Taoyuan Workshop Dec 18th 2010

The teachers of Taoyuan.

Our booth at the workshop.

Practicing some phonics.

And playing some games.


For more info log on to:
www.interactilelearning.com

First Questions - Activity Book!

Log onto our website today to see our full range of products.
http://www.interactilelearning.com/

English Spelling is D.U.M.B.

If only English spelling was this easy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7ucCJ_Vn58w#!

But unfortunately it's not, so pick up your copy of The Spelling Hive 1, 2, and 3 right now!

http://www.interactilelearning.com/products/the-spelling-hive-book-one.html

First Questions Activity Book

The First Questions Activity Book is almost ready! Pierre and I are doing our final edits and hope to have it at the printers this week. Give me a call on 0919 250 220 to pre-order. The retail price will be $NT280 per book but discounts will be available to schools and registered teachers.



If you don't have a copy of First Questions yet, log on to our website to pick one up today!
http://www.interactilelearning.com/

First Idioms - Worksheets and Tests

Here are all the free worksheets and tests that can accompany First Idioms

Worksheets
http://www.scribd.com/doc/13893046/Intermediate-Body-Idioms
http://www.scribd.com/doc/20558331/First-Idioms-Animals
http://www.scribd.com/doc/31145657/First-Idioms-Prepositions-of-Place

Tests
http://www.scribd.com/doc/28543249/First-Idioms-Test-Beginner-1-25
http://www.scribd.com/doc/34799803/First-Idioms-Test2
http://www.scribd.com/doc/14219252/First-Idioms-Intermediate-Test-1-25
http://www.scribd.com/doc/13349334/First-Idioms-Test-1-50

First Questions

We've had lots of new teachers added to our registered teachers so in order to help everybody make the most of their Interactile products I am going to put all our free worksheets together for convenient downloading. So below are all the activities that go with First Questions. These activities will work equally well with First Questions and First Questions - Senior Edition. Enjoy!

http://www.scribd.com/doc/15819099/Question-Race
http://www.scribd.com/doc/24494159/Be-the-Principal-1
http://www.scribd.com/doc/21383615/Question-Snap
http://www.scribd.com/doc/19805626/Interview-a-CelebrityTeachers-Notes
http://www.scribd.com/doc/18690434/Auxiliary-Verbs
http://www.scribd.com/doc/17374448/Third-Person-Review-Third-Person-Review1

ETA 2010 - Booth C17

We wanna send out a big thank you to all the teachers that visited us at our booth at ETA 2010. Here is Ivy after we finished setting up on the Thursday before the big event began.



http://www.interactilelearning.com/

ETA 2010

Hi folks,

ETA has been and gone and what a blast it was! It is always so great to meet so many teachers that care so much about their profession. A lot of people tell us that ETA is getting smaller and smaller every year but from our perspective it is also getting better and better. Better products, better workshops, and therefore better teachers.

This year was a bit special for us. Due to the Suao highway being in disrepair we were forced to take the long way over He Huan mountain. It's such a beautiful drive that we weren't complaining though. Here are some shots of us driving over the road and taking a rest at the top. We didn't stop for long though as it was freezing!






The road home to Hualien was a little easier as the road through Suao was opened on Sunday afternoon, the last day of ETA. This meant we were able to get home on Sunday and have a good rest before heading back to work on Monday.

We'd like to thank all the teachers that came and chatted to us at our booth. It was so great to meet all of you.

http://www.interactilelearning.com/

ETA

The English Teacher's Association book fair and exhibition is next weekend! November 12th to November 14th. Interactile will be there with some special deals available only for those who attend. We will be there in booth C17 so come by and say hi.



http://www.interactilelearning.com/

POP - Pencils on Paper - Book 1 - Available Now!

Pick up your copy from our online store now!
http://www.interactilelearning.com/products/pop-pencils-on-paper-book-1.html

DorDor English Bookstore

On our recent travels around Taiwan meeting bookstore owners and agents, we visited May Hwang at her Dor Dor English Bookstore in Hsin Dzue. It is, for sure, one of the sweetest independent English bookstores in Taiwan. May also treated us to some yummy Hsin Dzue dol hwa. If you are in the neighborhood be sure to pop in and visit May and her four dogs!



http://www.dordor.co.cc/

National English Teaching Conference - Shin Dzue

《活動流程》
08:00~08:50 報到時間
09:00~10:00 朗文資訊交流
10:00~12:00 〈齊斌〉 聽說讀寫-輕鬆戰勝GEPT
12:00~13:00午餐時刻
13:00~14:00 〈Debby〉Game Poster文法教學應用篇
14:00~15:30 〈Pierre〉互動式英語教學 Speaking & Phonics

