Page 32 - ELG2005 May Issue 470

INTERVIEW . ADVERTISING FEATURE

Get on the Thinking Train actions and use drama and role play to Tips on how to best use the Thinking Train materials
practise new language. In a playful way, the

stories focus on structuring specific skills such
as comparing and contrasting, categorising The first step is to download the free Teacher’s Guide, which includes an
introduction to thinking skills, the power of stories, photocopiable worksheets and
and sorting, cause and effect, problem
Gavin Biggs talks to Ron Ragsdale about the new series from Helbling solving, decision making, predicting and checklists for teachers and students.
The second step is to use all the online resources! Each book has an access code
creative thinking.
So, having original fiction, brilliant for the Helbling Interactive e-zone. Here you’ll find the audio, as well as interactive
What led you to your ELT writing illustrations and clear activities creates the games. Teachers should definitely spend some time listening to the story (and
career? HELBLING perfect platform. We then create a structure playing the games!) themselves before introducing the books in class.
have always wanted to be a writer! on this platform for discussing issues or ideas I think the key to the materials is the flexibility provided by additional online
Combining my work in education with that arise from the story – this gives learners content and the Big Books versions for group reading. For small groups of younger
learners, I think it is wonderful to be able to sit on the floor and crowd round a Big
writing stories is a dream job. There are an authentic reason to use the new language.
Imany teachers I know who would love a Book and read through the story together.

career in ELT writing – and I’ve been asked
many times how to get into it. The answer is Gavin Biggs has With that in mind, my 5 top tips are:
Teachers should practise reading the stories out loud to themselves before
quite simple: a love of writing, passion for been working in
teaching, an understanding of the industry education for 20 1 showing the class – this is a really useful and fun way of understanding the story
for yourself.
and naturally a little bit of luck. years, teaching and
I have been writing short stories and poems managing Look through the Before Reading activities – you can introduce and use some
ever since I was a teenager. When I first international 2 of these ideas as a class warm-up for any relevant class topic, not just the
started teaching, I tried to introduce fun educational projects stories.
For younger students, use the Big Books, and read out loud to the class
poems and games to my students. After many with government,
years of full-time teaching, and further academic and 3 yourself – students can have one Big Book in pairs and follow the words with a
finger for a more language-intensive practise.
developing stories and games with students, I corporate partners. Gavin has a degree in
Each book has a “Make and Do” activity page – this is a brilliant opportunity to
took a role with a university publisher as a Some of the Thinking Train books that Gavin Biggs has worked on Psychology from the University of Exeter and 4 do something practical with the class and help students to follow instructions
teacher trainer. his professional interests include the effective
Through my work and teacher training later offered the chance to pitch some of my first place? How did you get lost? What use of stories in learning, and motivational to create face masks, sand timers, animal robots, origami bookmark monsters
events I met many authors, and developed a story ideas for new Thinking Train readers. objects do you have with you? How do your psychology in the classroom. Gavin is now an and lots more!
For older students, after going through all the activities and projects, have a
good understanding of the world of ELT Luckily the publishers, Helbling Languages, feelings change? ELT author and freelance trainer – co-author 5 class read through of the stories. You can go round the class, and each student
publishing. I was always keen to discuss my and Herbert Puchta, both liked my ideas! Or perhaps, what if robots could create of the latest Thinking Train classroom reader
ideas with authors and I was very lucky to Together with Herbert and the series editor animals the way we create robots? What kind series with Helbling. can try to read one sentence or even one word at a time! If they make a
mistake, it’s back to the start of the paragraph!
have met some brilliant and inspiring people Maria Cleary, we then developed our ideas of creatures would the robots come up with?
who helped me solidify my ideas before into several books for the series. Why would they do this? What adventures
approaching a publisher. I was equally lucky could they have with their new animals? This
to meet a publisher who absolutely believes process resulted in the story The Inventors,
in the importance of stories and reading for Having original which is one of my absolute favourites.
pleasure in language learning.
fiction, brilliant What are “thinking skills”, and why
Tell me a bit about The Thinking Train, should teachers spend time on this?
and how you got involved in the illustrations and Without subscribing to the idea that teachers
project. clear activities are responsible for every facet of their
The Thinking Train is a six-level, 24-book, students’ development, I think we can all
classroom-based readers series devised to creates the perfect agree that comprehensive language learning
enhance key thinking and language skills in and exploration by motivated and engaged Our unique award-winning series - written by Herbert Puchta,
young learners, while developing a love of platform. students is an experience all educators wish Günter Gerngross and Gavin Biggs - now totals 20 picture books in 5 levels!
reading. It is designed to delight teachers and to have. Explore the magical world of picture books, while developing thinking skills,
students with drama and dilemmas, as well as To use some of Marion Williams’ words in emotional intelligence and empathy.
provide a structured context for developing How do you and Herbert Puchta work The Thinking Train Teacher’s Guide, the simple
thinking skills. together? philosophy is that, as children progress
In addition to comprehensive activities for Creative partnerships can be difficult, and it through school, they need to acquire far
before, during and post-reading, it also usually takes a while to find a good flow more than just factual knowledge. They need
provides project work, exam practise and between the initial excitement of new ideas, to be able to think about the knowledge they
online games characters and adventures with then drafting acquire to critically question what they read
My involvement began a few years ago. and re-drafting, artwork briefs and critical and hear and to assess evidence carefully. We
During my work as a teacher trainer I had thinking activities. There is a huge amount of hear on the news every day that the world
met Herbert Puchta several times. He later work that goes into this series. needs creative answers to complex problems
introduced me to The Thinking Train series he At the heart of our partnership is a – but when do we have “creative thinking”
had created with Günter Gerngross. curiosity and love of new ideas. However, I class in school?
As a strong advocate of the importance of have to say that Herbert and I were lucky In the long term, students absolutely need
stories in learning, I was immediately taken enough to immediately have the ability to to be equipped to face the challenges of a
*
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by the idea of a readers series that spark ideas off each other. This creative changing and unpredictable world – now ERF LLL Awards 2020 ERF LLL Awards 2020
Shortlisted for the
Shortlisted for the
encouraged critical thinking, visual literacy synergy is essential. We can both take a more than ever. To do this they will need a
and the use of original fiction. When I then simple idea and develop it into a story. range of skills to enable them to solve helbling.com/english
discovered that Marion Williams had written The ideas come from both of us equally, problems and make intelligent decisions.
the activities – well I thought it was too good then we often take it in turns to develop These skills will help students to face new The Thinking Train titles are
to be true! them into a rough story. The beginning can problems and to find the best ways of tackling COMING Level F - A2 Flyers also available as Big Books:
SOON
As a psychology graduate myself, Psychology be a simple idea that forms a series of them. • Miners of the • Survival ideal for shared reading.
fifth moon
for Language Teachers was one of my go-to questions – what would you do if you were In the Thinking Train series, students will • Unreal school • The ice-racers
of Triton
books when I first started teaching. I was lost in the jungle? Why were you there in the often invent dialogues, act them out, mime
32 May 2020 editorial@elgazette.com 33