PROJECTS

Students and teachers learn best when they interact with the content and make meaningful connections through hands-on experiences. In this space I'm sharing a few of my favorite projects as a teacher and as a coordinator.

Teacher training

TEACHER TRAINING: SKILLS' DEVELOPMENT

Activate! Helping teachers to develop the skills they need to make the most of informed eclecticism and rock their classes: active methodologies, 21st Centrury Skills, puppeteering, storytelling, games, PBL, classroom management, socio-emotional development and formative assessment.

TEACHER TRAINING: TEAM BUILDING AND SKILLS' DEVELOPMENT

I believe that, in order to have people work as a team, you must first strengthen the ties between the team members so as to foster collaboration and mutual understanding. Regular training sessions should include classroom skills, as well as confidence-booster sessions to keep production at its highest.

Schools

ENGLISH IMMERSION: IMMERSION AND SHORT-FILM FESTIVAL

Welcome to the United States of Seriös! As part of their trimester projects, students were in charge of different attractions, such as a hotel, a coffee shop, a car rental, a bank, customs, and a movie theater. Each traveler had to visit three stations and watch four short-films (made by 8th and 9th graders based on the books they read in class) in order to stamp their passports. With complete passports in hands, students headed to the ticket master to get a ticket to the Oscars. The best productions were awarded Oscar-like statuettes and the students walked down the red carpet to give their acceptance speeches.

FLAT STANLEY: A VACATION PROJECT

Stanley was a regular boy until a bulletin board fell on him and made him flat. Being flat, he could travel the world in an envelope and make friends in distant places. Our kids were challenged to take Stanley on vacation with them and keep a record of their journey together. On the first day after the recess, the students shared their adventures with Stanley, and Stella, with the class, stamp his passport, and write a postcard. This project is based on the bestselling book with the same title. Visit the website to connect with Stanleys across the globe: www.flatstanley.com.

BOOK FAIR AND BOOK CLUB: INTERNATIONAL BOOKS AT AFFORDABLE PRICES

Book projects are a great way to promote reading and critical thinking. For this reason, we invited Scholastic and other renowned publishers to display their books so that the children could pick out the titles they wanted to read and do their projects on. Most Brazilian bookstores have few authentic titles in English, by promoting the book fair and two book clubs a year, we can offer parents and students the opportunity to buy international literature at affordable prices in a convenient way.

TALENT SHOW: SHORT PLAYS, MUSIC PERFORMANCE AND WALL DISPLAYS

Fundamental I students invited their families to watch short plays, music performances, and even see posters based on the books they read in class. Coco the Clown, one of the kids' favorite books made the audience stand up and cheer.

TRAVELLING BUDDY: EXCHANGE EXPERIENCE WITH KIDS FROM AUSTRALIA

Our mascot, Jillica, flew to Australia with a box the kids prepared with typical treats from Brazil. When she arrived there, she spent a day at each kid's house and helped them write a journal of the experience. While our bird was enjoying her time down under, a stuffed Koala that brought Vegemite, keychains, and eucaliptus candy for the students, danced with our kids at the June party, visited the zoo, and ate doce de leite.

CHARACTER DAY: BE YOUR FAVORITE CHARACTER

Have you wondered what it would be like to spend a day in the shoes of your favorite book character? Literature students prepared a speech and dressed up as their heroes to tell the class all about their lives. They did their make up, hair, skated to school in funny outfits and had a blast convincing their friends to read their favorite tales.

HALLOWEEN: FUN-FILLED ACTIVITES AND GAMES

The goal for this project was to promote the use of language rather than candy eating and tommy aches. Hence, we came up with Halloween-themed games to practice the vocabulary and expressions learned in class. The prize? A sticky high-five and great fun.

ENGLISH DAY: AN IMMERSION IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Students had the opportunity to immerse in the English language. Students in 4th grade went on a tour of Brasília with English-speaking tour guides and monitors, while students from grades 5 to 9 spent the morning doing workshops in English: photography, cross fit, technology, cooking, art, music, design, among others.

Special projects

EIP: YOUTH EMBASSADORS PROGRAM

Every year, the American Embassy selects public school students to visit the U.S. and share experiences with teenagers from all over the world. The runner-ups are awarded with a four-day immersion in the English language with handpicked professionals. In 2013, I was selected to teach "American Culture" during this program, which proved to be an unforgettable experience.

Corporate

CORPORATE IMMERSION: FABER-CASTELL'S UPPER MANAGEMENT

Who says immersion is for kids? Passports, tickets and immigration forms in hand, Faber-Castell managers spent a day making and serving American meals, checking in and out of "hotels and planes", going through customs and practicing English, of course. The students and tour guides even took me for a walk around the factory to tell me what each of them did. Know I know exactly how pencils are made.

Lectures

LECTURE AT UNB: LET'S TALK ABOUT CULTURE

Reflexão na Ação is a teacher training initiative promoted by the Aaplied Linguistics department at UNB. In this talk, I invited students from the master's program to think about the way EFL coursebooks approach Brazilian culture and reinforce stereotypes. Together, we came up with suggestions on how to make our students culturally aware in order to promote an environment of mutual respect and understanding.