當台灣學生越早接觸英語，而其能力也越好時，英語教學者有必要持續提升自己的教學技巧。

朵多美語書店為呼應這股「精進英語教學能力的需求」，特舉辦這場教學研討會，會中邀請了齊斌、Debby、Leighton，三位皆是身懷絕技的英語高手，擁有多年的教學經驗，更時常擔任英語師資培訓課程的講師。

時值盛夏……充滿教學熱誠的您，怎能錯過這次盛會！

◎ 時間：8月1日〈星期日〉
◎ 地點：交通大學光復校區-交映館
◎ 報名費用：1200元〈含午餐〉兩人同行一人免費(贈教材一份)
2400元〈含午餐〉三人同行一人免費(贈教材三份)
附贈教材：GEPT LSRW全測驗、Game Poster、互動式教學教材
☆ 匯款方式-朵多有限公司 郵撥:19420104
☆ 主辦單位：朵多有限公司 03-5739794
　　　　　〈新竹市金城一路42巷18號〉
www.dordor.co.cc
☆ 協辦單位：台灣培生教育出版股份有限公司
　　　　　　 各地經銷商

報名地點：朵多美語書店03-5739794
〈新竹市金城一路42巷18號〉

Freebie! First Idioms Basic Test 1-50

Here is the second test for First Idioms. It covers idioms in the basic level from 1 to 50.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/34799803/First-Idioms-Test2

If you don't yet have a copy of First Idioms, check out our webstore to get your very own copy:
http://www.interactilelearning.com/products/first-idioms.html

Spelling Hive 3 - Coming Soon!

Stay tuned here for updates of when the third level of The Spelling Hive will be released.



And while you are waiting for that, get hold of book one
http://www.interactilelearning.com/products/the-spelling-hive-book-one.html
and book two
http://www.interactilelearning.com/products/the-spelling-hive-book-2.html
at our webstore.

For those of you that are already working through The Spelling Hive - Book 1, have a look at this dictation worksheet for extra ideas:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/32973849/Level1-Dictation

Good luck to the Coetzees!

One of Interactile Learning's chief writers and bosses has decided to head back to South Africa with his family to start a new life. Pierre's involvement with Interactile will not change and he will continue to help us write awesome products only from a different continent. We headed out for some Taiwanese grub as that will be in short supply when him and his family make it home.


From left to right: Ivy (designer), Leighton (writer), Aldan (trouble maker), Pierre (boss), Catherine (restaurant critic), Thalia (white mouse), Quintas (trouble maker's assistant), Jenny (delivery man's navigator), Mum, Lee (delivery man).

Summer

Sometimes when you've spent the whole semester teaching kids to Speak Right and Read Right, plus teaching them their important First Questions, as well as getting stuck in a Spelling Hive, when a hot day comes ya just gotta forget everything and go to the Seven for a Slurpee. Tis' summer after all.....

Spelling Hive - Dictation

New worksheet folks! For those of you that are working through The Spelling Hive Book 1 with your students, have a look at this one. Pierre and I, for a long time have been using dictation as a nice way to review and/or test students spelling. Once students are in the habit of memorising their weekly spelling words, dictation is a nice way to bring it all together. The dictation doesn't have to be long and it can be funny.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/32973849/Level1-Dictation

Give it a try and let us know how it works!

Welcome Candy!

Hi everybody,

We'd like to extend a huge warm welcome to Candy Wang to the Interactile family. Candy is our newest agent based in Taipei.

http://www.candysources.com/index.php?type=0

That's her website address. She has a great bunch of ESL materials available via her website.

Welcome to the team Candy!

Taichung Workshop 2010

Hey folks,

For any of you that are living in the Taichung area, I hope you have time on May 31st to come and see a seminar presented by Hooyi Bookstore. Interactile Learning and Anglia will be there too. Hope to see you then!

First Idioms - Prepositions of Place intermediate worksheet.

It's freebie time kids! Attached is a worksheet to be used with our First Idioms kit. This will work out best if you use it after finishing the intermediate level with your students. All the spaces need to be filled in with an idiom that uses a preposition of place (in, on, under, through).

This could also be used as a fun test. Pierre has spoken before about open book tests and this is a perfect time to try that. Tell your students that they should try to fill in all the blanks with idioms and if they get stuck, they are allowed to open their First Idiom boxes to finish them.

Good luck!

http://www.scribd.com/doc/31145657/First-Idioms-Prepositions-of-Place

Speak Right Read Right - Kit 1

The class in these pictures have just finished Level 1 of Speak Right Read Right Kit 1. So today we tried something different. I asked them to put all five vowel wheels in front of them and listen very carefully to the sound I made. They then had to find the right wheel and turn it to find the right consoant to make the full sound. They had a little bit of trouble at first but got better and better the more we tried.

