Weekly Workshop

Once a week, on Wednesday at lunch time, we have a workshop. The theme of the workshop varies, but usually we discuss a particular subject, and each week a different teacher leads the discussion.

Last Wednesday it was Teacher David’s turn to lead the discussion on the subject of SuperTots. SuperTots is an externally-developed program designed to introduce English to very young learners (K1-K2 “Kindergarten 1-2” level).

Teacher David stressed the importance of variety in a SuperTots lesson. Noting that young children have a young attention span, he said he tries to “give them as many different games as possible.” He also emphasized the importance of using a big, lively voice and personality when addressing the students.

To help us see things further from a students’ perspective, Teacher David gave us an example lesson using the theme of colors. But instead of using English words, he had us learn Spanish words instead. It was a clever way to drive home the effectiveness of the lesson, as afterwards we were able to successfully recall all four of the colors we were taught.

As I (Teacher Jonathan) am a teacher of very young kids myself, the workshop was very relevant for me, and I’ll try to keep it fresh in my mind when working with my students.