My Dream Classroom

 

... would look a lot like this.

Lots of light and space to accommodate a group of 8 to 12 students comfortably (remember - we are talking ideal!). Separate light-weight furniture components that can easily be repositioned in the room, three-seater tables for speaking activities or for small discussion groups and collaborative activities, an IWB and extra video screen, laptops for the students (either their own or one to share), and a water-cooler to keep the learner juices flowing . . Perfect!

Anything else you would like to add?

Spot the difference?

 
Generally speaking, dictionaries are considered as providing its users with an unbiased, objective definition to a word. However, this is not the case with all dictionaries.


Look, for example, at the following two definitions for the same occupation. Any idea which one they are describing?


1. “An eel in the fundamental mud upon which the superstructure of organized society is reared. When we wriggles [sic] he mistakes the agitation of his tail for the trembling of the edifice. As compared with the statesman, he suffers the disadvantage of being alive.” The Devil’s Dictionary


2. “a member of a government or law-making organization” Cambridge Dictionaries Online

Work and Hobbies

 

Since qualifying as a TEFL teacher back in 1990 I have had the opportunity to work with a diverse group of students of all ages and from many sectors, in various schools and language institutions in England, Spain, Switzerland and the Netherlands. For the last three years I have been working as a freelance English language teacher/trainer supporting, advising, teaching and assisting candidates in their preparation for Cambridge exams. This has given an extra dimension to my work and has created new challenges and possibilities in and out of the classroom. Seeing as we are in an incredibly dynamic and exciting era of learning, I feel very privileged to be in a position to be able to experience and share the benefits of this with my learners.

 

When I am not working you might find me out with 

friends, at the gym or out on my racing bike. I love my bike and the many adventures we have been on. To be fair these have only been in the Netherlands up until now and despite having 28 gears on my bike I don’t always have much opportunity to experiment with them living in such relatively flat terrain! This is a fantastic place to cycle and cyclists are generally well-respected on the roads. The infrastructure is excellent, with many separate cycle paths so it is incredibly easy to cover a lot of distance in a day – such a wonderful way to discover the country … and particularly if the sun is out!

Home and family

I have been living with my husband and two daughters in the Netherlands for the last 13 years. It's not Amsterdam as we had originally planned but a village near 's Hertogenbosch  (translates as "the Duke's Forest"). Surprisingly enough we have stayed a lot longer than we intended having initially said we'd return to Switzerland after two years! We love living here and have adapted quite a bit to the lifestyle here, eating hagelslag for breakfast, cycling everywhere and even wearing orange for all the national occasions and football events.

 

Unless you are Dutch you probably refer to The Netherlands as Holland. Ever wondered what the difference is? 

The author

So who am I and what do I need to post here to keep you hooked to my blog? Well, if you are curious about finding out how "an old dog learns new tricks" keep reading .. I have been teaching English as a foreign language for the last 22 years have made the transition from the classic chalk blackboard to the digital whiteboard (kind of) and am now trying to get up-to-tech in the classroom. So check out another step in that direction and one of my "tricks" - me blogging ...