The students at first had trouble differentiating the short 'a' and the short 'e' sounds but after a few attempts got pretty good at it. And then we made a game of it, to see who could find the sound the fastest as shown in these pics below.

Ilan Workshop!

Busy month for us I tell ya! April 25th, as you know, the independent publishers Roadshow hits the big smoke in Taipei. But before that, on April 20th Debby from Andersen's Bookstore is hosting us in Taipei for an afternoon of workshops and discussions. Come along and see what is going on!

The Independent Publishers Roadshow 2010

We're on the road! Next stop Taipei! Come join us on April 25th to check out some wicked materials developed by teachers, not publishers. See you there!

Sneaky Peak!

Here's an image from the latest product from Interactile Learning. It's still with our designer but we hope to have it in stores by the end of May. It's gonna be a blast!

Hualien Roadshow - March 28th 2010.

Peter and Aaron, authors of the ESL Guerrilla handbook talking to some Hualien teachers about their ideas for making a better class.

Geoff and Sophia talking to some folks about their Phonics systems.

First Idioms - Beginner - Test 1 - 25

Here is the first test from the beginner level of First Idioms. This ones has been tidied up to look super snazzy!

http://www.scribd.com/doc/28543249/First-Idioms-Test-Beginner-1-25

The Spelling Hive - Book 2

The Spelling Hive - Book 2 is now available directly from Interactile Learning. It won't be in stores for another few weeks but you can get your copies from us right now. Give Pierre a call on 0932310394 or Leighton on . Or you can order direct from our website:
http://www.interactilelearning.com/

Roadshow 2010!

The ETA conference last year in Taipei afforded a great opportunity for us to meet fellow teachers who, like us, were looking for ways to become better teachers. It also allowed us to meet some other independent publishers who are working hard to create some great materials. We met Peter Vasil at his booth and got talking about how we could be helping each other and other independent publishers. We came up with the idea of a roadshow that would travel Taiwan and put on free workshops for teachers to attend and learn about our ESL materials.

The first roadshow will take place on March 28th at 1pm here in Hualien. All teachers are welcome to attend for free and take part in 4 workshops hosted by 4 very experienced teachers/speakers. If you have some time that day, feel free to come by and see what is happening.

The ESL Guerrilla Handbook

Every now and again we come across and awesome book that we have to share. The ESL Guerrilla Handbook was written by Peter Vasil and Aaron Connors, two fellas with a knack for teaching in a fun, dynamic, and vibrant way. This book is full of sweet ideas to make any classroom more fun. Look for a copy in bookstores now.

First Questions - The Senior Edition in action!

First Questions got its first outing in a BIG class today at Tzu Chi. The students all have their own box which makes review and practice super fast, easy and fun.

Question four (Do you have a nickname?) got the most laughs today. The students all wanted to know why my nickname is 'Potato'.

Office Space

Interactile Learning now has some office space in Taipei on Hsin Yi Road. In the future we will be using this space for workshops to help teachers better understand and use our range of products.

If you have any questions about Interactile Learning or our products, please don't hestitate to get in contact and come visit us at the office.

Wei Ya!

Last night was Interactile Learning's Chinese New Year wei ya. The whole team got together at our favorite Japanese bbq restaurant in Hualien.



From left to right: Thalia, Pierre, Aldan, Jenny, Quintas, Catherine, A Pung, Ginger, Ivy, Leighton.

First Questions - The Senior Edition!

Welcome to First Questions Senior Edition for more mature students. The First Questions program was first developed by Interactile Learning to give teachers, parents, and students an easy way to learn and review basic conversation skills. The first set was designed for students in kindergarten, elementary school, and junior high school to use. Interactile Learning’s teachers soon discovered that the system worked very well with senior high school, university, and adult students too who were trying to develop their conversational abilities.
Hence the Senior Edition was born. The Senior Edition uses the same format for fast review and better retention. We kept a few of the questions from First Questions for review and to make sure that mature students who did not study First Questions, still get the solid foundation they need. First Questions Senior Edition is therefore the ideal follow on from First Questions but is also recommended as a starter conversation kit for more mature students.

Homework? For or against?

Here is an interesting article about the benefits, or lack thereof, of homework. There are lots of comments following the article, some for and some against removing homework altogether. If you have a thought, add it to the blog comment below and we'll see if we can get some kind of debate going here.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/education/3327534/Throw-out-homework-let-kids-read-comics-principal

Speak Right Read Right Kit 2!