What to do when.....? | Baamboozle - Baamboozle | The Most Fun Classroom Games!

I don't know how to make my lessons fun.

See teacher's books/ resource packs for free practice activities (puzzles, quizzes, board games, role plays). Use tools such as wordwall, baamboozle, quizlet.

I struggle with timing and never manage to do everything planned.

Online lessons are often slower. Forsee what'll be challenging for your students and what can be skipped if necessary. Do not leave out free practice!

My TTT is too high.

Clear (brief) instructions, gestures, visualization, open questions, eliciting vocab/grammar/ideas, s-s interaction (PW, GW), self-correction.

I don't know how to do kinesthetic or matching activities.

You can use Sticky Notes in Ggl Jamboard or text boxes in Ggl Slides. If you have a pdf mat, cut up cards using Snipping Tool and insert them on slides.

My students in group courses get bored when doing controlled-practice activities such as gap-fills. We always check it in a round-robin manner.

Turn the activity into a think-pair-share task, giving different information to different students, and then having the students work together to complete it.

My students cannot use Google Apps.

The chat is your best friend! Also, there are other virtual whiteboards e.g. Collboard or Zumpad.

In a group course - when one student is answering/talking, the other students start doing other things - phone/emails etc.

Give your students a reason to listen to each other, work together and interact.

I always do error correction AFTER my students finish working on their slides.

Provide your students with live feedback when monitoring. Use virtual gestures (exclamation marks, underlining, arrows, highlighting) on slides or in the chat.

I don't know how to do listening tasks online.

You can share the audiofile with your students (insert it on a slide or share a link in the chat) or stream the audio through screen sharing.

I have a coursebook in a pdf format. How do I make it more interactive?

Use the Snipping Tool and simply copy/paste activities on shared slides. Ideally one slide = one activity (+ visuals and other supplementary materials).

I spend too much time preparing materials for my lessons.

Store your elaborate virtual whiteboards/materials. Make a copy, adapt them and reuse them with different students.

My lessons are all about conversation. We never do anything structured/productive.

Every single lesson must have an apropriate goal and a clear plan how to achieve it. What is your student going to learn and will be able to use actively?

I'm struggling with communication platforms and scheduling calls on different platforms.

Contact your Senior Teacher or the Directors of Studies. They'll help you!

My students don't interact with each other and wait for me to ask them questions.

Have your students work together and give them a task to complete! You can mute yourself to indicate that it's pair work now. Monitor.

I teach an online group course where students don't know each other and are shy.

Be patient. Use engaging materials/visuals. Have students work together or in pairs to complete tasks.

I need to do pair/group work.

Tips: use breakout rooms, have pairs/groups work on different shared slides, use chat for written interaction, do task-oriented activities to engage everyone.

My students don't have their camera on. Neither do I.

Having a camera on is a must! Also, encourage your students to turn it on. (gestures, facial expressions, overall more enjoyable)

My students are struggling with understanding new language/grammar.

Make sure you present it in clear context, ask leading questions and provide encouraging feedback to show that they're on the right track.

My students don't seem to be interested.

Personlize lessons for your students! Work with topics they're interested in. Make sure your slides are visually pleasing and engaging -pictures, colour-coding.

My students don't want to do/ never do their homework.

Generally, it should be short extra practice (not an essential part of the following lesson): a short video/podcast, an online gap-fill or a matching activity.

My student is confused when I give instructions.

Grade your language down and keep your instructions as simple as possible. Model the activity!

There is a lot of echo and background noise.

Make sure your room is quiet enough and wear headphones. Don't be afraid to address these issues if they arise on the side of your students too.

My new student doesn’t know how to use online tools.

Take this into account when planning lessons. They'll go slower. Be patient and teach them how to use the online tools they'll need.

My student is faster than I expected.

Have some backup activities which are not absolutely necessary for the lesson but will come in handy if your students finish early.