved our members we are starting to meet our
but with your students, too. money on accountants and objectives in a robust way, and
Challenge them to reconsider their notions of lawyers. In terms of the second, we remain optimistic.
fun and to examine it through a more critical lens. we’ve scheduled training It’s not easy, but if you find
Remember, learning is not fun in spite of being sessions, created a bank of yourself in similar conditions
challenging, but because it is challenging. materials and resources, and to the ones we did in 2014 and
Thank you for reading and do get in touch with built our own online platform. can get a small team and money
your thoughts. Each of our members invests together, a cooperative might
Regards, €200 in our social capital work for you too.
Sarah Priestley & Tom Flaherty (returnable if they leave) and
pays around €20 a month
n Sarah Priestley is subscription towards our n Neil McMillan is a teacher-trainer,
a teacher and trainer services. writer and translator, and founding
at the British Council
in Milan and Tom This gives everyone an equal member of the Serveis Lingüístics de
Flaherty is a freelance say in how the co-op is run. Barcelona www.slb.coop
EFL teacher, trainer
and member of Serveis
Lingüístics de Barcelona.
editorial@elgazette.com 23

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