About Me

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Portugal
I am from Coimbra, Portugal, and am currently teaching in a school in Soure, about 30 km away from Coimbra. I have been a teacher of English for over 20 years and have already taught different levels and age groups. After all this time I can say I love working with adult groups because there are no coursebooks and I can create my own resources. I am an avid reader, a blogger and very curious about free tools and their implementation in the classroom.

Sunday, December 30, 2012

2012: Year in Review

In 366 days so much can happen - and certainly 2012 "was" no exception! As 2012 draws to an end, it's time for us to review what is already behind, either pleasant or tragic.
Google has produced a new fantastic Zeitgeist video according to 1,2 trillion searches in 146 languages thus highlighting the main events in 2012. Watch and remember:


The Guardian has "2012: the year in viral videos" that I'm also sharing below


Maps of The World has released a 60-second video including the top events of 2012 that you can peep here but even better is their interactive map and timeline you can access here: by clicking on each of the months, we have the main events and when clickng on the events on the map, a new box opens and you have pics and even more info. Visitors are also invited to vote: what event dominated the world's attention???
Screenshot from http://www.mapsofworld.com/events/year-2012/ 
















Bio.com also has a fantastic Year in Review including a "2012 in Memoriam Video" also worth watching.
When searching the web, I'm sure you'll find some more available, such as the sound collage featuring a sampling of the musicians who died in 2012 by http://www.nytimes.com/

Also by http://www.nytimes.com/ is the year in review in pictures you can access here as well as a terrific review in graphics here.
What about yourself? What was your most pleasant moment  / event in 2012? And your saddest? Why?
What are your New Year's Resolutions? What are your 2013 goals? What will you do in 2013 to make it better??? (In case you want some input, check this New Year's Resolution Generator :=))))

Valued visitor and reader, my best wishes for 2013! A very happy and successful New Year, both personally and professionally.
Google Doodle DEC 2012

Monday, December 24, 2012

Merry Christmas

Another year over and Christmas day has finally come!
Songs are just perfect for teaching English and do make students more familiar with English-speaking cultures. Whether timeless classics or modern favourites, the set of Christmas songs I've presented for the last 10 days can be used with different age groups and according to (y)our own purposes: either just for fun / for singing, as a way to introduce vocab and Christmas traditions, to raise awareness of the hardships others face in different parts of the world or even to discuss the real meaning of Christmas, the choice is (y)ours.
In my classes this year I used the song "All I want for Christmas is you" by Mariah Carey , and ended up asking my adult learners what they wanted for Christmas. The topic was "All I want for Christmas is..." and each student wrote their own wishes in one of the bubbles. Today's Christmas tree is the result from one of my groups.

Unfortunately, worldwide wishes are surely different from our own and though Christmas should always be a time of peace, love and family gathering, consider the following cartoon from The Independent.


This is clearly a comment on American gun culture especially now in the wake of Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings that left 20 children and 6 adult staff members dead... yet, Americans still want more guns whereas in different places around the world (Aghanistan, Pakistan, Africa, Syria???) children all want the same for this Christmas: an end to violence!

Hope there are "Christmas truces" in conflict-stricken countries so that at least all children can have a peaceful Christmas.
As for myself, all I want for Christmas is not at all material or that different from the children in the cartoon... all I want is peace, love and harmony. A cliché, perhaps yet so true and heartfelt.
From my family to yours, we wish you all a very merry Christmas!

Sunday, December 23, 2012

1 Day

Only one day!!!
Today a Christmas song by a Portuguese singer...yep... and with a very different message to make us think about the true meaning of this festive season.

A'STSNA OSRSEIDPNE

Please check it here.

                                                             ~ MERRY CHRISTMAS ~

Saturday, December 22, 2012

2 Days

Wow! Only two days before Christmas!!!
Today's song is one of the most popular Christmas Carols: it was composed in 1818 in Austria and declared an intangible cultural heritage by the UNESCO in MArch 2011.

NEISLT ITGHN

Please check it here.

                                                               ~ MERRY CHRISTMAS ~



Song_1_Title

Friday, December 21, 2012

3 Days

Another (old) song but sung by a contemporary singer

NATAS LSUCA SI IGCMNO OT WONT

As usual, please check it here.



                                                   ~ MERRY CHRISTMAS ~



Thursday, December 20, 2012

4 Days

Only four days and Christmas is almost there.
A different song...

TILETL REMURDM YBO

Now please check it here.


                                                     ~ MERRY CHRISTMAS ~

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

5 Days

Another Christmassy song....

EHGSNMIOT UATBO TSSAIHMCR MIET

Please check it here.



                                                          ~ MERRY CHRISTMAS ~

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

6 Days

What about this one? Who doesn't know it or any other version???

EWTHI SSAIMHCRT

Please check it here



                                                        ~ MERRY CHRISTMAS ~

Monday, December 17, 2012

7 Days

Well, today another old and well-known song:

SATL MSICTASHR 

Revisit, remember and check it here.



                                                  ~ MERRY CHRISTMAS ~

Sunday, December 16, 2012

8 Days

Today's song is

OD EHYT NWKO S'TI SHSTAIMCR

Please check here.


                                                     ~ MERRY CHRISTMAS ~ 

Saturday, December 15, 2012

9 Days

Another song...

APYHP MSAITSHCR

Again: identify not only the song, singer(s) / band and  no cheating!

Please check it here.

                                                   ~ MERRY CHRISTMAS ~

Friday, December 14, 2012

10 Days

10 days before Christmas and I've just made up my mind to start this year's countdown with... songs! That's right: famous Christmas songs that one way or the other can be used in our English classes. However, just as it always happens in our own classes, readers will always have to unscramble the letters in order to have the correct title of the song. Oh, and by the way... identify the singer / band, please, and, have some fun!

LAL I NTAW ORF TCSSRAIMH SI OYU

Please check the solution here but no cheating :=)

                                                 ~ Merry Christmas ~

Monday, December 3, 2012

International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Held annually on 3rd December since 1992, International Day of Persons with Disabilities "aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and moblize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities." According to the United Nations, over one billion people - "the world's largest minority" -  live with some form of disability!
As a teacher / an educator, how do you deal with Special Needs Students? How do you overcome any possible obstacles so that teaching / learning can take place?
I found the video below quite appropriate and moving to mark this 20th anniversary ... Hope you also feel John Lennon's wish behind this musical performance with Special Education Students... imagine!
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