Creating Audio Files Ann Eastlake ELTDP TEC Hyderabad 2013

What is ELTDP? The English Language Teacher Development project, managed for the Malaysia Ministry of Education by the British Council, aims to improve the quality of teaching and learning of English in primary schools in East Malaysia. Essentially this is a mentoring programme with one British Council mentor working with one British Council mentor with 5 schools and focusing on the level one teachers.

The ELDTP as an agent of change. ELDTP is designed to foment and support changes in thinking and practice. Based on reflective practice, project stakeholders are engaged in looking into current practices and formulating and evaluating interventions. Thus rather than working to a standard format or course, project work centres on what teachers and other stakeholders know, do and value. This results in diverse, exciting and meaningful activities. (Ian Kaplan external evaluator 2012) development

Rationale. No listening materials for the KSSR text book. Pupils need to hear other English voices than just the teacher’s Need to discourage too much teacher talk. Is a learner –centered activity

MEETING THE KEY PROJECT INDICATORS Improvement in teaching and learning: Creating these materials helps teachers focus on delivering target language in an interesting and interactive way that engages pupils. Also teaches about pace and tempo.

MEETING KPI’S Improvement in language proficiency: Writing these scripts and recording them; using English creatively helps improve language proficiency; recording boosts self confidence and enhances correct stress and intonation

Meeting KPI’s Improvement in sourcing assessing, developing and utilising resources: Teachers are developing and assessing and utilising resources when creating audio files. Identifying a method of storing audio (MP3) files which are easily accessible, portable and have longevity. (E.g. Dropbox)

Audio Files | Video Morine 1, Jerus 1 Hailila 1 Making Audio Files Digital Story

AIMS To make an interactive audio file for a unit or a segment of target language of your choice To make the audio materials interactive and fun !

STAGES Writing audio script 15 minutes Recording script 15 minutes Playback 15 minutes

Choose from the following genres/ activities but each group please do a different genre Story Jazz chant Song Question and Answer (quiz) Game Interview Monologue or dialogue

HOW? Using Audacity software to create audio files and save and export as MP3 files. So 1. After recording audio file on audacity Go to file and save PROJECT AS EXPORT as MP3 file.

Story If you choose to tell a story from the textbook, please remember to tell pupils to turn to the page in their textbook so that they can follow it. Use different voices for different characters Use sound effects You can use music (a one or two second ‘sting’) to break up sections When asking questions repeat twice and count to 10 (silently) to give children time to answer Include a ‘right brain’ question at the end

Jazz Chants and Songs Use the following format “Children, listen to this”: Sing song or say chant “Children say/sing after me” Sing a line from song/ chant. Count to five etc to give time for children to repeat. Children, sing with me: Here the children are singing along with presenter. No need to count down

Games You may or may not want to use the games in the textbook but use the language that is being taught in the game if you can. Give clear instructions X 2 Give children time to follow your instructions. Keep the game short. No longer than 3-4 minutes. You may want to include music and sound effects (SFX) in the game

Monologues and Dialogues Keep language simple. Try and include language from the unit, if possible. Make them entertaining Questions. Give time for children to answer. Include a right brain question. E.g. Ann has got a bag. It is a green bag. Children, what do you think is in Ann’s bag?

Interviews (VOX POP) Think of a question. Ask about five children (preferably) to give their answer. On the recording, you hear the question one, then five possible answers. Children, what do you think? Tell your teacher!

WHAT NEXT? Create audio files as a training tool with your teachers or students. Make audio files for your lessons/ seminars as and when. Create a series of audio files for a syllabus or a training module. Pilot a series of EFL programmes for community radio or find a platform in community radio for the same

Downloading Audacity Audacity can be found here: html?tag=mncol;1http://download.cnet.com/Audacity/ _ html?tag=mncol;1 Instructions for LAME installation here (this is needed to convert files to mp3)

Audacity Tutorial vV-Y ( video tutorial) vV-Y

the English Time Project GOAL To develop the teaching of English and to improve the knowledge of English among the children in Botswana DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES 1. To produce stimulating, child-centred radio lessons for all standards of the Primary Education system. ( Standards 1-7 ) 2. To introduce a new system of radio production which will include contributions from scriptwriters and educationalists from throughout Botswana 3. To develop the skills of the EBD producers and their contributors

ENGLISH TIME PROGRAMMES The first objective of the English Time project was to produce stimulating, child- centred radio lessons for all standards of the Primary Education System. For each standard there are 28 programmes, duration appr. 15 minutes per programme. Each radio lesson is divided into distinctive parts, each with a different character, in order to give variety to the English lessons. They supplement the work that is carried out in the classroom. The programmes are generally lively and interactive; they include: songs and rhymes, games, dialogues, interviews, stories with comprehension exercises, and authentic situations. The structure of the programmes has remained the same but naturally the degree of difficulty has increased as the leamers' knowledge of English has improved. Most programmes end with an open question or an activity which stimulates the children's imagination, thinking and creativity and the teachers are given lots of ideas for how to do follow - up activities in the classroom.