alice’s posterous

David Lynch is an extravagant film director who is most famous for The Elephant man and Twin Peaks.

He has just set up The Interview Project which is a 20 000 miles road trip over 70 days accross the United States. David Lynch meets people in different locations and interviews them about their lives, how they would like to be remembered, what they are proud of.

I find this project quite fascinating as it is not about fame, it is about everyday people who are sharing a bit of their lives.
I enjoyed this interview with Palmer Black, a retired naval officer who lives with his wife in Blanding, Utah. He says he wants to be remembered for "his barbecue and making people around him happy".

http://interviewproject.davidlynch.com/www/#/all-episodes/004-palmer_black

What is your favourite interview? what do you want to be remembered of?

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I found this brilliant video on Ideas to Inspire



This short animation could be used when teaching household tasks and furniture in another language. After watching it, students would have to discuss the following in the target language:

• the people: who are they? describe them, what are they doing?
  
• the rooms: name them, describe the different objects in the rooms
• opinions: what do you think about the people? are they helpful? kind? unkind?

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This slideshow from Neil Jones is full of ideas to teach languages with links to other subjects such as Art, Science, Geography, History...

It is part of the changes to the MFL curriculum in the UK and means that there are no set topics anymore. It also means a greater emphasis on active learning and creativity and students working on engaging topics, which is what I am looking for as a language teacher!

Looking at the excellent ideas showed on this presentation, I am thinking of working on a project related to Spanish Art, maybe related to Dali or Picasso. I need to think about it ...

What about you? Have you taught languages with a link to other subjects?

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Today I received an email by Carla Arena (one of the organizer of Images4Education) mentioning an exciting project.

Alison Miyake was the one who suggested it on http://images4education.ning.com/forum/topics/exchange-of-photos-with

She says : "I am teaching English at my daughter's elementary school this year (in the south of Japan) to grade 5 and 6 students. I was wondering if anyone here would be interested in exchanging photos of school and everyday life in other countries with us. My students are always asking me about what is popular with kids their own age in Canada (where I am from), and I have to say that I honestly don't have any idea! My students don't have a lot of experience with the computer, although they do have access to computers at their school. I am envisioning possibly creating a special Flickr page for our project and then deciding on themes to last a month or two (ie school, school bags, classroom photos, lunch, lunchtime play could be the first starting in September, then school events or holidays, popular books, favourite foods, my house, my neighbourhood, unusual objects - ie something the kids think might be unique to their country, etc.) and having the students take photos."

It is such a fantastic idea, I want to join next year with my new school (although it is supposed to be only for elementary school?).

And you? would you be joining as well?

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