Saturday 09.00-10.30
Mauchline, FionaFreelance
Putting the Creative Back in Writing
I have no imagination' is a common complaint, the let-out clause for teens and adults alike, but with a gentle nudge and fun activities that unleash a wealth of vocabulary and awake the senses, as well as the imagination, not only will your students enjoy writing creatively, but you'll have something interesting to read. Let the Muse begin to play...
Fiona Mauchline lives in Cáceres in the West of Spain and has been involved in ELT for nearly 25 years. She is a materials writer (courses including Interface for ESO and Motivate for Bachillerato), teacher, teacher trainer, blogger and one of the curators of the #eltpics picture resource for teachers. On Twitter, she is @fionamau
Tellusabout:
Yourfavouritewebsite: This has to be Take a photoand..., theeltpics blog, although I haveothers. Eltpicsis a photoresource made by teachersforteachers, andtocelebrateits 1stbirthday in October 2011, Take a photoand...wasborn. I 'manage' itandsometimeswriteposts, butthere'susually a guestblogger, as the 'spirit' orunderlyingphilosophyofeltpicsis 'community'. Sandy Millin, oneoftheothereltpicscurators, has alsowritten a fewposts.
Apartfromthat, wordleisgreat, I followsomeof my fellowELTers' blogs, and I snooptheGuardian, the Público, theTelegraph, LonelyPlanet, Elle UK, imdb... the usual suspects. Oh, andthere are my othertwo blogs...
A techmusthave( apieceoftechnologyyoucouldn’tlivewithout: My laptopis my office, so that'sthemainone (incwifior 'pincho'). My cameras and my coffeemachine. And I wish I had a dishwasher. ;) Anythingelseisan extra – even my mobile.
Somethingyou'dneverthrowaway:I'dneverthrowawaytherelationshipsthatmatter. My diaries, photosof my family. My sons' 'labelbracelets' fromwhentheywerefuzzylittlepinknewborns, and a fewlovelettersfromthedaysbefore I had more sense. Onthewholethough, people mean a lot more to me thanthings, so I'donlyhangontothingswith a story. Dependingonthestoryofcourse – I gaveaway my weddingdress.
Whoorwhat inspires you? In my writing, I haveto inspire myself, thoughwalks, smells, images, voices, cupsof tea orcoffee in theright place...atmosphereand a sharpmemory can allhelp. Otherwise, peoplewith drive, self-belief, talentandmodesty, forexampleShellyTerrell. I have a friendwhowrites best-sellersofthesorttheBook Club andSainsburyssell; hiswife, who I consider a closefriend, inspires me more. It'snotaboutachievingpubliclyandgettingyourphotopublished, isit, it'saboutkeepinggoing, believing in whatyou do, no matterwhat, andnotbecomingsomeoneelse in theprocess.
Usefulteachingtool: Wordle. Twitter (forresources, support, ideas, a totallymotivatingstaffroom), yourwits, commonsenseandexperience.
Yourfavouritelesson: Whateverthelastonewasthat I taught (anddidn'tgowildlywrong) – thoughsittingonthefloorsurrounded by 6 yearoldsorteachertraineescaptivated by George andtheDragon (by Christopher Wormell) isparticularlyappealing. Andoneonviticulture in Geographywith Miss Holland, when I wasabout 16.
Yourfavouritebitaboutyour talk: What comes fromtheaudience – seriously. The talk isaboutcreativityandimagination, so the best bits always come fromthepeopletakingpart in theactivities. Onthewhole I likethevisualisation bits best.