The Times 100

Time for something different


Last week I was looking for some material for a business studies course I am running at a local college and quite by accident I stumbled upon The Times 100.
This is a free resource for business studies teachers, which is great for EFL as well. It contains 100 free lesson plans as well as worksheets and exam packs.
One of the wonderful things about the site, is the different ways in which you can search the content, to get the best case study for your situation. You can search by topic - Finance, Environment, Marketing etc, or by company for a specific type of company.
For the careers teacher for example, there is a page which links to specific job opportunities in the company and then lists the qualifications relevant for those specific types of job.
The companies are all well known businesses and the site allows teachers to link through to the company website for further information.

When you investigate the site, you find even more resources, like the Revision of Theory section where there are excellent detailed pages of notes on specific topics; all these resources are also downloadable.

As for the case studies themselves, they are short - around four pages while still being suitably detailed to interest non-native speaking students or adults. However, they are written for the native speaker student and so the language is of a high level. Each case study is accompanied by detailed teachers’ notes, including key vocabulary and some additional questions to be incorporated, as required.

Teachers can print off the case studies as a PDF, their layout includes relevant pictures, making the style similar to a corporate brochure; so they appear very ‘real’ and so totally unlike the dated case studies in text books. They are produced in a clear type-face and well set out and paragraphed, with plenty of white space for clarity. Important vocabulary is highlighted in bold, for easy reading.

I thoroughly recommend this website. Let me know what you think of it.
http://bookreview-sheilav.blogspot.com/

Educating the Net Generation

Educating the Net Generation : How to Engage Students in the 21st Century. - Bob Pletka ,Ed.D. published by Santa Monica Press
Synopsis
Describes how the educational needs of the Net Generation differ from their Generation X parents and baby boomer grandparents and discusses ways to minimize the increasing dropout rate and student disengagement.
In this little book Bob Pletka opens a baby boomer teacher eyes so that I was enabled to see the huge gulf that exists between these generations. I think it should be essential reading for every educator of young adults on the planet.

Bob describes how he used his “My So-called Digital Life” project to engage students who had become totally switched off by the current educational system.
The book provides an insightful examination of the reasons for recent increases in student dropout rates and disengagement from school learning it also challenges parents and educators to create a learning environment that is relevant, connected to society, and meaningful in the context of the 21st century.

In an appendix at the back of the book he provides two surveys. If you are a parent I dare you to try them they will open your eyes too. If you are an educator then check his inventory for teachers. Even is you only implement some of his ideas I am sure your students will appreciate it.