INTRODUCTORY WORKSHOPS

Day One

In this all-day workshop, you will learn how music, drama and gesture can work synergistically to rapidly increase ESL acquisition. AIM programs, unlike most contemporary programs, are based on stories rather than on themes and allow for a greater emotional involvement on the part of the ESL student; moreover, the extensive use of songs and drama gives plenty of opportunity for “pleasant repetition”, an essential ingredient in the development of ESL proficiency. This is a “hands-on” workshop, in which participants will have the opportunity to:

• learn the songs, dances and gestures of the first units of the program
• learn gestures from Wendy’s revolutionary ‘Gesture Approach’
• act out plays designed for small-group work
• watch students using this method
• learn about language-manipulation activities based on the play
• learn why a story-based approach is much more effective than a thematic approach

Day Two

This all-day workshop is designed for teachers who have already attended the first day of an introductory workshop. In this workshop, the presenters will show teachers how to take the method to the next level of the program. Topics covered will include:

• how to do story-retelling and story-extension activities;
• how to teach plural forms of verbs and double-verb constructions;
• how to teach le passé, les contraires and le négatif;
• how to assess student work;
• correction of work: emphasis on error analysis as a way to refine grammar knowledge in context;
• improvising with puppets (Creative Improvisational Storytelling);
• more songs and dances for student performances;
• introduction to grammar through raps;