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STEP BY STEP GUIDE ON HOW TO RUN IDEAL CLASSES
- Start by giving each student a sheet of paper (see page 73 ) and asking him/her to fill in their name, age, etc. Do not tell the class about IDEAL at this stage.
- Ask them “Do you like English?” and request an honest simple “Yes”, “No” or “Don’t know” answer.
- Get them to explain their answer by asking the question “Why?”
- Ask them “Do you like dolphins?” Again request a simple “Yes”, “No” or “Don’t know” answer.
- Then ask them to write down “Why?”
- The next question to pose is, “Do you think introducing dolphins into English lessons is a good idea?” Answer this question with “Yes”, “No” or “Don’t know”.
- Followed by “Why?”
- Now tell them that you are going to introduce dolphins into their English lessons in the form of stories about a dolphin named Dilo. Tell them you hope they will enjoy the stories so much they will learn English easier and quicker. Be positive and convincing when you tell them this. Make the students feel they are part of a partnership. This could be done by putting the IDEAL JOYFUL CIRCLE OF LEARNING (Illustration 1) on the board. Ask them if they have seen dolphins and get a class discussion going on when and where. Tell them how much you hope their parents and/or grandparents will become involved and how this will complete the circle.
- Then get each student to draw their own dolphin.
- Explain that to find out just how much better you hope they are going do you will have to test them. Don’t make a big issue of this. Nobody likes doing tests but they do like to know why they are doing them. Then proceed with one or more of the well recognised literacy tests e.g. Vernon Spelling Test which can be included on their forms and marked (see page 74).
- Then proceed with English lessons using one of the Dilo books (Dilo Makes Friends is recommended) as the set book and incorporating the IDEAL principles as outlined herein i.e. interspersing conventional English tuition with writing poems, and other creative activities, such as those that can be found in Dilo’s Fun and Activities Book, pages of which can be photocopied if necessary.
- Be spontaneous. Encourage students to originate and develop their own ideas. Praise them. Be enthusiastic. Encourage students to use the library and search for dolphin books. If computers are available, show students how to visit the International Dolphin Watch website (www.idw.org) and then find links to other sites.
- Use visual aids, show clips from dolphin videos and use them to explore ideas for composition. The video Oceania for instance, which is available from IDW, looks at human/dolphin relationships since earliest times. It is includes a variety of subjects that can be used for different lessons, including one of very young children playing and swimming underwater and another showing youngsters meeting dolphins just off a beach in Australia.
- In Dilo Makes Friends, Mike gives Debra a wetsuit. If this is your chosen set book, bring a wetsuit into the classroom. Better still, find someone who uses a wetsuit e.g. a windsurfer and ask him/her to bring it in and explain it’s purpose. Alternatively, contact the local diving club and ask a scuba diver to demonstrate the use of fins, mask and snorkel and show how easy it is to breathe from an aqualung. Boys especially like to see the gadgets and equipment a diver uses underwater, especially his diving knife.
Get students to come to the board, or write on a sheet of paper, the name of the particular piece of equipment being demonstrated.
- Encourage students to get permission from their parents to bring to school any items that can be related to dolphins and/or the undersea world - seashells for example.
- Towards the end of the course get the students to review the set book. Students must of course learn to be critical and exercise their judgement, but don’t dwell on negative issues. IDEAL is about being positive. Help them to discover what they enjoyed about the book and why.
- The word comprehension is daunting for some students. So turn comprehension tests into a quiz. Make them fun and funny.
- At the end of the IDEAL course pose questions similar to those asked at the beginning i.e.
“Do you like English?” “Yes”, “No”, “Don’t know” and “Why?”
“Do you like English more now?” “Why?”
“Do you like dolphins?” “Yes”, “No”, “Don’t know” and “Why?”
“Do you think Dilo is special?” “Yes”, “No”, “Don’t know” and “Why?
Draw a dolphin.
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Follow this with a repeat of the English test(s) used at the beginning.
- Compare these answers and comments with those at the beginning of the course and write a brief assessment of the value of IDEAL for each student. Completed Appraisals (see page 81), with additional observations if you wish, can be sent to the author* for incorporation in an international review of IDEAL.
*Dr. Horace Dobbs, IDEAL Review, International Dolphin Watch, 10 Melton Road, North Ferriby, East Yorkshire HU14 3ET England. E-mail: idw@talk21.com
QUIZ - based on Dilo Makes Friends
(Guide Step 17)
1) Why did Mary send the twins to stay with the lighthouse keeper?
a) She had to go into hospital.
b) She was going on holiday.
c) She sent them for a holiday.
2) What job did Pat do before he became a lighthouse keeper?
3) What are the names of the twins?
a) Robert and Debra.
b) Robin and Debra.
c) Robin and Deirdre.
4) When the twins first saw Dilo, what did they think he was?
a) A dolphin.
b) A shark.
c) A big fish.
5) Mike the diver brought each twin a surprise. What did he give Robin?
6) When Robin fell into the bay, who saved him from drowning?
a) His sister.
b) His uncle.
c) Dilo.
7) How does Debra call Dilo?
8) What is the name of the drug runner’s boat?
a) Merlin.
b) Sea Dog.
c) Sea Wolf.
9) When the boat injured Dilo, Uncle Pat said the dolphin
needed R & R.
The first R is Rest. What is the second R?
a) Relaxation.
b) Recuperation.
c) Restoration.
10) When the twin’s mother left hospital, where did she go for
her R & R?
a) Rose Cottage.
b) Primrose Cottage.
c) Primrose House.
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