AaBbCc: Knowledge content.

AsBbCc: Things that I say while giving the presentation

AaBbCc: General Topics
AaBbCc: Resumes, small breafings.

Mind the gap: bridging distances in online teaching to get learners interacting (Speaker: Anya
Shaw)

General explanation of gap: Challenges: Mind the gap.

There is a gap, a big distance between us. In online teaching there are different gaps: there are
3.

1. Geographical gap: We are not in the same room as our learners, there is a
geographical distance, a screen between us.
2. Emotional distance: On these days, the pandemic has been really a stressful situation
for all of us, students and teachers. Think about students who have their cameras
turned off. Why do they have their cameras off? There is a gap in terms of moods.
Students before were more animated, and now it is quite difficult to engage them
properly.
3. Digital gap: There is a big different between students who have their own tech gear
(phones, tablets, Wi-Fi); and those who need to share their computer between their 4
brothers and parents.

We need to encourage interaction in our classrooms, but wait, what is interaction for you?

What is interaction? It is the activity of being with and talking to other people, and the way
that people react to each other.

Introduction of solutions: Solutions: Using the gap

How can we get learners interacting with each other?

It is useful for us, online teachers, to identify the gap and use it to our advantage.

1. Making the most of your platform’s features.

What platform do we teach on? (Zoom). Now, Zoom and many other platforms such as Google
meet, Teams have something in common. The key is their features, functions. (Microphone,
camara, chat box, share screen, polls, Breakout rooms, reactions, annotation tool,
participants). Show pictures and make teachers name them.

We can use these features to get our students interested and interacting with others. (Share
screen and stop suddenly). By doing this you capture your students’ attention immediately.

1.1. Memory test: The teacher asks ss to look at the features that are in the screen. Then T
says that something is going to disappear and stops sharing the screen. (The camara
logo disappeared). The T asks: what have disappeared/what is missing?
1.2. Changing our names: Everyone changes their names on Zoom. Ss write their first name
and their favorite animal. (Antonio Dog). Another way to do this is by asking ss to write
their first name and an adjective to describe themselves. (Antonio depressed). This is a
routine that can be set up since the beginning of the class to take advantage of the
tools that we have at our fingertips.
AaBbCc: Knowledge content.
AsBbCc: Things that I say while giving the presentation
AaBbCc: General Topics
AaBbCc: Resumes, small breafings.
Quote Mention: The communicative approach to language learning stresses the need for
MEANINGFUL communication, emphasizing that if students have a genuine REASON or
motivation to talk then they will learn to use the language more effectively.

This is crucial for us as online teachers, we have to give ss a reason to talk.

Concepts: Developing speaking skills

Output: The amount or quantity (of speaking) that a person produces.

Outcome: The final result of an activity.

Examples:

-Listen and repeat: Pablo likes swimming: Accuracy focus: it is not meaningful.

-Class survey: What’s the most popular sport?: It is the same language, it has an accurate
focus. There is a outcome focus as well.

-Debate: Women should be paid the same as men in sports: Fluency focus. Ss can use the
language they want. It is focused on outcome because there is a result from this question.

-Discussion: Plan your schools vacation day with friends. It has an outcome focus because
there is a result on this plan.

(Draw a cross and divide accuracy, fluency, output and outcome)

4 types of gaps:
Geographical gap: using the features of our platform to get learners interact.

Experience gap: Learners have had in their lives differences experiences, we can use that to
interact with them and among themselves.
AaBbCc: Knowledge content.
AsBbCc: Things that I say while giving the presentation
AaBbCc: General Topics
AaBbCc: Resumes, small breafings.
Information gap: Ss know different things, (youtubers, stars, food), these can be the reasons to
make them interact between them. (they know different things and they have different
opinions).

What do we mean by gap?

A gap means a DIFFERENCE. If there are 2 students, and A has some information that B does
not, then there is a DIFFERENCE or a gap. A task which requires B to find out the information
that A has (i.e. a task which closes the gap) will provide a REASON for communication.

https://www.mylampa.com/thoughtful-responses-language-learners-questions/

How can we use different experiences to get students interact?

This idea comes from Anna Hasper - Engaging teens? It is not all about technology…

What was the first activity we did?

Chat box routines. Introduce yourself and say something else. She asked for feelings. This is
personalize, we get to read each other.

How are you feeling today?

What are you having for dinner tonight?

