ESL learning design
Interactive fun
CEFR-aligned learning design is where it all comes together: an eye for visual design, a dedication to writing craft, a seasoned understanding of CEFR outcomes and a commitment to exploring what EdTech makes possible. As a tech-savvy creative with classroom intuition and hands-on pedagogical skills, I can help turn a learning objective, curriculum or rough idea into a complete learning experience – from concept and structure through to eye-popping, interactive activities.
PIZZA TIME
PIZZA TIME: a CEFR A1-level grammar activity
THE OBJECTIVE: I can make sentences about time using o’clock, half past, quarter past, quarter to.
THE CHALLENGE: Young learners have a lot on their plate when it comes to telling the time in English: digesting analogue and digital as well as 12-hour and 24-hour formats. Throw in word order, prepositions and first-language bias, and it’s no wonder riffs on “is 15 half past o’clock” reverberate around ESL classrooms.
THE FIX:
- Disappearing pizza quarters make fractions visually appealing and memorable, while helping to demystify analogue time expressions.
- Abundant matching practice pairs digital and analogue times.
- A well-scaffolded cumulative task gives learners the opportunity to use the target language to describe their own daily routine.
Tools Used: Articulate 360 Storyline (authoring).
WORLDBUILDING 101
WORLDBUILDING 101: a CAE Listening Part 4 practice activity
THE OBJECTIVE: I can listen for gist and detail in extended monologues where attitudes and opinions are implied rather than directly stated.
THE CHALLENGE: Part 4 of the CAE Listening paper is a dual multiple-matching task, requiring learners to track the opinions and attitudes of five speakers while avoiding distractors – a task which, let’s face it, is a tall order even for native speakers!
THE FIX
- An advanced-vocabulary and concept-rich theme that taps into young adult learners’ interest in and engagement with sci-fi and fantasy novels.
- A clear, concise explanation of the exam task, with strategies learners can implement straight away.
- A CAE-aligned simulation of the Part 4 listening task.
- Access to the audio transcript on the feedback slide, allowing learners to identify and reflect on key language.
Tools Used: Articulate 360 Storyline (authoring), ElevenLabs (audio generation), Audio Joiner (editing).