Something you did last night

AaBbCc: Knowledge content.
AsBbCc: Things that I say while giving the presentation
AaBbCc: General Topics
AaBbCc: Resumes, small breafings.
This idea comes from Laura Pastko – Online lessons that are active and interactive

Find someone who changes to FIND SOMETHING WHICH

Finds sth which focus about objects in the room. Find sth which…

-Reminds you of someone special

Is your favorite thing

-You bought something recently

-Makes you happy

AaBbCc: Knowledge content.
AsBbCc: Things that I say while giving the presentation
AaBbCc: General Topics
AaBbCc: Resumes, small breafings.

https://www.online-stopwatch.com/ Timer

Next activity – find Three people in my group who can…

Put students in breakout rooms (3 or 4) and make them ask questions. You need speaking
topics. Find 3 people in my room who can play an instrument. They have to make sentences.

Pablo, can you play an instrument? Yes, the guitar.

Kevin, can you play an instrument? No, I can’t.

Next activity – Class/groups surveys.

Ask a question to students about a certain topic.

What’s the most popular breakfast in our class?

What do you eat for breakfast?

AaBbCc: Knowledge content.
AsBbCc: Things that I say while giving the presentation
AaBbCc: General Topics
AaBbCc: Resumes, small breafings.

Opinion Gap

Next activity – Talking Points

In pairs, students get to discuss and present their own opinions about what they like. Are you a
cat person or a dog person? Using Online Timers. Keep talking to your partners for two
minutes. (Youtubers, Messi, beach or mountain, Netflix or amazon).

Controversial statements

Ss get talking on subjects they are interested in.

AaBbCc: Knowledge content.
AsBbCc: Things that I say while giving the presentation
AaBbCc: General Topics
AaBbCc: Resumes, small breafings.
Debates : Half of class say yes, the other half says no. Prepare ideas and focus on fluency and
set an outcome.

Devil’s advocate: In this you have to disagree on whatever the partner says.

Get students thinking on different ideas. Should schools stay online?

Take one side and make ss agree or disagree with you.

AaBbCc: Knowledge content.
AsBbCc: Things that I say while giving the presentation
AaBbCc: General Topics
AaBbCc: Resumes, small breafings.

Functional Language

Order, classify the phrases to help students expressing themselves.

Dinner Party

Invite 8 dead famous people.

Who the people are? What food will you serve? Who will sit where? What questions will you
ask famous dead people?
AaBbCc: Knowledge content.
AsBbCc: Things that I say while giving the presentation
AaBbCc: General Topics
AaBbCc: Resumes, small breafings.

Information Gap

Jigsaw activities: each ss have different parts of jigsaw but together they make sense. Ss
havedifferent parts of an article, ABC, read your part and tell the other ss. There are
information gaps that get our student talking. It works in online teaching cuz ss cannot peak
each other article. You may use email parts for your learners. It takes more planning.

Strange situations

You can mime a strange situation with the microphone turned off (you lost your phone) and
make ss guess what the situation is. Use the geographical gap.

Knowledge gap

Our learners know different things. True or false statements. (example for past simple).

“this is my grandfather, he was an actor in holliwood. T or F.

This is my brother. He plays soccer for England.

AaBbCc: Knowledge content.
AsBbCc: Things that I say while giving the presentation
AaBbCc: General Topics
AaBbCc: Resumes, small breafings.

Teachers Vs students.

Netflix series, videogames, K-pop culture, technology, youtubers

AaBbCc: Knowledge content.
AsBbCc: Things that I say while giving the presentation
AaBbCc: General Topics
AaBbCc: Resumes, small breafings.

Ss make questions for teachers about the selected topic. Questions can be multiple choice or
closed ones.

What do pictures have in common?

AaBbCc: Knowledge content.
AsBbCc: Things that I say while giving the presentation
AaBbCc: General Topics
AaBbCc: Resumes, small breafings.

This is my family, we want to visit peru when corona is finished. Explain each. The question is
where should they go in Peru? Ranking ideas. Which is the best suggestion for the family?
Problem solving gets students giving their opinions.

Knowledge gap – Opinion gap

Pyramid discussion

Planning a holiday or trip. We are planning a trip. Imagine we have 8 groups at the bottom. We
have to decide for the itinerary. Then we move to 4 groups, and then 2 and finally we get to a
class decision.
AaBbCc: Knowledge content.
AsBbCc: Things that I say while giving the presentation
AaBbCc: General Topics
AaBbCc: Resumes, small breafings.

Finishing off. Find the gaps and take advantage of them. 1 Experience, 2 Information,
Knowledge, Opinion, physical gap.

End